2008 GMC Envoy

Showing the 2008 Envoy Denali. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
16–17 mpgcombined; city 13–14, highway 19–20; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$19,110–$20,300U.S. average; Ohio $17,070–$18,140 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedlowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
77filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2008 Envoy. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Envoy. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system18020
Exterior lighting17000
Electronic stability control (ESC)12101
Engine and engine cooling8000
Suspension7000
Air bags5301
Power train5000
Seat belts5000
Unknown or other5022
Engine4000
Service brakes3101
Service brakes, hydraulic3101
7 more parts
Steering3000
Visibility2000
Wheels2000
Fuel system, gasoline1000
Latches/locks/linkages1000
Tires1000
Vehicle speed control1101

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006592
  2. 2007253
  3. 200877
  4. 200917

Every Envoy year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2008 Envoy. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 936 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2008 Envoy, the latest on Sep 9, 2025. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (436), electrical system (181), engine and engine cooling (109), power train (69), equipment adaptive/mobility (67).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Recall query RQ17002
Loss of Headlights · covers 7 makes
Exterior lightingApr 24, 2017Closed Mar 29, 2021
NHTSA's summary names recall 14V755000, 15V519000
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2008 Envoy.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Envoy
Rear-Wheel Drive
5.3 L, 8 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 20 / 17
Envoy
Rear-Wheel Drive
4.2 L, 6 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 20 / 16
Envoy
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.2 L, 6 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 20 / 16
Envoy
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
5.3 L, 8 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline13 / 19 / 16

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data