Still, there hasn't actually been any argument as to why a high debt-whatever-to-GDP ratio would cause a recession.
I would actually argue the opposite: If debt payments suddenly increased, this would infuse cash into the economy which would likely boost GDP.
For example, I personally could have $100 Trillion in debt but with an infinitesimally small interest rate and an infinitely long repayment period, I would not be concerned.
What matters is Debt-Payment-to-GDP ratio. There is certainly some level of that ratio at which I would be concerned.