Owners have filed 1,322 complaints on the GMC Canyon, covering 2004–2026. The system named most often is Steering (428 reports). Worst years by volume: 2015, 2016, 2024; cleanest: 2026, 2025, 2021. 40 reports describe a crash, 19 a fire. On average the car was 4.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Canyon
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,322 Canyon complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 428 Read
The contact's grandmother owned a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that her grandfather was driving approximately 60 MPH on the freeway while her grandmother was occupying the front passenger's side seat. The contact stated that while the driver was attempting to switch to the right lane, the steering wheel locked…
Faulty electric power steering caused vehicle veer off the rode hitting a concrete wall, concrete mail box and telephone. Vehicle was totaled. The vehicle was north bound a two black top road at a slight right hand turn
On 12/29.2015 at approximately 8:00 am on a clear bright day I was driving near my my home returning from and errand. I was approximately 90% through a slight right turn when the electronic power steering went out causing the vehicle to leave the road, continue down a ditch hitting a concrete drive, concrete mail box…
Electrical System 179 Read
While driving I saw smoke and when I pulled over I seen fuel leaking from the gas tank area. Where it was leaking it ignited and the fire department had to put out the fire and the truck is totaled
While driving, a fire started inside the vehicle between the rear passenger side seat belt and the rear window. My daughters were in the back seat and started screaming. I immediately stopped the vehicle and ran to put the fire out by smothering and throwing water on it. There was zero warning...no lights or warning…
On Wednesday September 22nd at approximately 9:45 pm. My 2019 GMC Canyon was parked on my street and caught fire and was destroyed for no known reason. The fire department came ruled the cause as un known. The cabin and the bed were totally destroyed. Appears to be no issue to the engine compartment
Exterior Lighting 172 Read
The headlights randomly flicker on and off while driving at night. This not only causes a distraction while i'm driving but is also affecting other drivers. Drivers in the other lane keep mistaking the flicker as me turning on my bright lights which is leading other driver to retaliate and either put on their bright…
Headlights in on position, every few minutes both left and right headlights along with DRLs flicker off and back on very quickly
Both front headlights flicker every few seconds
Power Train 141 Read
Vehicle switched out of four wheel drive while travelling up hill in snow. Resulted in a loss of traction and sliding downhill until it collided with a tree, resulting in$9,000 worth of damage. I have heard of the AWD/4WD actuator failing in other GMC trucks. The vehicle is currently in for repairs
I purchased this truck 3 months ago and it had around 9000 miles on it at the time of the incident. I was driving at around 25 mph when I noticed smoke coming from under my hood. I pulled over, shut the engine off, and popped the hood. I opened the hood and noticed the engine was on fire. Opening the hood just enraged…
I was pushing the accelerator, and the transmission hesitated at about 45 mph. For about 2-3 seconds, the vehicle would not upshift. The RPMs revved, and finally the vehicle slam-shifted into gear. The vehicle drove normally for the rest of the drive cycle
Service Brakes 60 Read
The contact owns a 2016 gmc canyon. While driving 55 mph, the check engine indicator illuminated without warning. In addition, the brakes engaged without warning and without the assistance of the driver. The vehicle decreased to speeds of 20-30 mph. The contact could not accelerate beyond 30 mph. In addition, oil…
Gas pedal and brake pedal to close .when wearing construction boots the lip of the boot will catch behind the brake pedal and it is very dangerous the first day for work I was backing up so my body was twisted so I can reverse and I hit another car because my foot was stuck
On Sunday, November 16, 2025, my vehicle, which had only 2,004 miles on the odometer, experienced a catastrophic failure of its braking system. The warning lights illuminated, and I received a diagnostic alert text message from OnStar stating that the driver’s side rear tire needed air. Subsequently, the dashboard…
Engine 53 Read
I purchased a gm 2016 canyon in october, 2016 and had driven it nearly six months when the event decribed here occurred. Up until april 16, 2017, I had had no problems with the truck. However, on easter sunday afternoon, while attempting to slow my canyon down and preparing to stop at a stop light, the engine seemed…
Upper radiator hose leaking coolant
Upper radiator hose connection to radiator is faulty causing leak of coolant. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. Truck began to run cooling fan at full speed in the middle of winter with no warnings of high heat or low coolant. After two weeks, check engine light finally cut on to indicate low coolant…
Air Bags 42 Read
In fresno, ca at 5:30 p.m., I was heading east on shaw ave., a three lane street, near brawley ave. A van, waiting for cross traffic at the center island, suddenly jolted into three lanes of heavy christmas traffic. The car driver in the first lane slammed on her brakes and stopped safely. I was in the center lane and…
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at 45–50 MPH, he was blinded by the sun and crashed into the rear of a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The air bags did not deploy. The contact noticed that the service air bag message was displayed on his app after the crash. The contact sustained…
I was involved in a serious front end collision that totaled my vehicle. My truck was deemed not repairable and declared total by the insurance company. I was driving on the nj garden state parkway when the accident occurred. Not one airbag was deployed!
Structure 36 Read
Purchased vehicle with 1 mile on odometer. Six days later left front wheel fell off vehicle while making a left turn
While driving through a car wash air blow dryer, the roof was popping in and out resulting in a dent of the sheet metal. The roof area appears to be very weak structurally. The roof can be pushed in by hand. This could be dangerous in a rollover situation
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while washing the vehicle, it was discovered that the exterior roof panel was bent and caved inward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle was manufactured without the roof braces which were needed to strengthen…
Canyon years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2025 | Electrical System,unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 8 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 7 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags,vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 626 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.1 |
| Worst single series | 15 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.2 years |
A model average of 2.1 hides a worst series at 15. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Canyon?
By complaint volume, 2015, 2016, 2024 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Canyon years are the cleanest?
2026, 2025, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Canyon have?
1,322 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2026. Of those, 40 describe a crash and 19 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.