4.5

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,725 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 GMC Canyon engine problems

engine problem

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2016 GMC Canyon Owner Comments

problem #10

Jul 142022

Canyon

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving and the Stabilitrak warning comes on as well as the Power steering warning. later after the vehicle is turned off it will not restart (no crank, no Start) and there is no communication with the ECM until it has had the battery disconnected for an extended period. This is very dangerous losing power steering and stabilitrak while driving is going to cause an accident. I would like to see a recall on the 2016 like there is on the 2015 with this same issue. I have not had the issue repaired yet. waiting to get it into a shop who tells me they will likely need to replace the Rack and Pinion on this truck to correct the issue.

- Muscatine, IA, USA

problem #9

May 082021

Canyon

  • 53,210 miles
Vehicle does not respond to acceleration command while entering a highway or during highway driving, increasing the risk of collation with other vehicles due to transmission failure, suspect the torque converter not working properly. This is a major and well known issue, GM continues to ignore and I do not want to become the next statistic dead in us highways. The vehicle is moving, during a red triangle yield sign entering the highway, the vehicle will not respond to acceleration command causing a bottle neck of traffic behind me and high risk of being rear ended. This is a serious defect affecting the transmission, it needs to be investigated and resolved as soon as possible.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #8

Feb 112021

Canyon

  • 101,800 miles
My wife and I were traveling at approximately 55 miles an hour when all dash lights nav system gauges etc. Turned off. It was as if I turn the ignition off. Then it turned itself back on and seem to function normally. The vehicle had a similar problem previous to this and there was a recall performed on it recently. Also this vehicle is supposed to get close to 30 mpg and now the best I can get is 21 mpg. It has had a rough idle and shut down on me several timesduring the last few years. I feel like this vehicle is unsafe and GMC should be held accountable. I bought this vehicle because I wanted good fuel economy from a diesel and that is not the case. This vehicle has had a number of major issues and numerous recalls but none have addressed the vehicle shutdown. I have read multiple accounts of owners nearly getting killed when their vehicle randomly shuts off while driving. The vehicle seems unsafe and I feel they misrepresented the fuel economy of the diesel engine.

- Occidental, CA, USA

problem #7

Nov 202020

Canyon

  • 49,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle frequently shuts off during braking or while stopped and must be restarted before the vehicle can operate again. Vehicle experiences violent gear changes and significant lagging during periods of moderate acceleration at low speeds. Gear changes result in either severe unresponsiveness and a general lack of acceleration or an aggressive gear change that jerks the vehicle and spins the tires.

- Harvest, AL, USA

problem #6

Apr 292016

Canyon

  • 2 miles
The throttle and transmission feel as though they were separately developed for two different vehicles and just randomly matched in the truck. The accelerator is very non-linear and unresponsive. Then the transmission is constantly in the wrong gear. This truck is a nightmare to drive in traffic or on windy hilly roads. You have to constantly guess where your foot should be to get any kind of stability or acceleration from the truck. If you are trying to pull out in traffic you better be prepared to have a lot of room because it might just shake and shutter before finding a gear and actually accelerating. This is dangerous and I find it odd that there havent been collisions attributable to this. If anyone from GM is reading this, know this will be the last GM product I ever buy. Either you dont know how to engineer a vehicle, or you simply just dont care about your customers. Im guessing the latter.

- Desoto, MO, USA

problem #5

Feb 072019

Canyon

  • 9,735 miles
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. Ever since the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle has pulled to the right. Additionally, on several occasions, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact also stated that the transmission was slipping while the vehicle was being driven. The vehicle was taken to al serra GMC (located at 6201 saginaw rd, grand blanc, mi 48439, (810) 202-0226) where it was diagnosed that the entire steering column was misaligned and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the brake rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,735.

- Fenton, MI, USA

problem #4

Feb 202016

Canyon

  • 18,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. While driving 30 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. Also, the vehicle decelerated on its own. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (twin city Buick GMC, 3046 alcoa hwy, alcoa, tn 37701) where nothing was done and the contact was informed that the issue was normal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted at 800-462-8782 and stated that they would pass the issue on to the senior manager. Case number: H3455690739 was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000.

- Vonore, TN, USA

problem #3

Jun 012016

Canyon

  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. While the vehicle was stationary, with the brake pedal depressed, the rpms suddenly increased and the vehicle erroneously attempted to drive forward. Also, while decelerating from approximately 15 to 20 mph, the vehicle shook and shuttered when depressing the accelerator pedal and would not accelerate as normal. The cause of the failures was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 1,000.

- Lancanto, FL, USA

problem #2

Oct 302015

Canyon

  • 11,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was engaged and there was a delayed response of several seconds. The contact stated that the failure occurred without any warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.

- Cumberland, MD, USA

problem #1

Aug 012016

Canyon

  • 3,500 miles
About every 3-5 weeks the engine will accelerate by itself. The first 3 times it accelerated to 3,000 RPM, the last 4 times 4,000 RPM. So far as I can tell it does this when shifting from 1st to 2nd. I took it to the dealer and they said they could not duplicate the problem so they could not fix it. Happens in motion on city street or in parking lots. I have standard transmission so when it happens I can leave clutch in, turn off engine and restart. Problems started at about 3,400 miles. Still doing it.

- North Little Rock, AR, USA

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