Reliable Auto DB

2016 GMC Canyon reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2016 GMC Canyon has 268 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Canyon years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Frontal, and Latches, locks, and linkages.

2012 GMC Canyon
Photo by 42-BRT, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

268

Per year

15

Recalls

4

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (178 of 268), then Powertrain (39) and Electrical system (37). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Canyon has 303 complaints, 20 per year, and the 2017 has 66 complaints, 8 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 GMC Canyon. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall Fuel pump 2018-05-31 · NHTSA campaign 18V358000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
Recall air bags, frontal 2017-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 17V621000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17387.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-03-02 · NHTSA campaign 16V125000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
Recall Latches, locks, and linkages 2015-12-01 · NHTSA campaign 15V807000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado trucks manufactured August 25, 2015 to September 24, 2015, and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured August 28, 2015 to September 24, 2015. The affected vehicles have a console compartment lid latch assembly that may fail to keep the compartment door closed in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the console compartment door latch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on January 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16370.

Complaints by component (268 total)

Steering
178
Powertrain
39
Electrical system
37
Engine
21
Electronic stability control (ESC)
13
Speed control
11
Fuel and propulsion system
10
Air bags
6
Service brakes
6
Suspension
4
Hydraulic brakes
3
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Lane departure
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Structure
1
Traction control
1
Wheels
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

132016212017102018182019252020302021502022322023322024252025122026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "2016 GMC Canyon Power Steering failure exactly the same as the recall done on the 2015 GMC Canyon in 2021. While I am driving, for the last 5 days, my power steering and stabilitrac will shut off, and a warning sign…"
    Steering · filed 2026-09-15
  • "Was in my garage and started up my truck and seen an alert regarding the steering. Reversed truck and was un-able to steer the truck. Steering wheel would not move at all."
    Steering · filed 2026-07-03
  • "The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the infotainment system and screen display became inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-06-30
  • "Power steering and StabiliTrack warning pops-up randomly and cuts off power steering assistance while I'm driving on the highway or on country roads. The power steering is very hard to maneuver. However, when it's safe…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-06-20
  • "This is a constant issue where the power steering issues disabled while driving and its very damgerous usually i just turn it off and on it fixes it, but then it happens again and frequently"
    Steering · filed 2026-06-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 GMC Canyon PU/CC 4WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2016 GMC Canyon PU/CC RWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2016 GMC Canyon PU/EC 4WD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2016 GMC Canyon PU/EC RWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Canyon two-wheel drive 2.8L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 22 30 25 MPG $3750
Canyon two-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 20 26 22 MPG $2950
Canyon two-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 19 26 22 MPG $2950
Canyon two-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100
Canyon four-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 17 24 20 MPG $3250
Canyon four-wheel drive 2.8L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $4100
Canyon four-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 19 24 21 MPG $3100
Canyon Cab Chassis two-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 17 16 MPG $4050

Specs and fitment

2nd generation, 2015–2022
Body styles Pickup
Oil dexos1 5W-30 (4-cylinder/V6 per manual) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 255/65R17, 265/70R16, 265/60R18 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 7,700 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 18V-358 covers certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon trucks (with Colorado, Malibu, Acadia, and other GM models): the high-pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange and damage the high-pressure fuel line, creating a fuel-leak fire risk; dealers replace the pump and pipe. Campaign 17V-621 covers certain 2015-2016 Canyon and Colorado trucks where the driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment; dealers replace the driver frontal air bag module. Shared campaign unit counts cover multiple GM nameplates.

Compare

Previous year 2015 GMC Canyon Next year 2017 GMC Canyon See every GMC Canyon model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 GMC Canyon reliable?

The 2016 GMC Canyon has 268 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Canyon years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Frontal, and Latches, locks, and linkages.

What are common problems with a 2016 GMC Canyon?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (178 of 268), then Powertrain (39) and Electrical system (37). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 GMC Canyon more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Canyon has 303 complaints, 20 per year, and the 2017 has 66 complaints, 8 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 GMC Canyon been recalled?

The 2016 GMC Canyon has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 GMC Canyon?

Owners have filed 268 complaints about the 2016 GMC Canyon with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 GMC Canyon get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 GMC Canyon is 21.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a GMC Canyon use?

US Canyon manuals specify dexos-approved oil for your engine in the maintenance schedule.

What generation is the 2024 GMC Canyon?

3rd generation (2023-on).

What tire sizes does a GMC Canyon use?

Sizes vary widely by generation and trim; third-gen examples include 265/65R18, 275/60R20, and 285/70R17.