2015 GMC Canyon Problems & Complaints

Avoid8.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Canyon at the same age

Owners have filed 303 complaints about the 2015 GMC Canyon with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is 8.6× as many as a typical Canyon model year at the same age, which makes the 2015 one of the Canyon years to avoid. The most reported problem area is the steering (226 complaints, typically around 68,000 miles). 8 recalls cover this model year.

303complaints
8recalls
7crashes
4fires
4injuries
0deaths

Most common 2015 GMC Canyon problems

  • Steering~68,000 miles
    22675%
  • 3813%
  • 3813%
  • Electrical system~44,000 miles
    3211%
  • Engine & cooling~35,000 miles
    145%
  • Other / not specified~10,000 miles
    145%
  • Brakes~44,000 miles
    103%
  • Air bags~52,000 miles
    72%
  • Windows, wipers & sunroof~5,000 miles
    62%
  • Fuel & propulsion system~24,000 miles
    52%
  • Wheels & tires~0 miles
    31%
  • Lights~5,000 miles
    31%
  • Seats
    21%
  • Body & structure~0 miles
    21%
  • Suspension~107,000 miles
    21%
  • Speed control & acceleration~99,000 miles
    10%

Share of the 303 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

GMC Canyon complaints by model year

’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’268011348423827812233032716653171412276220788
Owner complaints per model year, GMC Canyon. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best Canyon years: 2011, 2012, 2019. Years to avoid: 2024, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2017. Compare all years →

2015 GMC Canyon recalls (8)

Steering › Electric power assist system

NHTSA recall 21V-213 · Mar 25, 2021 · 60,681 vehicles

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles. The power steering assist may be lost due to a poor electrical connection within the steering gear assembly.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace steering gear torque sensor cover assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 6, 2021.

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 18V-358 · May 31, 2018 · 895 vehicles

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.

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.

Air bags › Frontal

NHTSA recall 17V-621 · Oct 5, 2017 · 16 vehicles

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.

Steering › Electric power assist system

NHTSA recall 16V-054 · Feb 1, 2016 · 2,988 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 6, 2015, to March 17, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2015, to March 19, 2015. A poor electrical connection within the steering gear connector may cause a loss of power steering assist.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2016.

Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper

NHTSA recall 15V-278 · May 12, 2015 · 24,380 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado, and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured January 6, 2014, to December 24, 2014. The affected vehicles may experience the front brake calipers leaking brake fluid. This is due to air pockets, an imperfection in the metal caliper body.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front-brake calipers if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 9, 2015.

Seats

NHTSA recall 15V-267 · May 8, 2015 · 49,980 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured January 6, 2014, to April 1, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the hooks that secure the driver's and/or front passenger's seat frame may not have been properly attached to the vehicle body during assembly.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seats, correcting their installation as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 2, 2015.

Show 2 more recalls

Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 15V-157 · Mar 18, 2015 · 40 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured September 15, 2014, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured October 3, 2014, to December 9, 2014.

Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the driver air bag module inflator for proper alignment, replacing the air bag, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2015.

Air bags

NHTSA recall 14V-645 · Oct 9, 2014 · 2,283 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 1, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver air bag connections may have been wired incorrectly.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (SDM), free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2014.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2015 GMC Canyon:

Loss of Power Steering Assist

NHTSA investigation RQ19001 · opened May 9, 2019 · closed May 28, 2021 · led to recall 21V-213

In May 2019 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ19-001) to assess the scope of General Motors (GM) recall 16V-054. ODI had received 50 complaints with allegations of loss of electric power steering assist while the vehicle was in motion.

What 2015 GMC Canyon owners say

Steering all 226 →

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on several occasion at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality and the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that the traction control and another unknown warning light was illuminated during each failure. Additionally, the contact stated that on one occasion while his wife was driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality, the steering wheel became stiff, and the vehicle ran off the road into a ditch. The vehicle was undamaged and operable but needed to be pulled out of the ditch by the tow truck. The contact stated that the traction control and an unknown warning light was illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. …

85,000 miles · Aug 2024 · crash

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel ceased. The contact stated that the traction control warning light and two unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle and drove to his destination without failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated while driving away from the dealer, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. …

120,000 miles · Feb 2021

Transmission & drivetrain all 38 →

the system failure is the power steering control module rack and components The safety risk is loss of power steering assist, no traction control, StabiliTrak message on dash, abs and traction control lights is on, don't feel safe to drive. The problem is confirmed by a dealer. The component has not been inspected. Yes, there are warning messages on the dash, and they appear in February 2022. A loss or reduction in power steering assist may increase the risk of a crash. In my opinion, this issue has to be solved and fixed by the dealer at no cost to the customer.

Feb 2022

While driving the vehicle, the power steering suddenly went out. My teenage son was driving and luckily he's had training on this in Driver's Ed or it could have caused a major accident. It has since happened to me while on the freeway and while going up our driveway. I took it into the dealership where I purchased it and they could find nothing wrong, but clearly something is wrong with the wire harness or power steering. I suspect the parts used were part of an earlier recall on GMC Canyon's as the recall ended with vehicles only a month older than mine.

Jan 2022

Stability & traction control all 38 →

I was taking a corner to go up to my road and then my power steering chime went off posting power steering has failed, then a message saying the stability control isn't functional. I drove into a small ditch because I couldn't turn my wheel. I was at a slow speed. I turned off the truck, and the warning went away. This has happened at least 8 times and have taken it to two dealers and the final dealer said I couldn't drive the truck until I replace the rack & pinion assy. He has said this should be part of the recall. My truck was built dec 05, 2014 and inspected on jan 01, 2015. This just costed me $1700.00. Springfield or recall number 16V054000 recall date 02/01/2016 GM recall: 15595 and now an open investigation. …

89,000 miles · Mar 2019 · crash

I was driving about 35 miles an hour when stabilitrac and loss of steering assist warning lights came on. Steering became extremely difficult and I veered into the oncoming lane while making a right hand turn to exit the main road. I was going to have the vehicle towed to the dealership, but the dealership service agent recommended turning the vehicle off and restart after 30 seconds. This worked, but I took it in to the dealer to have it checked. They found no fault codes. Five days later it happened again while on the interstate doing 70 MPH. Fortunately, I only needed to make three turns to get to the dealership. The dealership replaced the power steering rack assembly at a cost of $1662.01. I contacted GM to ask if the expense would be covered by recall 16V054000. …

82,000 miles · May 2018

2015 GMC Canyon engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
2.5L 4-cyl6-speed manualRWD19 / 25 / 22
2.5L 4-cyl6-speed automaticRWD20 / 26 / 22
3.6L 6-cyl6-speed automaticRWD18 / 25 / 21
2.5L 4-cyl6-speed automatic4WD19 / 24 / 21
3.6L 6-cyl6-speed automatic4WD17 / 24 / 20

EPA ratings. Class: Small pickup.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 GMC Canyon a good car?

Based on 303 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Canyon rates avoid: 8.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Canyon at the same age. It is one of the Canyon years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.

What is the most common problem with the 2015 GMC Canyon?

The steering — 226 complaints, 75% of all complaints for this model year, most often about rack and pinion. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (38) and stability & traction control (38).

How many recalls does the 2015 GMC Canyon have?

There are 8 recalls for the 2015 GMC Canyon, the most recent from March 25, 2021 (electric power assist system). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the GMC Canyon?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2012 and 2019. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2015, 2016, 2023 and 2017. See the full GMC Canyon years comparison.

At what mileage do 2015 GMC Canyon problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 55,000 miles; 44% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.