Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 GMC Canyon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Water coolant valve, and torque converter. my Truck temp gage will fluctuate towards red line and back to normal. Torque converter caused my vehicle to shake, vibrate, slow accelerating, made it seem vehicle will shut off on highway or in heavy traffic. I went to several mechanics, including the dealerships and they fixed my water coolant valve but issue persisted, the dealerships said my truck was running fine until I had requested to ride along with mechanic, that's when he guessed it would be torque converter. has not been inspected, just test drove and replaced by mechanic no lights indicated on dash board and I felt the shake and vibration around 08/01/2021 and reported to dealership. The water temp gage was reported back in Nov 2018 but the problem still persist.
At random the power steering and traction control turn off making it difficult to drive.. This happens randomly and has become unable to steer. Once the vehicle is turned off for a period of time you can start it up and the steering returns. The issue was reported in the 2015 models. That recall needs to extend into the 2016 models since most of the parts were most likely manufactured tot eh same specs as the 2015. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent repair shop. The dealership wanted $200 for just the diagnostics. Every time this happens it becomes very difficult to drive and is a safety issue. The issue first appeared 2 months ago and after the restart stopped. Then all of a sudden it seems to occur daily.
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.
Ignition key randomly will not release from switch. The key is stuck in the ignition in the accessory position which in turn kills the battery. As far as I can tell (and I have read about and experienced this problem for many months) the root cause is the gear shift assembly or Part # 23397472. It is not reliably returning the confirmation, to the solenoid lock on the ignition switch, that the transmission is in PARK reliably. For the first time last w/e my dealer admitted this is a problem and that replacing 23397472 usually resolves the issue. I need GM to take responsibility and activate a recall
I have not been in an incident yet, but when I slow down coming off the highway and try to come back up to traffic speed the the transmission bucks or shutters. Also when starting from a red light or stop sign the truck bucks or shutters very notable in 3-4-5th gear. I watched the tachometer and it shutters most of my drive. In all fairness, I have not brought it to the dealership yet. I see other people are having this problem with the Canyons and Colorado also. Please advise!
Have had truck in shop several times, currently in the shop and has been there for almost 3 weeks nobody seems to know what the problem is. Vehicle losses power and goes into a limp mode. Temperature gauge keeps failing, exhaust break does not work, ac cuts out often and does not work often, keeps trying to clean exhaust filter over and over again and again.
Complete loss of power steering and traction control while driving. Very difficult to make turns. Would have to pull off the road and restart vehicle to fix problem. I have not taken it to a service center. It has not been inspected. Warning lights for loss of stabilitrak do come on.
Key is not pulling out of ignition after truck has been put in park. Mechanic has replaced the shifter twice, and yet the problem is more pronounced. The Dealership (Anthony GMC) has now stated there is no problem, and yet the key wont come out for them either.
Transmission has been shuddering since 15,000 miles till now. Dealerships says it's normal on these transmissions, 6 fluid and filter changes and now at 72,000 miles the transmission is failing just outside of warranty. They scammed me and kept my transmission barely alive until warranty ran out and now they want 8k-10k for a replacement. They knew. Dash goes crazy from the touch screen to the digital information screen in the speedometer. They say it's normal and happens on all the units. But it's distracting and has been messing up since bought the truck new. Again they just kept saying it was nothing they can do. Now they say it needs to be replaced after my warranty has run out. DEF system is failing conveniently after the warranty has run out. …
Noticed a few days after I bought the truck it seems the transmission never knows what gear to be in. You can take off fine but when you try to add a little speed, does nothing until a few more inches of pedal is applied then it accelerates way to fast, almost hit the car in front several times. Also, coming out of u-turn or freeway underpass, seems to be stuck in 6th gear, have to dang near floor it to get it to accelerate , all the while folks are trying not to hit me from behind since I am not moving very well. Freeway driving, same issues, say you are at 60mph and traffic clears and you try to add a little pedal to get to 65-70, I have to push down 2-3 inches before anything happens. Same when driving 30 then trying to go to 45, shudders and stumbles like a manual transmission vehicle would in 5th gear @ 30mph. …
Transmission complaints in other Canyon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2016 GMC Canyon?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2016 GMC Canyon, 14% of the model year's 271 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 GMC Canyon transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2016 GMC Canyon, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 GMC Canyon transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 7,000 miles, and 77% before 25,000 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.