2016 GMC Canyon: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
267 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The GMC Canyon's years to avoid are 2015 and 2016 (AVOID at 29 and 39, with Steering at 226 and 177 of 319 and 267 complaints) and 2023 and 2024 (45 and 39). The years to buy are 2017 to 2022, all BUY, with the 2019, 2020 and 2021 trucks at 95, 94 and 90 on 16, 14 and 11 complaints. Read the full note on the model page. 2016 specifically: this is one of the years the note above says to approach with care — 267 complaints on record, verdict AVOID.
Read the guide
Used mid-size pickups: Colorado, Canyon and Ridgeline years to avoid, including 2016 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 267 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 26.7
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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.
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 dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unkn…
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
Recalls: 4 campaigns (3 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 15V807000 | Latches/Locks/Linkages | 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. |
| 16V125000 | Air Bags:Frontal | 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… |
| 17V621000 | Air Bags:Frontal | 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. |
| 18V358000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump | 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… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a pickup of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Steering177 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Power Train39 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System37 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine21 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other19 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc)13 complaints · typical job: Yaw sensor or ESC module replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$660–$1,560
Other GMC Canyon years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2016 GMC Canyon?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Steering (177 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2016 GMC Canyon a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 39/100, computed from 267 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2016 GMC Canyon's most common problem?
177 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2016 GMC Canyon sit in the Steering group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement: about 5.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,020–$2,500 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2016 GMC Canyon cost to run per year?
About $5,377 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $26,885 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2016 GMC Canyon have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 GMC Canyon, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 01/12/2015. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other pickups of about the same age.
What will a 2016 GMC Canyon really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Strong evidence — 267 complaints, 4 recalls on record
- 267 NHTSA complaints on record (26.7/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (6.5/yr)
- 4 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems