GMC Canyon vs Hyundai Santa Cruz: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is ahead of the GMC Canyon on the federal record, 75/100 against 70/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
GMC Canyon
- 13 model years scored
- 1,093 owner complaints on record
- about 19 complaints per year on the road
- 32 recall campaigns, 19 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (95/100) · worst 2015 (30/100)
Hyundai Santa Cruz
- 4 model years scored
- 309 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 10 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2022 (56/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Canyon against Santa Cruz
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
GMC Canyon
- Steering — 426 complaints
- Electrical System — 174 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 160 complaints
Hyundai Santa Cruz
- Power Train — 125 complaints
- Engine — 75 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 50 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Canyon's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Santa Cruz's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
GMC Canyon — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024.
Hyundai Santa Cruz: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2023, 2024, 2025.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used GMC Canyon prices at about $51,700 and a Hyundai Santa Cruz at about $51,700 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 20.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the GMC Canyon or the Hyundai Santa Cruz more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Santa Cruz scores 75/100 against the GMC Canyon's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which GMC Canyon and Hyundai Santa Cruz years should I avoid?
GMC Canyon: 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024. Hyundai Santa Cruz: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the GMC Canyon and the Hyundai Santa Cruz?
The largest complaint group on the GMC Canyon is Steering (426 complaints); on the Hyundai Santa Cruz it is Power Train (125).
Is the GMC Canyon or the Hyundai Santa Cruz cheaper to own?
A recent used GMC Canyon prices at about $51,700 and a Hyundai Santa Cruz at about $51,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.