Honda Ridgeline vs GMC Canyon: which is more reliable?
The Honda Ridgeline and the GMC Canyon are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 70/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Honda Ridgeline
- 8 model years scored
- 1,211 owner complaints on record
- about 37 complaints per year on the road
- 48 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (85/100) · worst 2025 (48/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ridgeline against Canyon
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
Honda Ridgeline
- Electrical System — 265 complaints
- Engine — 253 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 143 complaints
GMC Canyon
- Steering — 426 complaints
- Electrical System — 174 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 160 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Ridgeline's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Canyon's in Steering. 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
Honda Ridgeline — avoid: 2025.
GMC Canyon — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024.
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 Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a GMC Canyon at about $51,700 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 21.0 against 20.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the GMC Canyon more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the GMC Canyon scores 70/100 against the Honda Ridgeline's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Ridgeline and GMC Canyon years should I avoid?
Honda Ridgeline: 2025. GMC Canyon: 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Ridgeline and the GMC Canyon?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Ridgeline is Electrical System (265 complaints); on the GMC Canyon it is Steering (426).
Is the Honda Ridgeline or the GMC Canyon cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Ridgeline prices at about $51,700 and a GMC Canyon at about $51,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.