Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 GMC Canyon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 14 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
When sitting at idle, the engine miss & spark knock at times. When start driving down the road the throttle seems hard to Press & takes a little time to reach up to road speed. The truck does not get good gas mileage at all. I had the spark plugs & wires changed still don't help.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC CANYON. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART. ALSO, THE DECREASING POWER MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. THE CONTACT CALLED BISHOP GMC CADILLAC (400 MACKINAW AVE, CHEBOYGAN, MI 49721, (231) 627-5669) TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.
"FAN BELT PULLEY" I STARTED MY TRUCK AND WAS LEAVING WORK DRIVING ABOUT 10 MPH WHEN THE FAN BELT BROKE. I HAD POWER BUT NO ACCELERATION TO THE TRUCK. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO A FULL STOP IN THE PARKING LOT. I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD WHERE I NOTICED THE FAN BELT WAS BROKE. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO MY ACCREDITED MECHANIC WHICH HE SAID THAT THE SHAFT THAT HOLDS THE PULLEY WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF INSIDE THE ENGINE. COST TO ME $600.00
"BRAKE PADS/SHOES" I HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS AND SHOES DUE TO THE BINDING, SEQUELING NOISE THEY WERE MAKING. AS A RESULT I HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTORS DUE TO THE DAMAGE. WHEN I FIRST START THE TRUCK AND SLOWLY LEAVE MY DRIVEWAY, I COULD FEEL THE BINDING AND HEAR THE SEQUELING. AFTER DRIVING 20 MINUTES THIS ALL GOES AWAY. REPAIRS $500.00 WHICH IT DRIVES 100 PERCENT BETTER!
"TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR"(TPM). THE TPM IS ALWAYS ILLUMINATING ON MY DASH. I CHECK MY TIRES PLUS THE SPARE EVERY MONTH AND NOTHING SEEMS TO BE WRONG WITH THE INFLATION. I STILL HAVE THE FACTORY RIMS, WITH THE SAME TIRE SIZE ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER BUT NEWER WITH NO UPGRADES. NO DAMAGE TO RIMS OR TIRES EVER.
"REAR BRAKE LIGHTS" LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING WHEN I APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS GOING TO WORK AND A DRIVER NEXT TO ME INFORMED ME THAT BOTH MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING AS I WAS AT A RED LIGHT. I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. THE RESULT WAS I REPLACED BOTH REAR BRAKE BULBS AFTER SPENDING 2 HOURS OF IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM THINKING IT WAS MORE COMPLICATED. I ALWAYS CHECK ALL MY LIGHTS EACH MONTH MAKING SURE I AM IN COMPLIANCE!
"CRUISE CONTROL" WENT OUT AND I CANNOT FIND OUT WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. THE FUSES ARE EXCELLENT. WHILE I WAS DRIVING I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL ON, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN FOR NO REASON THE GREEN ILLUMINATION ON THE DASH THAT LET'S ME KNOW IT'S ON, WAS OFF. I TRIED TO ENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL AGAIN BUT THAT DID NOT WORK. THE GREEN ILLUMINATION ON THE DASH DOES NOT COME ON ANYMORE EVEN AS I ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME THIS HAPPENED.
"ENGINE LIGHT" ILLUMINATES WHILE DRIVING. DURING THE FIRST 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING THIS LIGHT APPEARS AND STAYS ON. THEN 15 MINUTES LATER AS I CONTINUE TO DRIVE WITH NO STOPPING OR TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, THE LIGHT GOES OFF.
1. "THEFT DETERRENT" ILLUMINATES AND TRUCK WILL NOT START. HAVE TO WAIT 10 MINUTES WITH KEY IN THE "ACC" POSITION AND THEN IT STARTS. HAPPENS OFTEN AT LEAST 2 TIMES A WEEK. ALSO, WHILE I AM DRIVING THE "THEFT DETERRENT" ILLUMINATES AT LEAST 4 TIMES A WEEK WHILE HIGHWAY DRIVING BUT LUCKILY THE TRUCK DOES NOT STALL OR STOP.
PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW WITH 417 MILES. FROM THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS A TICKING NOISE AT START-UP, WHICH GRADUALLY WORSENED TO A LOUD KNOCKING AND VEHICLE SHIMMY FOR SEVERAL SECONDS, SOMETIMES REQUIRING MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS ONLY ON COLD START-UP. MULTIPLE VISITS TO THE DEALER RESULTED IN INCORRECT DIAGNOSES OR NO DIAGNOSIS. FINALLY, AT 18,071 MILES, THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS LOOSE TIMING CHAIN AND WORN GEARS. ALL WERE REPLACED BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. PROBLEM WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BUT NOT SOLVED. IT THEN BEGAN TO AGAIN WORSEN THROUGH MULTIPLE TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP, UNTIL 43,384 MILES, WHEN IT WAS ONCE MORE DIAGNOSED AS THE TIMING HAVING JUMPED OR THE CHAINS HAVING STRETCHED. WE DECLINED TO HAVE THE DEALER REPLACE EVERYTHING WITH US PAYING FOR IT, AND HAD OUR OWN MECHANIC DO THE WORK. OUR MECHANIC BELIEVES THERE IS SOME SORT OF TIMING CHAIN DEFECT IN DESIGN OR COMPOSITION, WHICH KEEPS CAUSING/ALLOWING THE CHAINS TO STRETCH.
VEHICLE SETS AN "AC OFF" FAULT MESSAGE FREQUENTLY. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE GOES TO ZERO AND THE AC DOES NOT WORK. THE TRUCK IS NOT OVERHEATING AND NO OTHER FAULTS ARE SET. NO TROUBLE CODES ARE FOUND DURING SCAN. AFTER SOME TIME (20-50 MILES OF TRAVEL), THE FAULT DISAPPEARS AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND AC BEGIN WORKING AGAIN. THERE ARE LITERALLY 1,000'S OF MESSAGES ON DISCUSSION BOARDS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON NUMEROUS WEBSITES ON DIFFERENT GM VEHICLES. PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED ONE, SOME, OR ALL COMPONENTS OF THEIR COOLING SYSTEM TO NO AVAIL. THE PROBLEM SOMETIMES GOES AWAY FOR A FEW HOURS OR A FEW MONTHS, BUT ALWAYS SEEMS TO RETURN. I HAD MY VEHICLE TO THE GM DEALERSHIP IN MAY 2016 AND THE CONDITION WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED AT THAT TIME. I PAID THE DEALERSHIP TO DO A COMPLETE SERVICING AND INSPECTION OF THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, WHICH INCLUDED THE COOLING SYSTEM. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND BY THE DEALERSHIP. SINCE THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, I REPLACED THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR HOPING IT WAS A JUST A BAD SENSOR/CONNECTOR PROBLEM. THIS HAS NOT CHANGED THE CONDITION IN ANY WAY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS POSSIBLY AN ISSUE RELATED TO THE ACTUAL PLACEMENT OF THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR. I'LL EXPLAIN WITH THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO: ONCE THE ENGINE COMES UP TO OPERATING TEMP, THE THERMOSTAT OPENS, AND WHEN THE COOLANT BEGINS TO CIRCULATE, THE TEMP SENSOR IS LEFT EXPOSED, THE TEMP GAUGE TANKS, AND THE SYSTEM KICKS INTO A SAFE MODE. WHILE THIS IS A GREAT SYSTEM SAFE RESPONSE, I AM PREVENTED ME FROM SEEING A REAL OVERHEAT CONDITION. I PERSONALLY LIVE AND WORK IN THE MOJAVE DESERT. IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE COMMONLY ABOVE 100 DEG F, A PROPERLY OPERATING VEHICLE COOLING SYSTEM CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. I CAN'T BE ENTIRELY SURE IF MY COOLANT SYSTEM REALLY HAS A PROBLEM OR IS JUST GIVING FALSE INDICATIONS AT THIS POINT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC CANYON. WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEFECT WAS A RECURRING ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT NOT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. UPDATED 03/11/16*LJ *TR
WHEN FIRST STARTING THE VEHICLE(ESPECIALLY COLD STARTS) THE ENGINE IS MAKING A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE AND THEN STOPS AFTER IT WARMS UP FOR A WHILE. I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE INFORMED ME I NEED NEW LIFTERS AND HAVE A INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM. HE TOLD ME THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING IN MANY DIFFERENT MODELS. HE EVEN SHOWED ME THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN GM HAS OUT ON IT TO TELL MECHANICS HOW TO REPAIR IT. I DID NOT HAVE HIM REPAIR IT BECAUSE OF THE COST AND BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE 30,000 MILES ON IT. I'M HOPING THERE ARE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT TO FORCE GM TO RECALL IT. MY WARRANTIES ON IT HAVE EXPIRED. THANK YOU. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC CANYON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE TURNING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE DEALER CLEANED THE ENGINE AND FUEL WIRING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 09V154000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,272 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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