2017 GMC Canyon Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated, and the message " Check Trailer Brakes” was displayed. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the braking system randomly activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. On several occasions while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop, causing the braking distance to be extended by approximately 8 feet. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the ABS module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11720445

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

Mileage

85,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the engine oil was changed several times, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the serial gateway module, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a transmission specialist, who determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the transmission was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

NHTSA ID

11689681

Incident

Jul 21, 2025

Mileage

96,000 mi

there seems to be electrical issue. the fan won't stop running even when shut off. the thermostat stop working with pretty low milage along with the tire sensors. Fixed the previous issues. Furthermore, while driving the vehicle stop working and had to use the momentum to park on the side of the road causing a unexpected break down. The vehicle won't start. This again seems electrical and the dealership want to charge for this. The vehicle is damaged since the manufacture and huge safety issue. Please urge to get a recall for all this items since it seems immersive expensive and unsafe to have to repair all this issues.

NHTSA ID

11674524

Incident

Jul 16, 2025

I backed into a parked car in a parking lot.

NHTSA ID

11652444

Incident

Jan 20, 2021

Check engine light came on, had it looked into, the radiator active shutter grille was stuck and wouldn't close. It had to be replaced. No causation or incident to have caused this. Bottomline, it had to be replaced to avoid further damage and from becoming a safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11632861

Incident

Dec 4, 2024

I can not remove my key from ignition . Sometimes it takes up to 30 minutes to get it to release. Have taken to multiple places they all have different answer and no one knows how to fix it . Getting worse everyday. Today was told to contact you that they could not help me

NHTSA ID

11586124

Incident

Jan 5, 2023

Catastrophic engine failure. Piston #1 damage after a fuel injector issue. The truck just hit 100k miles. This left my husband stranded over an hour away. No check engine light or warning other than a loud pop and smoke. No warranty on the truck, I’ve been quoted $12k for a new engine. I have read MULTIPLE forums (one thread of 77 posts) of the same thing/similar thing happening.

NHTSA ID

11552949

Incident

Oct 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that that evaporative emission control system purge control had malfunctioned. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. On another occasion, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that the front driver side air bag had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ID

11544237

Incident

Apr 6, 2023

Mileage

25,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm and difficult to maneuver. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,400.

NHTSA ID

11524646

Incident

May 29, 2023

Mileage

35,400 mi

The transmission shudders terribly. It is available for inspection. It is unsafe because while in traffic situations, it doesn't get up to speed correctly. It is as if it can't find the gear, it feels like it is about to stall. It is not dependable to stay at a speed, or increase speed. The dealership said that changing the transmission fluid would help, and it did for a while. The problem came back, we had the fluid changed again. The problem came right back again.

NHTSA ID

11515827

Incident

Apr 6, 2023

I was driving down the road when all of a sudden I received a warning “power steering” drive with care and something called “stabilitrack” my power steering had shut off. I was driving down a highway going about 65 around Walker lake no with turns. Coming around one of the turns the power steering kicked back on and I almost jerked off the road. The trucks power steering continues to go in and out making is extremely scary to drive. I have parked it since

NHTSA ID

11512092

Incident

Feb 2, 2023

The central control screen goes through a rapid, seemingly random series of "ghost touch" control changes. It cannot be stopped or shut down. It often changes the language of all screens in the vehicle (I cannot read French), shifts the instrument panel screen from speedometer to any of a large number of random screens, changes rear camera settings or deactivates it, changes bluetooth and telephone settings, and any of dozens of other actions many of which have a direct and immediate impact on vehicle safety. It serves as a terrible driver distraction because the driver has to do whatever they can to keep the screen from making unsafe changes to the vehicle settings. The driver's attention is divided between whatever the screen is doing and what is happening on the road.

NHTSA ID

11505424

Incident

Feb 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canon. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated along with the following displayed message "ISSUE WITH EXHAUST SYSTEM REDUCE ENGINE POWER TAKE TO THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY", as the vehicle slowed down drastically not allowing the driver to accelerate over 20 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as the diesel particulate filter would not complete a burn. A manual regeneration was completed. The contact stated that the failure recurred after 2,500 miles in November 2022 and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, Kelley Buick GMC (255 W Van Fleet Dr, Bartow, FL 33830) where another manual regeneration was completed. The contact stated that the dealer informed him that if the failure reoccurred, he would need to purchase a filter for $2,000. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to inform when a burn was needed as other diesel vehicles were equipped with the burn alert system along with a switch to complete the burn. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated there were no recalls for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

NHTSA ID

11497203

Incident

Jun 13, 2017

Mileage

3,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the temperature gauge would not operate and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while pressing the accelerator pedal. Also while operating the vehicle the contact had become ill with headaches and dizziness which required medical attention. Upon inspection, it was discovered that a hair-like fiber was present coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed that the temperature gauge and exhaust system was faulty and needed to be replaced. The hair-like fibers were not identified. The contact was concerned that the hair-like fibers had clogged the exhaust system causing carbon monoxide to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000.

NHTSA ID

11484289

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

Mileage

52,000 mi

After 5 years and 2 months of ownership of this vehicle, at ~52,000 miles it began to develop a shudder in the driveline, that I originally ascribed to an imbalanced rear wheel. After checking the rear wheels for balance, that cause was ruled out. I took the vehicle back to the GMC dealer where I had purchased it new. They claimed that the cause of the problem was a defective transmission fluid that somehow became contaminated with water. They offered to flush the entire transmission and install new 100% synthetic transmission fluid for a cost of $770. When I complained about a vehicle with 52,000 miles developing transmission problems the dealer consulted with GMC, and then agreed to flush and replace the allegedly defective fluid without cost. Upon further investigation, it appears as though the origin of the issue is not due to the nature of the fluid, but rather the use of an undersized torque convertor in this 8-speed transmission, which began in the 2017 model year. The smaller size and inadequacy of this torque convertor design is the root cause of this shudder, which not only has presented itself in the 2017 GMC, but also in corresponding GMC/Chevrolet models using the same transmission. The danger of a transmission failure can have catastrophic safety consequences for the driver, passengers as well as the motoring public, not to mention a very large transmission replacement charge for the owner. There is currently a Class Action lawsuit in the State of California for this notorious "Chevy Shake."

NHTSA ID

11479800

Incident

Jul 15, 2022

Constantly getting a message and beeping to service my trailer brake system while in park and driving. I’ve never used this before for towing any trailers or anything. This message and beeping cause a distraction and i find it to be dangerous. And the fact I’ve never used this is quite annoying.

NHTSA ID

11479157

Incident

Aug 8, 2022

INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM Vehicle touchscreen begins to glitch and is unresponsive, this is referred as “Touchscreen Disease”

NHTSA ID

11473588

Incident

May 8, 2022

2017 GMC CANYON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION SHUDDERING AND BUCKING. OCCASIONALLY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT YET DISCOVERED A FIX.

NHTSA ID

11473315

Incident

Jul 11, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond when the accelerator pedal was depressed; instead the vehicle would jerk forward. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The manufacturer had been informed by the dealer of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ID

11463369

Incident

Jan 9, 2022

Mileage

64,000 mi

Fuel/Emissions: I have a 2017 GMC Canyon; I am not able to fuel the truck without the use of a funnel. As soon as I start fueling, it shuts off and "spits gas" on my clothes. When I do use the funnel, it takes me almost 20 minutes to fuel the truck. I have read in forums that it is a common occurrence with the 2017 Colorado and Canyons. I have tried to explain to the dealer that it may have a clogged evap canister. The dealership was dismissive and said it was a purge valve. The dealership changed the valve but failed to fix the issue. I returned to let them know and was told it would be days before anyone would look at the vehicle even though I did call and was told to bring it. Two things, evap canister is part of the emissions system and is to cut down on the emissions, and secondly, the gas gets everywhere when it "spits" it out because the vapers have no where to go. This is the only vehicle my wife and I have and is a good truck. There are plenty of forums such as coloradofans.com on line where others have the same issue. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11461293

Incident

Feb 4, 2022

My key frequently gets suck in the ignition. During this event, I cannot remove the key and the vehicle will NOT shut down electrically (motor turns off). I have had it in the dealer shop 3 times for this same issue. I have had the key lodged at times for several hours which may require battery assistance. The "repairs" were made at Ideal buick GMC in Frederick, Maryland but the problem persists. I have read online blogs describing this problem by other owners. What can I expect as far as actually resolving this issue?

NHTSA ID

11454376

Incident

Feb 27, 2022

Windshield defrost failed when HVAC Module Temp Door failed similarly to failures in 2015 and 2016 year models. GMC confirmed and repaired the 2015 and 2016 model years; but, has so far refused to acknowledge or repair my 2017 model; even though, from information available to me, it is the same part with the same problem. The dealership quoted me $2,500 for repairs.

NHTSA ID

11453815

Incident

Aug 30, 2021

I have a fuel leak coming from the top of the fuel tank and running down the side of the tank. The leak occurs when the vehicle is running so it's appears to be coming from the high pressure fuel line or top of the fuel pump. It appears to be exactly what is described in NHTSA Campaign Number 18V358000 and in GMC Recall 18188 however GMC Customer Support told me recall 18188 only applies to the 2018 year model and not my 2017. When I search for recalls on NHTSA by VIN it tells me 0 unrepaired Recalls. My wife and I both smelled gasoline Friday afternoon when we returned from a trip. We have not driven the vehicle since. I started the vehicle and let it idle in our driveway and after a couple of minutes fuel began to leak and run down the side of the gas tank.

NHTSA ID

11432050

Incident

Sep 3, 2021

At highway cruising speed I am experiencing a shake or a shutter coming from the transmission.

NHTSA ID

11430259

Incident

Aug 20, 2021

This is the 2nd time this has happened. The 1st time making a left onto route 23 from route 296 in Windham NY. Almost got T-Boned. Stalled wouldn't start. Waited 5 minutes and it started again. Ran rough then died again thankfully in a more opportune spot. MY car randomly & without warning loses all power and electric and shuts down. The 1st time I had it towed to Matthews GMC (where I purchased 4 pick ups) and they stated it was a NOX sensor and repaired it. Saturday this happened again while driving at 55 MPH and stalled on a blind curve (very scary). I left a complaint on this website to hopefully prevent a fatality. I thought I would recieve a response from you the NTSB but didn't. I went online and noticed there a a number of folks that had the same problem. Do you wait for fatalities before action is taken??

NHTSA ID

11427418

Incident

Jul 31, 2021