2023 GMC Canyon Owner Complaints

The automatic emergency braking system on our 2023 GMC Canyon engaged suddenly 3 separate times while we were driving at around 50 MPH on a clear, straight road with no obstructions. We brought the truck to the dealership the next day, and the service department said it was a software issue and reprogrammed the truck's computer. This did not fix the problem, and we experienced the same unexpected automatic braking while driving at 50 MPH on a clear road. We brought the truck to the dealer again, and it has remained there ever since. This poses a risk for sudden unexpected stops, loss of control of the vehicle and rear end collision. There were no warning lights to indicate a problem. In addition, the blind spot indicator light on the drivers side starts blinking when there is nothing in the blind spot. We first notice the problem July 23, 2026 and it recurred on August 6 2026.

NHTSA ID

11756612

Incident

Jul 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 - 20 MPH, the message to decelerate immediately was displayed on the instrument panel, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to 1st gear. The failure had occurred several times, at times while driving 75 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to replace the valve body and solenoid. The second time the vehicle was taken to the dealer, it was determined that there was a failure with the transmission caused by an inoperable wiring harness connection. The vehicle was repaired. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer a third time but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ID

11755849

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

Mileage

42,000 mi

Trailer brakes continuously fault due to known problem GM technical bulletin 23-NA-149 This should be a recall. Nothing but the runaround getting it fixed by GM.

NHTSA ID

11747753

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

While driving I saw smoke and when I pulled over I seen fuel leaking from the gas tank area. Where it was leaking it ignited and the fire department had to put out the fire and the truck is totaled

NHTSA ID

11743819

Incident

Jun 9, 2026

Coolant leak observed at the upper radiator hose quick-connect fitting. The leak appears to originate from the internal seal at the radiator inlet connection. This issue developed without warning and is consistent with a known defect in the radiator hose seal design used in 2023 GMC Canyon vehicles. Vehicle experienced coolant loss and visible residue at the connection point. No visible external damage to the radiator or hose assembly was observed. GM has issued a Special Coverage program for similar radiator inlet hose seal failures in related vehicles using the same component design. Concern is that this defect may lead to coolant loss and potential engine overheating if not addressed.

NHTSA ID

11733035

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the automatic emergency braking (AEB) unexpectedly engaged. The message "Reduce Acceleration Proceed with Caution”, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and returned to normal functionality. The contact stated that the vehicle was nearly rear-ended. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V133000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,300.

NHTSA ID

11722280

Incident

Mar 4, 2026

Mileage

9,300 mi

The upper radiator hose on some huge percentage of these trucks fail (mine has failed at just over 37K miles). You can check the Colorado Chevy and GMC Canyon forums, youtube, Facebook, etc., et al, and find plenty of instances where this has failed. As this is the cooling system, it can cause the engine to overheat and potentially ruin the engine. The flaw seems to be an engineering issue with the rubber seal they use (instead of a high quality o-ring) to seal the upper hose to the radiator. Additionally, since this can cause engine failure it should be addressed immediately. Instead, my local Chevy dealer, since its not a recall item, said they could schedule a time next week for me to LEAVE the truck and that I am responsible for the repair. This is extremely unfair to the consumer who depends on these vehicles. This should absolutely be a recall item. You can find 1000's of examples online and if you can pull GM repair data, I'm sure you'll find 1000's more.

NHTSA ID

11720437

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

Top radiator hose is leaking coolant. Radiator hose O ring appears to be faulty.

NHTSA ID

11718457

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Upper radiator hose gasket leaks at connection point to radiator and no gasket replacement part. GMC forces you to buy entire hose

NHTSA ID

11718399

Incident

Feb 5, 2025

Upper radiator hose is leaking

NHTSA ID

11711891

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Noticed a coolant leak on drivers side and took to dealership was told was the upper radiator hose but was unable to make repairs due to national backorder and only suggestion was to drive until parts come in and keep a check on the coolant level, My truck only has 28,708 miles and shouldn't have to keep an eye on coolant level I feel that is very unsafe

NHTSA ID

11705901

Incident

Dec 16, 2025

The upper radiator hose on a significant number of these trucks is failing prematurely. In my case, the failure occurred at just over 35,000 miles. Numerous reports on owner forums (such as the Colorado Chevy / GMC Canyon forum), YouTube, and other platforms document the same issue, indicating this is not an isolated incident but a widespread defect. Because this hose is part of the cooling system, its failure can quickly lead to engine overheating and potentially catastrophic engine damage. The root cause appears to be an engineering flaw in the sealing method: GM uses a rubber seal instead of a durable, high-quality o‑ring to connect the upper hose to the radiator. Despite the seriousness of this defect, my local GMC dealer informed me that—since it is not currently a recall item—they could only schedule service for the following week, requiring me to leave the truck with them for 7–10 days before repairs would be completed. This is unreasonable for consumers who rely on these vehicles daily. Given the safety implications and the potential for engine failure, this issue warrants immediate attention. It should be classified as a recall item. Thousands of examples are already documented online, and GM’s own repair data would likely reveal thousands more instances of this same failure.

NHTSA ID

11703623

Incident

Dec 2, 2025

The whole radio screen and dashboard have gone completely black and will not come on. Can not see anything. Took it to GMC dealership mechanic. Mechanic did diagnostic and said he didnt know what was wrong with it. Update did not work.

NHTSA ID

11701905

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

While driving at 70–75 mph on an interstate, my vehicle suddenly displayed a “Brake Failure” warning and limited speed to 62 mph. Power steering failed completely, and braking became ineffective despite hard pedal pressure. Multiple warnings followed: ABS, engine, and others. I was in heavy traffic with vehicles at full speed. Loss of braking and steering control forced me to coast across lanes to the shoulder, narrowly avoiding collision. My safety and that of others was at extreme risk. After stopping, I turned the vehicle off for ~30 seconds. Upon restart, all systems returned to normal—no warnings or issues. This indicates a transient software malfunction, not mechanical failure. No prior warnings or symptoms occurred. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer/service center. I have not scanned or inspected the vehicle. It has not been examined by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11698289

Incident

Nov 7, 2025

While driving at 70–75 mph on an interstate, my vehicle suddenly displayed a “Brake Failure” warning and limited speed to 62 mph. Power steering failed completely, and braking became ineffective despite hard pedal pressure. Multiple warnings followed: ABS, engine, and others. I was in heavy traffic with vehicles at full speed. Loss of braking and steering control forced me to coast across lanes to the shoulder, narrowly avoiding collision. My safety and that of others was at extreme risk. After stopping, I turned the vehicle off for ~30 seconds. Upon restart, all systems returned to normal—no warnings or issues. This indicates a transient software malfunction, not mechanical failure. No prior warnings or symptoms occurred. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer/service center. I have not scanned or inspected the vehicle. It has not been examined by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11698288

Incident

Nov 7, 2025

Upper Radiator hose O ring defect Causing all 2023+ Chevorlet Colorados and 2023+ GMC to leak coolant in a brand new truck

NHTSA ID

11694003

Incident

Oct 14, 2025

After each rain or hand car washing, the OEM sunroof has a gurgling sound when driving at speeds above 25 mph. This does not clear for miles, or over time (at least 1 day without water). Water appears to be passing through the seal into the drainage gutter, but not completely draining out through the drains. Its been in service twice to have the drain lines cleared, and the issue remains. This has been present on other car manufacturers as a "wind pressure issue" where the force of driving causes wind pressure to push what water hasn't drained back up into the sunroof. Fix was extending the drain lines at output. GMC unable to repair.

NHTSA ID

11688079

Incident

Feb 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop without warning. The contact waited for several minutes before resuming normal driving. The contact stated that the failure was caused by the rear brakes. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,129.

NHTSA ID

11648962

Incident

Mar 18, 2025

Mileage

14,129 mi

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance, distance indicator, and the Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking failed to work as intended. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, a software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the system was updated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V133000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11647011

Incident

Jul 22, 2024

Vehicle lurches forward extremely strong when almost stopped, shifting from 2nd to 1st. Common issue with all of these trucks with the 8L80 transmission. Also - this transmission slams into 2nd from 1st when first starting out under light acelleration or drifting down hill.

NHTSA ID

11646417

Incident

Mar 5, 2025

The pre-collision warning and the lane keep assist are disabled while driving frequently. It does this on its own. I have had into the shop one other time for the same thing. It’s happening more frequently now. Current mileage is 25,153. Also the personal settings on the dashboard reset on its own every five or so key cycles. Obviously there’s some kind of software problem.

NHTSA ID

11644637

Incident

Feb 24, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while at a car wash, there was an abnormal sound coming from the roof. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that there was a dent in the roof panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and repaired under Customer Service Program: 23-NA-209. After the repair, the vehicle was taken to the car wash and the same failure occurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed a second time and the contact was informed that the repair could not be performed because the part was not available, and to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,800.

NHTSA ID

11642242

Incident

Jul 31, 2024

Mileage

1,800 mi

Since I purchased the vehicle it’s had the issue of it braking on its own. I brought this up to GMC many times. At the beginning they had me try to duplicate it with them, which I thought would be unsafe. They only acknowledged the problem and attempted repairs after I contacted GMC directly. The issue with the crash alerts while driving always stayed, even though there was nothing in front of me. Just recently it started braking on its own again in traffic. This has caused bodily and property damage, luckily nothing grave. I do not feel safe in the vehicle and gave gmc many attempts at fixing such a serious issue. I want them to tow replace the vehicle and provide a loaner. Please contact me if you need more details. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11636776

Incident

Jan 3, 2025

I am experiencing two safety issues with my Canyon 1) Forward collision alert system is triggered unnecessarily (e.g., when there isn't a car in front of me, when the car in front is far away and not posing a risk). I took it to GMC a few months back since there was a previous recall for this system and they said they stated it was fixed. It is not fixed. I turned off the automatic braking tied to the forward collision alert because it has previously braked automatically in a dangerous manner. 2) Digital gauge cluster / speedometer is black / blank upon startup about 5% of the time. Since there is no analog speedometer, this means I am driving without knowing my speed. This is very dangerous. I have tried disconnecting my battery and resetting the electronic system but this issue still persists sometimes.

NHTSA ID

11633110

Incident

Dec 24, 2024

Our 2023 Canyon AT4 we bought on [XXX] had the same problem as this current VIN number of the 2023 Canyon ( Covert GMC in Bee Caves tx bought back the first 2023 Canyon due to this same exact transmission problem. The vehicle I’m complaining about that was replaced by Covert GMC in Bee Caves Texas on [XXX] still has a unsafe issue with the transmission. I’m [XXX] and I am [XXX]. Almost every time I pull into a [XXX] parking spot, from right or left approach, this vehicle lunges as I get close to the sign post. it occurs at red lights occasionally. This current replacement vehicle has been in for warranty several time .. only to the Same excuse that they can’t duplicate. Common denials Don not fix the safety issue with this truck. It’s dangerous INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11632309

Incident

Dec 20, 2024