The contact owns a 2009 GMC Canyon. The contact stated during an oil change, he was informed by the mechanic that the sub frame was fractured between the driver’s side door and the passenger’s side door. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer however, the independent mechanic advised the contact that the entire sub frame needed to be replaced because the fracture could not be welded. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
The worst 2009 GMC Canyon problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical8
- Fuel system6
- Transmission5
- Brakes4
- Airbags3
- Engine3
- Acceleration2
- Lights2
- Body1
- Driver assistance1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 GMC Canyon
Recalls 3
Child seat
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2004-2011, chevrolet colorado, gmc canyon, model year 2006, isuzu I-280/I-350, and model year 2007-2008, I-290/I-370, regular cab vehicles and extended cab vehicles without a rear seat and equipped with a front 60/40 split bench seat. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the top tether anchor for the front center seat is not accessible and the owner manual does not include instructions regarding how to use the top tether.
- Risk
- Both the federal safety agency and gm discourage placement of a child in a front seat. Nevertheless, there are individual circumstances that may require placement of a child in a restraint in the front center seating position of this vehicle that does not offer a rear seat. Lack of access to the top tether anchor and a lack of instructions as to how to use it, may result in improper installation of a child restraint. Improper installation of a child restraint can result in a reduction in the restraint's performance in the event of a crash and an increased risk of injury or death to the child seated in the restraint.
- Remedy
- Dealers will cut a hole into the back panel trim cover to allow access to the top tether anchor for the front center seat position and will provide supplemental information as to use in the owner's manual. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, isuzu at 1‑800‑255‑6727 or visit gm's website at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V575000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 185,903 model year 2004-2009 colorado, gmc model year 2009-2004 canyon, model year 2006 I-280, I-350, model year 2007-2008 I-290, and I-370, passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of alabama, arizona, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, nevada, new mexico, puerto rico, south carolina, texas, u.s. Virgin islands and utah. Some of these vehicles have a brake lamp switch that may not work as designed due to contamination in the switch.
- Risk
- This condition could cause the simultaneous loss of all brake lamps or cause all of the brake lamps to stay on continuously. Both of these conditions could fail to warn others of the driver's intentions and could lead to a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the necessary components as specified in the recall bulletin free of charge. Gm anticipates that parts will be available by june 2010. A special coverage for vehicles registered in all other states will be implemented in the same time frame. In the interim, owners who experience the failure can obtain a free repair, however they will be required to return when the new design part becomes available. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, isuzu at 1‑800‑255‑6727 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V310000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 27,188 my 2009 cadillac escalade, escalade hybrid, escalade esv, and escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, suburban, tahoe, tahoe hybrid, and colorado; and gmc yukon, yukon hybrid, yukon xl, and canyon vehicles. The fuel system control modules may have a condition in which an adhesive separation of the room temperature vulcanizing (rtv) seal between the seal and the housing may allow water to seep into the module.
- Risk
- Water in the module could cause a short or open circuit, illumination of the service engine soon lamp, setting of diagnostic trouble codes or the engine may be hard to start, may not start or may stall increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on may 18, 2009. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V154000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2009 GMC Canyon 1,042
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- Unknown or other
- This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Electrical system
- This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline...
- This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or...
- Unknown or other
2009 GMC Canyon fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.9L 4‑cyl | RWD | 18 | 24 | 20 |
| 2.9L 4‑cyl | 4WD | 17 | 23 | 20 |
| 3.7L 5‑cyl | RWD | 15-17 | 20-23 | 17-19 |
| 3.7L 5‑cyl | 4WD | 16 | 21-22 | 18 |
| 5.3L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 21 | 17 |
| 5.3L 8‑cyl | 4WD | 14 | 19 | 16 |
What 2009 GMC Canyon owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My husband recently asked if I had encountered any problems using the cruise control in this vehicle. Since I seldom drive any distance with that vehicle, I never noticed anything. But he had traveled onto the interstate, and when attempting to set the cruise, noticed it didn't work. Yesterday, I had to follow him somewhere, and I noticed the brake lights weren't coming on. We tested all the other things (tail lights, back up lights, turn signals), and everything was working properly. Today I was looking to see how to replace the brake light switch, and also noticed there were instructions on how to replace the cruise control switch and fuses,too (as they all seem to be related.) Then I found that some models of the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon were affected by a recall for this same issue. When I looked it up just now, this model (2009 GMC Canyon) is not under the recall (but it has the same issue).
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Car will periodically and unpredictably not crank, fire or start. After attempting approximately 10 minutes later it will. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? One never knows circumstances in which they need reliable transportation. In my case I have elderly parents that can need me at any given time. In most cases it is an annoyance but due to the unpredictable factor anything could happen. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes but no codes were trapped in ECM Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No
It times it wont start have to wait 15-20 min to start while parked I also had a 2004 colorado that did the same thing .now for the safety end .if your in the country an you or someone is haveing a medical issue an it wont start their is a possible life or death situation that person has a greater chance of dieing .I have talked to dealers about this problem all they said we can try different things but at my expence. I was told it has something to do with the security lock system . Gm said they dont know how to fix it .iam sure other people has had the same problem I would like some info back yhank you
I was driving approx. 65 MPH in heavy traffic on the new york state thruway when I lost all power to my truck and was barely able to manuever off the road. I had my truck towed to my mechanic & was told that it was the fuel pump flow control module. Recall no. 08411 2009 gmc canyons were recalled because of this problem. The recall stated that the fuel system control modules have a condition in which an adhesive separation of the rtv seal between the seal and the housing may allow water to seep into the module. Water in the module could cause a short, illumination of the service engine soon light (which was on in my truck). Also the engine may be hard to start, may not start or may stall. If the vehicle stalls while it is moving, a crash may occur! This happened to me but I was fortunate enough to not crash and die. Like others my truck did not fall within the VIN #s. Obviously there was a problem with this part. My truck had the problems stated in the recall and this was confirmed by my mechanic & dealership. However, gmc denied the reimbursement because it was not within the recalled VIN#s. Gmc was not broad enough with their recall!! I'm attaching a photo of the module and you can clearly see the corrosion .
My airbag light came on, I took it to my local repair shop and they found a broken wire in the rear driverside door they spliced the wire and that worked for about a month and now it is coming back on again but it seems to only come on when it is damp or raining. I open the door and move the wire harness around it will go back off.
Intermittent and repeated partial failure of fuel system control module part number 20850907 during driving, including rough engine operation, loss of most of engine power on moderate highway grade, slowing to 15 MPH under speed limit, and failure to restart approximately 15 minutes after shutdown. Malfunction indicator lamp lit and diagnostic code for low fuel rail pressure was recorded, but fscm malfunction diagnostic code was not recorded until after at least two incidents had taken place. Vehicle (VIN) entry into database returned "0 recalls", so the federal safety agency campaign 09v154000 remained unknown and ordinary replacement of fscm was attempted. When fscm 20850907 replacement was ordered, gm fscm part 20759945 was supplied, which failed to operate. Gm dealer refused to verify correct part number and withheld all information about the federal safety agency campaign 09v154000.
My pickup has what gm refers to as "phantom shift". While traveling on i5 @ 70 miles per hr, my pickup thru no action on my part, shifted into 4 wheel drive. Previously this happened while turning left or right at slower speeds. Gm issued a "bulletin" in feb. 2011 giving dealers instrutions on how to deal with, and repairs to fix this problem. A local dealer, using that bulletin, in december 2016 proceeded to "fix this problem with my vehicle." charging me $849.35. In july 2017 the same problem re-appeared. The local dealer (airport chevrolet in medford, oregon) is now refusing to honor their warranty for their "fix in december claiming that becaust the computer in my vehicle is not "throwing any codes". Gm is demanding that I get a second opion at another dealer at my expense when the other dealer has already espressed an oral opion that they know they can't fix anything that doesn't "throw codes". According to info I have discovered on line, this problem has exhisted with this particular model pickup since 2004 and now, gm is refusing to cooperate with me. Please help updated 09/11/2017
Attempt to start the engine after sitting for a few hours in driveway, the engine starts then sputters and stalls as if not getting enough gas and attempts to die. After a few moments, it finally catches up and runs. Engine has stalled while sitting at traffic lighs several times. According to document id # 2274089--- #08411 product safety- hard start, no start, engine stall- replace engine control module- ( may 7, 2009) I have taken my vehicle to a gmc dealership several times in the past along with a copy of recall but they claim that it is a service bullentin and not a recall so they would not fix the problem. I took my vehicle to an independent gateway service dealership and told them the problem I was having with the engine stall. They pulled up the recall and showed it to me and advised me to take my vehicle to a gm dealership for the recall that the gm dealership says that there is no recall. I have had this truck for 4 years now and the same problem exist but gm denys that a recall exist even when I have the paperwork in hand.the recall pertains to truck numbersbetween 98104805 - 98123129. My truck # is 98123053 which falls in that category. My vehicle falls into this category but has not been repaired since I have had posession. I would appreciate it if this problem can be resolved.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 gmc canyon. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had stalled four times without warning. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 92,301.
Compare the 2009 GMC Canyon
Canyon vs Toyota TacomaCanyon vs Ford RangerCanyon vs Chevrolet ColoradoCanyon vs Nissan FrontierCanyon vs Honda RidgelineCanyon vs Jeep Gladiator
Other model years
200420052006200720082009201020112012201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Questions about the 2009 GMC Canyon
Is the 2009 GMC Canyon reliable?
Owners have filed 27 complaints about the 2009 GMC Canyon, fewer than a typical Canyon model year.
What is the 2009 GMC Canyon year score?
The 2009 GMC Canyon scores 80 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the GMC Canyon: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 GMC Canyon?
Electrical system, with 8 complaints, typically around 55,000 miles. Next is fuel system (6).
How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Canyon have?
3 recalls, covering child seat, exterior lighting and fuel system, gasoline.
What year does the GMC Canyon have the most electrical problems?
The GMC Canyon model years with the most electrical complaints are 2016 (38 complaints), 2015 (32 complaints) and 2024 (26 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2009 GMC Canyon get?
Official estimates for the 2009 GMC Canyon range from 16 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.9L 4-cyl, RWD) gets 18 city and 24 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2009 GMC Canyon?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history