To Whom It May Concern, This letter is submitted to report a safety-related defect involving an airbag sensor failure on a 2022 GMC Canyon. The vehicle experienced a failure of an airbag sensor that is part of the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS). The sensor is required for proper airbag deployment and system readiness. Failure of this component compromises the operation of the airbag system and presents a potential safety risk to vehicle occupants. The failure occurred on a vehicle approximately four years in service and was diagnosed as an airbag sensor defect. The sensor assembly includes an integral gasket, and the failure of that gasket resulted in sensor malfunction and airbag system fault indications. General Motors and the administrator of the GMC Platinum Protection Plan were notified of the defect. Coverage for the repair was refused on the basis that a component of the sensor assembly was allegedly excluded, despite the fact that the gasket is integral to the sensor and the failure affects a federally regulated safety system. As a result of this refusal, a safety-related defect involving an airbag system was not repaired. The matter was treated as a contractual coverage issue rather than addressed as a potential defect impacting occupant protection. This submission is intended to notify the federal safety agency of a failure involving an SRS component that may affect other similarly manufactured vehicles. An airbag sensor failure raises concerns regarding component durability, system reliability, and compliance with applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). This complaint is submitted for logging, review, and any action the Office of Defects Investigation deems appropriate.
GMC Canyon airbag light comes on
23 of the 1,446 owner complaints about the GMC Canyon describe airbag warning light, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 23
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 58,000
By model year
- 20231
- 20221
- 20171
- 20152
- 20121
- 20112
- 20092
- 20072
- 20063
- 20055
- 20043
Often reported together
What owners say
Seatbelt light for the front driver continues to turn on even when buckled in and will ding to notify that it’s not buckled despite it buckled in. This is a safety issue as the airbag light also remains on because of it.
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the “Service Safety Restraint System” message was displayed. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 gmc canyon. The contact stated that the rear side curtain air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact was concerned that the failure was a known issue for similar 2004 to 2012 models. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 218,000.
Air bag light came on to service airbag while driving. No impact at time.
Takata recall airbag light is on . Truck will shut down when the truck is going down the road at 60 miles an hour less or more. When you start the truck it shuts off again. Or will start right up and wash it right back down. The safety belt light comes on or is the car locked I should say. Which is the little picture with the car with the lock on it. I have videotaped what comes across the dash and hasn't shown it to the dealership and they have not done anything because they can't find anything. Shuts off again. Or will start right up in the shut right back down. Safety belt like comes on or is the car lock I should say. Which is the little picture with the car with the lock on it. I have videotaped what comes across the dash and his showing it to the dealership and they have not done anything because they can't find anything. All of this is going on right now with my truck and has been since late fall of last year. I take it to my dealership twice with no results .
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.
Has been a problem for some time and was told to report to this site my passenger air bag light stays on, truck is a extended cab so checked the wiring in the doors and they were broke in passenger door so I repaired them thinking I found the problem and light still stays on and radio will not shut off when drivers side door is opened also dome light does not come on but will when the passenger side door is opened?????? Dealership just wants $$$$$ to check the codes and more $$$$ to repair the problem that is occurring from their poor design from what I have read I am not the only one that has this problem. I'm afraid the air bag will not work on passenger side if an accident happens? Also checked the wires under seat and they look fine?
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 gmc canyon. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated on and off at various times, moreso when the vehicle was started. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024–2026 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV vehicles. Incorrect sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software may cause a second stage passenger air bag deployment when only a first stage is intended. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, “Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- An air bag that deploys improperly increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the SDM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 30, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N252533510. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on December 11, 2025.
Recall number 25V856000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
- Risk
- An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 17387.
Recall number 17V621000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
- Risk
- An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
Recall number 16V125000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured September 15, 2014, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured October 3, 2014, to December 9, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front driver air bag inflator that may be misaligned to the air bag module backplate. This can cause the inflator to separate from the backplate during a deployment.
- Risk
- If the inflator separates from the back plate in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, this may cause the air bag or steering wheel components to separate and be propelled into the interior compartment, potentially seriously injuring the driver or other occupants. Additionally, the air bag may fail to properly inflate, increasing the risk of injury to the driver.
- Remedy
- GM has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the driver air bag module inflator for proper alignment, replacing the air bag, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 15037.
Recall number 15V157000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 1, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver air bag connections may have been wired incorrectly. This could reverse the deployment sequence and disrupt the deployment timing of the driver air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- If the driver air bag does not deploy as designed, there is an increased risk of driver injury in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (SDM), free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet) or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14690.
Recall number 14V645000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Canyon airbag light
Why does the airbag light come on in the GMC Canyon?
Owners who report it most often also describe check engine light.
Which GMC Canyon years have airbag warning light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (5 complaints), 2004 (3 complaints) and 2006 (3 complaints).
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