Crash on 5/5 rear ended car - airbags did not deploy . Received concussion and neck injury.
GMC Canyon no deployment problems
15 of the 1,446 owner complaints about the GMC Canyon describe airbags did not deploy in a crash, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 15
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 34,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20221
- 20211
- 20201
- 20181
- 20171
- 20161
- 20152
- 20091
- 20081
- 20071
- 20061
- 20052
- 20041
Often reported together
What owners say
Nov 14 2024 my truck steering locked up and lost lighting/ front lights including interior and crash into another vehicle head on going 65 mph. Also no airbag deployed. I hit my chest hard. Need help. Water damaged now after I crashed and now won’t start. Smoke wire smells so disconnected battery. I feel unsafe taking this vehicle in repair without any recalls. This happen all at one time, still paying the loan on the vehicle. Paid almost 29,000. Been in no fault account. Help. Need help reporting issues to insurance to fix the crashed truck or total loss this model. Was scary
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at 45–50 MPH, he was blinded by the sun and crashed into the rear of a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. The air bags did not deploy. The contact noticed that the service air bag message was displayed on his app after the crash. The contact sustained injuries to his head and cervical spine, and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
The contact owned a 2020 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, he crashed into the vehicle in front. The contact stated that the vehicle was switching lanes abruptly, and did not have enough time to slow down or stop. No warning lights were illuminated on the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a yard by the police department. A police report was filed. The contact sustained back, arm, neck, fractured ribs, lung, and head injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 58,000.
On September 14, 2021, my 2016 GMC Canyon struck another vehicle from behind going approximately 55 MPH and the airbags did not deploy. Every mechanic and insurance adjuster has stated that the airbags should have deployed in this collision.
I was involved in a MVA with another car. The other car had all their airbags deploy after they struck me. None of my airbags deployed. I was hit in the right front corner ahead of my right tire. The secondary impact was to my right side between my rear passenger door and rear tire. They hit me with enough force to bend the frame of my truck, crack my engine block and the appraisal from the repair shop came to over $34K without any engine work. I was the only one in my vehicle, thankfully. I am not sure how many occupants were in the other vehicle. But they were transported to the hospital by ambulance. My wife took me in our other vehicle. I was diagnosed with a concussion, assorted bruises, aches and pains. What troubles me is that while my airbags didn't deploy, the other vehicles did! I was spun 90* to 180* from the way I was traveling. (I don't recall any portion of the accident, I was planning on making a right hand turn and I ended up the opposite way from the way I intended to go. I fell that there was sufficient force involved to have my airbags deploy and I did contact GMC to make them aware of it as well.
I was stopped at a light behind another car I was rear ended which pushed my truck into the back of the car ahead of me so hard it made my truck airborne and rolled 6 times thru a city intersection. The front of my truck was crushed almost to nothing out of the 4 vehicles involved mine was the only one where the airbags didn't deploy. Contributing to all the injuries I sustained and I was the only who had injuries.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 gmc canyon. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into a second vehicle. The front end of the contact's vehicle was damaged, but the air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to allen tillery auto (4573 central ave, hot springs, ar), but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 57,000. The VIN was invalid.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 gmc canyon. While driving approximately 37 MPH, the driver rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There was no warning indicator illuminated. A police report was filed. The driver and the front passenger received minor injuries that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was damaged, but driven to the contact's residence. The contact called hardy chevrolet buick gmc at 770‑445‑9411 (located at 2026 macland rd, dallas, ga 30157) and was informed to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that someone would be sent to inspect the vehicle. The contact was not called back. The failure mileage was 27,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc canyon. While attempting to park the vehicle, it gently touched the median and independently accelerated. The vehicle failed to stop until it crashed into the side of a building. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was not injured. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 1/12/16
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 no deployment
Which GMC Canyon years have airbags did not deploy in a crash problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (2 complaints), 2015 (2 complaints) and 2004 (1 complaints).
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