GMC Canyon engine failure problems

Filed Mar 5, 2026 · CA

Radiator Hose began to leak coolant. Faulty radiator hose. This could have caused engine failure and potentially caused an accident or may have put others at risk for hazards. No warning other strange sound. Inspected by authorized dealers service center.

Filed Feb 25, 2026 · Engine · AZ

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.

Filed Feb 6, 2026 · Steering · 102,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

Filed Dec 8, 2025 · Engine · OH

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.

Filed Nov 21, 2024 · Steering · 302,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and the steering wheel was jerking with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 302,000.

Filed Sep 30, 2024 · Steering · 65,200 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds and making a right turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact continued to drive, and the steering wheel seized again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 65,200.

Filed Feb 4, 2024 · Engine · NC

At approximately 92k miles the diesel High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) failed, all internal seals were disintegrated (technician's verbage). This is apparently a common problem (but no recall was ever issued), which can lead to premature engine failure due to sending foreign material into the engine. This pump was replaced, however the new pump failed, after 2 days, and required replacement again, May 2023. The total cost for this was $6200. At 100,450 miles my engine blew up while driving, 01 Feb 2024. There is a very good chance that when the HPFP pump had failed, 10 months earlier, it in fact send foreign material into the engines cylinders which might have led up to this catastrophic failure. Fortunately, I was on a rural street travelling at about 20 miles an hour, and not on the highway travelling at 70 miles an hour, like I was 10 minutes before this happened. When the engine blew it sent pieces of cast iron flying out the bottom of the truck, on a highway this could have seriously damaged vehicles travelling behind me. When it blew I also lost all 'propulsion', the truck immediately began coasting to a stop, had this happened at high speeds it would have been extremely dangerous because without the engine running the brakes lose pressure, plus the oil leaking out could have caused a loss of traction. From what I have found, while researching online, these 2.8l diesel engines have a fairly high failure rate (often being referred to as "a bomb just waiting to explode"), especially the HPFP, which might be part of the reason the General Motors discontinued using this engine in 2022. I feel that a recall should be done on all current 2.8l Duramax engines to do a complete inspection and replace all suspect components, as well as to reimburse those of us who were placed in harms way when our engines blew up on the road, due to GM's neglect.

Filed Oct 31, 2023 · Engine · GA

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.

Filed Jun 21, 2021 · Steering · 99,600 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would stiffen up then seized. The contact contacted the dealer and two other dealers Capital Chevrolet Buick GMC of Lexington (96 Radio Dr, Lexington, NC 27292) and Flow GM Auto Center (1400 S Stratford Rd Suite A, Winston-Salem, NC 27103) but was informed by all three dealers that parts were not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that parts were not available. The failure mileage was 99,600. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Apr 2, 2020 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 94,400 miles · TX

While driving across parking lot at 8 MPH, vehicle lost power steering control without warning. Engine and other electronics continued to operate, however vehicle power steering and traction control warning lights were illuminated. I stopped vehicle, turned off ignition, and restarted, power steering and traction control lights went off and vehicle returned to normal operation. This also occurred about 2 weeks ago, in heavy traffic when I was going about 10mph, all power steering assist suddenly disappeared, again upon shut down and restart, all returned to normal. I initially thought the engine died. Vehicle has 94k miles.