I'm reporting several serious safety and reliability issues with my 2024 Canyon, including the collision avoidance system triggering sudden braking when reversing and moving forward, a roof damage incident from car wash blowers that required repairs, transmission shuddering and a sensation of locking during downshifts, repeated check engine lights with coolant issues, and limb mode events. These problems affect safe operation.
GMC Canyon shudder problems
31 of the 1,445 owner complaints about the GMC Canyon describe shudder or vibration when accelerating, most of them for the 2017 model year.
- owner complaints
- 31
- worst model year
- 2017
- typical mileage
- 25,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 3Stalling 3Harsh shifting 3Check engine light 3Jerking 2Hesitation 2Grinding brakes 2Won't shift 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0657 1P0615 1
What owners say
The truck have a bad shudder that can shake you off the road. They know about the issue because its been an issue with there vehicles. I have a 2020 colorado also with this dangerous issue.
The contact owns a 2026 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions and exceeding 35 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal sound coming from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown steering wheel part was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was taken back to the residence. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and exceeding 45 MPH, the vehicle shuddered on bumpy roads. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired as of yet because the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 600.
Transmission shudder that is causing Drivability issues. Multiple mechanics have told me to drive it and maintain it until the transmission gives out.
The main issue is the transmission... It shudders. Now I have to change the oil every 10K miles on it, or it will start shuddering again. It first started when the truck had 50K or a little more miles in it. The issue was resolved, I thought... Then it did it again at 69K (Just out of the warranty). I called the dealership and they stated I had to pay if I wanted an oil change, and they could not do an oil flush even if I paid for it. So I said OK, I will take it to a mechanic, and I did and "fixed" the problem. I used the oil GM recommended and the shuddering stopped. BUT then, another 10K miles and it starts again. I have changed the oil a lot of times... It now has 128K miles in it, and this last time, I had to change the oil at 9k miles because of the shuddering... What will be next? I will have to change it at 5K miles, just like the motor oil? It is sad to see all these people having the same issue as I do, and GM does not do anything about it. I've done a lot of research... There is a guy that fixes the issue eliminating a specific valve, in the transmission, and updating the other ones with higher quality valves they make to fix the problem. I'm sure it would cost GM some money, but these trucks are expensive, you know? It is sad that no one is trying to help consumers when companies sale these cars and trucks to the public for a very high price and they do not take care of the mistakes they make when producing them. Please help us making GM fix this transmission issues. It is not fare for us consumers to be having trouble with new vehicles. Thank you for your time.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the engine oil was changed several times, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the serial gateway module, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a transmission specialist, who determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the transmission was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
Transmission has been shuddering since 15,000 miles till now. Dealerships says it's normal on these transmissions, 6 fluid and filter changes and now at 72,000 miles the transmission is failing just outside of warranty. They scammed me and kept my transmission barely alive until warranty ran out and now they want 8k-10k for a replacement. They knew. Dash goes crazy from the touch screen to the digital information screen in the speedometer. They say it's normal and happens on all the units. But it's distracting and has been messing up since bought the truck new. Again they just kept saying it was nothing they can do. Now they say it needs to be replaced after my warranty has run out. DEF system is failing conveniently after the warranty has run out. It's dangerous because they programmed the truck to go into limp mode when anything emissions related fails stranding me anywhere at anytime. Emission failures like sensors should not restrict travel. This is a major issue with the diesels in these trucks and they need to be forced to remove anything that's not dangerous to the health of the engine or drive train from the software or hardware from being able to restrict travel. In every situation I've been restricted to limp mode by dirty particulate sensors, but the code that pops and puts my truck in limp mode says that the NOX sensor is bad. This is false and is just a way for GM to get service at their dealers. Then they charge customers a fortune to replace parts that don't need to be replaced when you can just remove and clean the four particulate sensors and the restrictions will clear themselves shortly after. EMISSIONS RELATED ISSUES SHOULD NOT RESTRICT TRAVEL BY ANY MEANS! It is dangerous to be stranded on a trip because your emission sensors may be malfunctioning.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but became a recurring failure. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had recently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics who informed the contact of a known transmission failure and a national recall. The contact searched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train); however, the local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included, and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
The transmission shudders terribly. It is available for inspection. It is unsafe because while in traffic situations, it doesn't get up to speed correctly. It is as if it can't find the gear, it feels like it is about to stall. It is not dependable to stay at a speed, or increase speed. The dealership said that changing the transmission fluid would help, and it did for a while. The problem came back, we had the fluid changed again. The problem came right back again.
After 5 years and 2 months of ownership of this vehicle, at ~52,000 miles it began to develop a shudder in the driveline, that I originally ascribed to an imbalanced rear wheel. After checking the rear wheels for balance, that cause was ruled out. I took the vehicle back to the GMC dealer where I had purchased it new. They claimed that the cause of the problem was a defective transmission fluid that somehow became contaminated with water. They offered to flush the entire transmission and install new 100% synthetic transmission fluid for a cost of $770. When I complained about a vehicle with 52,000 miles developing transmission problems the dealer consulted with GMC, and then agreed to flush and replace the allegedly defective fluid without cost. Upon further investigation, it appears as though the origin of the issue is not due to the nature of the fluid, but rather the use of an undersized torque convertor in this 8-speed transmission, which began in the 2017 model year. The smaller size and inadequacy of this torque convertor design is the root cause of this shudder, which not only has presented itself in the 2017 GMC, but also in corresponding GMC/Chevrolet models using the same transmission. The danger of a transmission failure can have catastrophic safety consequences for the driver, passengers as well as the motoring public, not to mention a very large transmission replacement charge for the owner. There is currently a Class Action lawsuit in the State of California for this notorious "Chevy Shake."
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 chevrolet colorado and gmc canyon passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.9 or 3.7 liter engine and a four-speed automatic transmission for failing to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect," and federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles may have been built with an automatic transmission adjustment clip that may not retain the shift cable in the correct position. If the shift cable is not in the correct position, the prndl shift lever may not accurately reflect the position of the transmission gear. The driver could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park."
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle could roll away as the driver or other occupants exit the vehicle or have exited, resulting in the possibility of the vehicle striking them or someone around the vehicle, or could result in a crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Gm dealers will install a new automatic transmission adjustment clip free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about july 19, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 11V337000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Canyon shudder
Which GMC Canyon years have shudder or vibration when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2017 (8 complaints), 2018 (6 complaints) and 2015 (5 complaints).
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