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GMC · NHTSA safety record

2018 GMC Canyon

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 52 safety complaints about the 2018 GMC Canyon with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the gasoline fuel system.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 27 complaints, 52% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 22,000 miles, the median across the 20 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2018 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

52 complaints on file

52

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 27 · 52%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 · 19%
ENGINE 6 · 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 10%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 8%
STEERING 4 · 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 6%
AIR BAGS 2 · 4%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 4%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 · 2%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 52.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 8.

12 9 6 3
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2018 GMC CANYON, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test PU/CC 4WD PU/CC RWD PU/EC 4WD PU/EC RWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 21.2% 21.9% 22.0% 21.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

18V358000 · May 31, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
The risk
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

General Motors LLC · up to 895 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Crash on 5/5 rear ended car - airbags did not deploy . Received concussion and neck injury.

NHTSA complaint 11737690. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

crash · towed

Vehicle switched out of four wheel drive while travelling up hill in snow. Resulted in a loss of traction and sliding downhill until it collided with a tree, resulting in$9,000 worth of damage. I have heard of the AWD/4WD actuator failing in other GMC trucks. The vehicle is currently in for repairs.

NHTSA complaint 11576454. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

towed · 74,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the message “Bad Exhaust Fluid Warning” was displayed. The contact stated that he added exhaust fluid to the vehicle per owner manual’s instructions; however, the message remained displayed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer advised the contact that the vehicle would return to normal operation if he continued driving the vehicle. The contact stated that as he continued driving, the vehicle failed to exceed 55 MPH. A message indicating that the speed would decrease to 45 MPH for 40 miles, and then to 5 MPH, was displayed. The contact pulled into a

NHTSA complaint 11531580, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
On many occasions, over several years of ownership, ''NEW in 2018, the trans has had violent shift Problems. I could only find 1, ONE instance where a person was "injured'' by ANY of the GM 8L transmissions. My neck is hurting Now. I'm compelled to do this for Others who been Scammed by GM as they still sell a 8 speed rewrapped. I can't believe this has been protected against being called a SAFETY ISSUE By any Gov. agency. I got my truck in Retirement and Know I can't and won't Tow a Trailer or Boat Like I planned to. If I cause a wreck, Knowing the Defect, I will be held Responsible, Not GM LLC. It just did something new on 7/23/26. it stuck I a mid range gear and wouldn't shift, I Bumped

NHTSA complaint 11753768, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.

NHTSA complaint 11746700. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The warning light is saying engine power reduced having to do with the DEF system

NHTSA complaint 11726916. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
This is a known problem with GMC and Chevy trucks, known as the Rumble. At approximately 45mph and up, the truck feels like it’s going over rumble strip and the back end is slipping. This causes the steering wheel and truck to shake. It could result in the loss of control if it gets too bad. I took it in for diagnostic testing, which confirmed that it was the transmission. They recommended a triple flush and replacement of the transmission fluid, as well as a computer upgrade. I had them complete the recommended service. As of right now it seems to have helped. But if it returns the next steps is to replace the torque converter. There were no warning lights, nor messages indicating an issue.

NHTSA complaint 11719602. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

40,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving in the snow, the 4WD function became inoperable, and the vehicle lost traction and started skidding. The "Service 4WD" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that a chip inside of the casing of the 4WD feature was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA complaint 11715011. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Canyon

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 8 2 —
2025 8 2 —
2024 206 3 —
2023 62 3 —
2022 26 1 —
2021 11 2 —
2017 66 1 —
2016 269 4 —
2015 303 8 —
2012 23 2 —
2011 12 5 —
2010 8 2 —

Other 2018 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 149 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst