Steering Problems of GMC Canyon - part 2

When turning truck, power steering went out and made it difficult to turn. Code for service stabilitrack and service electronic steering system came on dash. Could not properly turn vehicle and almost crossed into oncoming traffic.

See all problems of the 2016 GMC Canyon 🔎.

Heat shield over drive train not installed properly. While driving since purchased I’d hear a metal reverberation / clunking sound that seemed to be under the truck. I even had it in for oil change service w/ dealer and no mention of finding anything. On sat 3/15/2025 I took it back to dealer with the heat shield that was torn from the undercarriage over the drive train, the service person said it did not to appear to have been fastened at the factory before delivery to dealer/me. They were going to re-install it, however it was damaged; and I told them that was not acceptable to put a broken part back on the truck. I still don’t know what other damage has occurred to the vehicle due to the rubbing/clanking around while driving the 12,000 miles I have on it. They told me it was safe to drive and just come back when they get the part in. I have photos and videos; the dealer took the damaged heat shield from me and I don’t know what they did with it. Risk level to other drivers is the heat shield could have flown off truck while driving; to me inside the vehicle could have obstructed drive train and caused damage/accident, and other damage I’m still not aware of. Yes, dealer advised: harnish GMC puyallup, wa 253-840-6300 no fix yet. No warnings in vehicle or on any electronic displays. I noticed the sound right away on purchase but couldn’t identify it until it “got so bad” I went under the truck to look, and found it separated and dragging on the drive train.

See all problems of the 2024 GMC Canyon 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to turn. The traction control and service vehicle soon lights were illuminated. The message "power steering fault - drive with care” was displayed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder lane to restart the vehicle and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was inspected; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall, and there was no failure cause for the failure found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became significantly difficult to steer. The power steering, the transfer case, and the anti-sway warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as needed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph around a curve, the failure recurred. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle decelerated; however, the vehicle went into a ditch, which scratched paint off the front passenger's side plastic bumper. There was no injury sustained. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as needed. The contact was able to resume driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with steering column sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA action number: rq19001 (steering). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

While driving the vehicle, or sometimes upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist will intermittently malfunction and I will have no power steering. When this happens while I am driving it puts me and others at risk because I have reduced my ability to steer. I have not had this diagnosed by the dealer, but I will soon. I have not had the component inspected by anyone at this time. When this occurs both the power steering assist and traction control warning lights com on. I found a recall for this exact problem on the year and model of this truck. (recall # n202325410) I called both my local dealer and gm assistance and was told that my vehicle was not part of the recall. I am having the same problem that the safety recall is for and somehow my vehicle is not covered. This issue happens nearly every time I drive the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2015 GMC Canyon 🔎.

The electric power steering motor stopped working while driving on the highway. The vehicle was almost impossible to control and almost caused me to enter the oncoming lane of traffic.

See all problems of the 2021 GMC Canyon 🔎.

The vehicle will lose power steering while driving. The lights come on for stabilitrak and traction control then it says power steering is gone. It randomly deactivates the power steering, while driving. It's extremely dangerous and have almost had accidents. They are telling me that it may not be under a recall. If GMC used the same steering box as the previous model year, the same issue is occurring. Intermittent power steering failure.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the traction control warning light illuminated and the messages "service power steering" and “service stabili-trak" were displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel became stiff and was very difficult to turn. On several occasions, the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000.

We were traveling not once, but twice at a high rate of speed (75/80mph the legal limit) the vehicle gave one message: service power steering next message: reduced acceleration. The check engine light turned on, the truck itself jerked and we almost lost control of the vehicle (both times) on the highway. We were thankfully able to pull over and pull to a complete stop. The vehicle was still on, it still ran but I saw an autozone close by both times and received a code for the check engine light. The dashboard both times lit up like a christmas tree on both occasions before spazzing out. We have taken the truck twice to a nearby dealership and they were able to service and “fix” the problem however they said that the first time, and here we are a second time. The dealerships we took the truck to are aware of all the codes (2 pages worth the first time) but we never received paperwork on what was fixed. The second time we are now going to pick up and hopefully receive paperwork on what was completed. My spouse was driving and myself and my daughter were in the vehicle when the jerking happened with the steering wheel. The vehicle is not safe how can I we be driving at the legal limit and lose control of our vehicle. We were right next to an 18 wheeler with a trailer and multiple vehicles on the road each time. The GMC dealerships are aware they have been working to fix the problem however again this is the second time it happened. The messages occurred both times. Service power steering and reduced acceleration check engine light and also no traction control. The first time it happened was [xxx] going to killeen texas and the second was [xxx] going to albuquerque. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am the owner of a 2016 GMC Canyon truck, which I purchased used in approx 2020 with about 43,000 miles on it. . . Today's date is now 1/5/25 and the truck has approx 99,0000 mile on it. Over the last 2 years the electronic stability control has failed approx 20 times. A warning light appears on the dash stating the failure of the power steering and the stabilitrac. When this happens steering the truck and be extremely difficult and I am forced to pull off the road. Usually when the truck is turned off for a short while and then turned back on the problem will fix itself, but only for a few minutes or hours and the problem reoccurs. Last week I took the truck to a gm dealer and had the steering angle sensor recalibrated. . Which fixed the problem for 1 month. Now it is failing again! my wife is afraid and refuses to drive the truck because if this happens again while she is driving she isn't strong enough to turn the wheel. . Particularly from a complete stopped position. This is a very serious and dangerous problem that gm needs to be responsible to resolve.

After driving vehicle and parking vehicle turn key off key will not turn all the way off to pull key out of ignition switch. The vehicle had 35,750 miles when brought to dealership I had told them this has happened multiple times I had to restart vehicle move vehicle shift vehicle manually or drive around block park again and then key would turn all the way off and come out, when I was contacted from the GMC dealership they said they could not duplicate the problem but I have paperwork from them and the mileage during drop off which was 35,750 miles and pickup at 35,751 miles I also told them to drive the truck it is not going to happen sitting in the dealership parking lot but they only went 1 mile, the warranty for this problem will be up at 36,000 miles. I drove the vehicle 8 miles from the dealership to my house no problems drove another drove another 6 miles to the car wash and went through the car wash went to park to vacuum and wipe exterior the key would not turn all the way off stuck in the accessory position had to back up and move vehicle to another spot park and then the key turned all the way off so I could get key out.

See all problems of the 2022 GMC Canyon 🔎.

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.

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.

After speaking with a GMC representative, they confirmed there isn’t any issues with the steering wheel sensor. Yet, I’m having trouble steering while driving. The code c0545 was mentioned as the source. No accidents have occurred but has come close. The police, insurance have been involved.

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.

See all problems of the 2019 GMC Canyon 🔎.

Stability tracker alerts, then loss of power steering, would happen randomly, sometimes few times in a row, sometime after shutting down vehicle would reset it - other times not. Safety issue when: 1) driving on freeway - made steering difficult if/when needing to make sudden turn or lane change 2) 90 degree turns would be difficult 3) sudden loss of steering ability when there is other traffic oncoming. Taken to auto shop - they ran a few checks, but the issue was sporadic, usually does not happen right away, so it was not reproducible on demand. First repair was for inspection and fluids, did not find issue with the stability tracker. When the problem resumed again, took the vehicle back to the shop and they researched the issue more and recommended replacing the steering column. The technician said the issue was on a recall on previous year/model but not the 2016. The issue started about mid-2024. So far as of 3/2025 the issue has not happened since the column replacement on 2/12/2025. Warning would be the stability tracker.

While driving out of a parking lot, my power steering stopped working and I had to regain control to manually steer the vehicle. After stopping and turning off the engine to check the serpentine belt, the power steering came back on, but the lane departure assist function was no longer working. It appears to be the same problem that some of the 2015 and other GMC Canyon models had. Took it to my GMC dealer for warranty evaluation.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 70 mph, the power steering suddenly failed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the message "power steering failure" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 51,867.

Mileage 65080. I’m the 2nd owner. I bought this truck used and have only driven it 145 miles. Crossing an intersection and the power steering turned off. Happened again the same day leaving walmart parking lot. Turning the engine off will reset the power steering. Message on the instrument panel says stabilitrak service power steering.

Loss of pwr steering assist-- stabil-trac indicator lights up on dash steering wheel extremely hard to turn. Confirmed by quirk Chevrolet in manchester,nh repair cost $2800.

While driving, the power steering stops working. I was traveling at approx 55 mph with my daughter in the car and the power steering quit. Alert lights came on the dash. I managed to slow down and turn off the highway. I turned the truck off and when I turned it back on it was fine. Drove for another 10 minutes to get home and it went out again at a stop light. I found a place to pull over and turned it off and back on and it stopped doing it again. There is a recall for this issue on this vehicle but evidently mine was not on the recall or was fixed prior to me owning it. I have not checked with the dealership, but I’m assuming it will be a large bill to get it taken care of. Hopefully it does not go out at a bad time.

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving on several occasion at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality and the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that the traction control and another unknown warning light was illuminated during each failure. Additionally, the contact stated that on one occasion while his wife was driving approximately 50-55 mph, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality, the steering wheel became stiff, and the vehicle ran off the road into a ditch. The vehicle was undamaged and operable but needed to be pulled out of the ditch by the tow truck. The contact stated that the traction control and an unknown warning light was illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

I bought my 2016 GMC Canyon back in 2018 with 40k miles on it. After couple of months, I noticed that when traveling at approx 70mph front wheels are shaking violently. I did wheel alignment and other wheel check but still there. Lately, power steering stabilitrak keep showing up on my panel. Since it can’t be resetted, im literaly driving like arm wrestling in the middle of the road specially during parking. After many years of wondering of what the wheel vibration is causing, electronic rack and ponion issue was the result of diagnostic conducted by schumacher Chevrolet here in west palm beach, FL. They quoted me 3k for the repair.

Been experiencing an intermittent issue. After completing an indicated right hand turn, the vehicle will signal a left turn for 3 blinks. This is a safety issue because the vehicle is signaling a left turn when no turn is intended.

I was driving 70 mph on the highway when I received a warning on my dash that stated "service power steering, drive with care" and a second warning that stated "service stabilitrak". I immediately felt the steering wheel lock up and lost all power steering. My safety as well as others was put in risk as I was unable to maneuver the vehicle especially at the high rate of speed. Prior to this incident there had been no warning or other issues that could have signaled a failure. The problem was duplicated at the dealership and a code was given.

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering made an abnormal squealing sound. The contact stated that the squealing sound was heard while making a turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic. The contact stated that three weeks prior to the failure the vehicle was serviced at the dealer under an unknown power steering recall. In addition, the contact stated that several days following the recall repair, the squealing sound started. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the steering gear assembly due to an electrical short. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v213000 (steering), but neither the VIN nor the model year was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000.

Power steering failed twice during a turn on two separate drives, nearly causing an accident both times. A power steering warning was displayed on the dash. I was able to move the vehicle to the side of the road, and normal power steering function returned following a restart of the vehicle. It is my understanding that the 2015 model year was recalled for the same reason, and that the 2016 model year contains the exact same problematic part.

Power steering system failure warning message followed by a stabilitrac system failure warning which caused the drivers front side brake to apply. I could not duplicate the brake application issue with the dealer but the other failures which included loss of power steering at highway speeds and lack of stabilitrac system was repeatable. A full replacement of power steering rack was performed with a front end alignment after dealing with the problem for weeks. Was told this manufacturing failure was covered for free in models newer and older than my truck (same model) but my truck was not covered. This is unsafe and not acceptable.

I have been having the same problem many people have been having with the same vehicle type. I will be driving and this has happened 4 times now and once on the freeway! were I am driving, and all of the sudden the power steering cuts out, and I get all the warning lights come on. I had to pull over, or find a spot to pull over and turn the vehicle off and turn back on. Now I see there was a recall for this issue on the 2015 Canyons but not for the 2016, and this needs to be recalled there are going to be people dying if you do nothing, and GMC will have a class action suite and this regulatory agency shall have serious legal redress against you should you do nothing, even though you know there is a serious issue and that multiple complaints have been filed and GMC is well aware of this! I do smell legal redress coming for you and GMC. . .

Truck reads power steering problem and does not allow me to turn my steering wheel.

The contact owns a 2015 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the abs warning light and the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stopped, turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v213000 (steering) however, the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

Over the past 6 months, when driving, the power steering stops working and I get a dash light that comes on that talks about stabilitrac. If I shut my car off and restart, it works again, but it is random when it might occur. It's very scary, because, if I were not strong with great reaction time. . . I might be dead.

Service power steering, drive with care warning comes on, vehicle looses all power steering. First time it happen was around November 2023. This will happen randomly, at various speeds, sometimes going straight, sometimes turning. Power steering will come back after a few minutes sometimes, a few times vehicle had to be turned off for a hour, but was out for over 3 days one time. During that incident we ran obd scanner, c0800 code was showing for power steering control module, recommended repair was the replace battery, even though the battery was good. We went ahead and replaced the battery anyways, issue was not immediately resolved but after running the truck for an hour and then going for a test drive power steering returned a mile down the road. That was around may 11th. Issue hadn’t returned until today, June 22nd where it’s went on and off a handful of time before totally loosing power steering for over 5 hours now. 2015 model years had an issue the power steering rack wiring, dealer said they assume it could be same issue. Connections to the steering rack where check and corrosion was found but they won’t fix because it’s not a recall even though it’s the same corrosion issue the 2015 models had.

Electric power steering stops working and the power steering assist warning light is illuminated. Once the truck is restarted the problem goes away but will come back at some point while driving. This has happened multiple times at multiple speeds, the first time it happened I was going over 70 mph. With no power steering it is nearly impossible to turn the steering wheel since I only have one hand available to use on the steering wheel. Had I not had a passenger with me to help turn the wheel I would have crashed. I took the truck to the dealer and they told me it was the same problem that the 2015's had had on a recall but my truck was a early 2016 so I was not part of the recall. The dealer was happy to fix it at a cost of $2916. 27 my truck only has 27135 miles, but is to old for warranty coverage.