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2012 GMC Canyon problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2012 GMC Canyon has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 2safety recalls
- 29owner complaints
- 1crash report
- 1fire report
- 1injury reported
29 complaints, against an average of 88 for the other 12 GMC Canyon model years.
Every GMC Canyon model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2012 GMC Canyon?
The components named most often in the 29 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2012 GMC Canyon owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 29 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2012 GMC Canyon been recalled?
2 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Latches/Locks/Linkages: Hood: Latch General Motors is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured from November 9, 2009, through August 28, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 113, "Hood Latch System." The hood may be missing the secondary hood latch.
Risk: If the primary hood latch is not engaged, the hood could open unexpectedly. During vehicle operation, this could obstruct the view of the driver and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: General Motors will notify owners and instruct them to inspect their vehicle for the presence of a secondary hood latch. Dealers will replace the hood on any affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on January 17, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Seat Belts: Front GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET COLORADO AND GMC CANYON VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 19, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH DRIVER SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TERMINALS THAT DO NOT FIT SNUGLY WITH THE CONNECTOR PINS, CAUSING THE CONNECTION TO BE INTERMITTENT.
Risk: THE LOOSE CONNECTIONS MAY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO NOT RECEIVE A VISUAL OR AUDIBLE WARNING THAT THE DRIVER SEAT BELT IS NOT FASTENED, THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Fix: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TERMINALS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 7, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
What do 2012 GMC Canyon owners report?
12 of the 29 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
Seatbelt light for the front driver continues to turn on even when buckled in and will ding to notify that it’s not buckled despite it buckled in. This is a safety issue as the airbag light also remains on because of it.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Canyon. The contact noticed that there was wiring appearing from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear sub frame was rusted and cracked. Additionally, the parking brake cable was hanging from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,908. The VIN was not available.
On all chevy / canyon models 05 thru 12 there is an issue called "passlock" which prevents the vehicle from starting, it will leave you stranded. The failure is the ignition housing with the passlock sensor, not the actual key / tumbler, the part has to be replaced. The problem / failure is so common that you can "google" 2005 thru 2012 chevy colorado gmc canyon passlock issue" and find the root and a how to fix / repair guides. I spent almost $600 at the GMC dealer, they found no error or trouble codes in either on board computer, I showed the service advisor the issue, online diagnosis and…
Within past year, 2022 to present vehicle will on average 4-5 times a month fail to start. Key in ignition, to accessory mode than fail to turn over. All indicator lamps on dash display. Door chime sounds. Nothing to indicate a problem. Had GMC dealership troubleshoot. They found no codes and vehicle would start fine for them (of course). New battery had been installed, starter was tested, fuel injectors cleaned. MY online research has found a similar problem with multiple year GMC vehicles beginning in 2009 thru 2014. Ignition lock cylinder issue due to pass lock sensor. Passlock sensor…
BRAKES: I purchased vehicle September 25, 2012. This problem has occurred since I purchased the vehicle. It does not happen all the time. The problem is the brakes lockup and the steering wheel shudders and the vehicle pulls to the right. The vehicle makes a griding noise. It will NOT stop immediately when you put on the brakes. The brake pedal jumps up and down and makes a grinding noise. The vehicle pulls to the right and jumps up and down. In answer to the next question: This problem has happened since I purchased the vehicle.
DASH CRACKS EVERYWHERE, ALL ATTACHMENT POINTS ARE CRACKING. NO APPARENT REASON OTHER THAN USING A UN U.V PROTECTED PLASTIC.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC CANYON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL, THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND HEARD. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BARTON CHEVROLET CADILLAC (800 AUTO PARK PL, NEWBURGH, NY 12550), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CLICKING SOUND NOISE WAS COMING FROM A MULTIPLICATION SWITCH FROM THE STEERING AND THAT THE STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS ORDERED FROM THE DEALER, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE REPAIRED HOWEVER…
THE WELD TO THE FRAME FOR THE LOWER CONTROL ARM AND TORSION BAR BROKE CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. WELD APPEARED DEFECTIVE. 60, 000 MILES ON VEHICLE.
MY DASH IS CRACKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT'S TO A POINT NOW OF NEEDING REPLACED AND HAS RAISED MY SAFETY CONCERN FOR MYSELF AND PASSENGER IF I WAS TO COME INVOLVED IN A CRASH BY BROKEN LARGE PLASTIC FRAGMENTS.
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS AT 50 60 OR ANY SPEED - THE TACHOMETER JUMPS AND THE CAR SURGES FEELS LIKE IT GOING TO STOP
1/29/2015 NO CRANK..DISPLAYED MESSAGE "SERVICE STAB SYS TRACTION FAULT" HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED ECU REPAIR COST WAS GOING TO BE MORE THAN$500.00 UNTIL I CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE IT WAS THEN REDUCED TO $100.00. MILEAGE WAS 33478. THIS WAS THREE MONTHS AGO. AND THE NO CRANK PROBLEM CONTINUED HOWEVER TURNED KEY BACK TO OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN VEHICLE WOULD.. TODAY HAD THIS PROBLEM BUT WHEN IT STARTED ENGINE MISFIRE AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH THE MESSAGE "SERVICE STAB SYS TRACTION FAULT REDUCED POWER". WAS ABLE TO LIMP HOME AT 25 MPH ONCE THERE SHUT ENGINE OF THEN…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC CANYON. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL EACH TIME TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000. UPDATED 8/19/15*CN UPDATED 10/19/2017*CN
2012 GMC Canyon: questions owners ask
Is the 2012 GMC Canyon reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Canyon; the most common categories were electrical system (10, 34.5%), air bags (4, 13.8%), service brakes (3, 10.3%). There are 2 safety recalls. 1 complaint mentions a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 injury was reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 GMC Canyon?
Across 29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are electrical system (34.5% of complaints), air bags (13.8% of complaints), service brakes (10.3% of complaints), structure (10.3% of complaints), electronic stability control (esc) (6.9% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2012 GMC Canyon have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2012 GMC Canyon; the most recent (campaign 12V594000, 2012-12-19) concerns Latches/Locks/Linkages: Hood: Latch. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why won't my 2012 GMC Canyon start?
3 of the 29 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 GMC Canyon (10.3%) describe the car failing to start. One owner wrote: "Truck will not start intermittently. completely inoperable for several minutes, then will start up with absolutely nothing differently done to it. left me and my kids stranded several times. appears to be a passlock anti theft problem." (NHTSA complaint 11162554, December 2018). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Canyon
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2012 only.