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2020 GMC Canyon problems, recalls and owner complaints

What the 2020 GMC Canyon has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.

  • 0safety recalls
  • 14owner complaints
  • 1crash report
  • 0fire reports
  • 1injury reported

14 complaints, against an average of 90 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 2020 GMC Canyon?

The components named most often in the 14 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.

  1. Power Train6 (42.9%)
  2. Electrical System3 (21.4%)
  3. Engine3 (21.4%)
  4. Air Bags1 (7.1%)
  5. Electronic Stability Control (ESC)1 (7.1%)
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling1 (7.1%)
  7. Exterior Lighting1 (7.1%)
  8. Forward Collision Avoidance1 (7.1%)

Has the 2020 GMC Canyon been recalled?

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2020 GMC Canyon as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.

What do 2020 GMC Canyon owners report?

12 of the 14 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.

Truck feels like it is going over rumble strips when accelerating. There is a NTHSA bulletin for this. 21-NA-047
Power TrainNHTSA complaint 11756765 · Aug 13, 2026
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…
Power TrainNHTSA complaint 11711123 · Jan 15, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while her son was attempting to park the vehicle in a parking garage, there was a loud screeching sound coming from the vehicle while depressing the brake pedal. The contact's son used excessive force to depress the brake pedal, and an unknown warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with a vacuum pump failure, which caused the end of the cam shaft to fracture. The contact called several dealers and was informed that the cam shaft was on backorder…
Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Engine And Engine CoolingNHTSA complaint 11693914 · Oct 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Canyon. The contact stated upon depressing the brake pedal and turning the key in the ignition switch to turn off the vehicle, the key failed to turn to the OFF position and remained stuck. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon turning the key back to the ON position and moving the gear shifter several times, the contact was able to turn off the vehicle successfully. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring, and on several occasions, the key could not be released and was left in the ignition switch. The dealer and the…
Electrical SystemNHTSA complaint 11639350 · Jan 29, 2025
The contact owned a 2020 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, he crashed into the vehicle in front. The contact stated that the vehicle was switching lanes abruptly, and did not have enough time to slow down or stop. No warning lights were illuminated on the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a yard by the police department. A police report was filed. The contact sustained back, arm, neck, fractured ribs, lung, and head injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and…
Air BagsCrashNHTSA complaint 11564168 · Jan 8, 2024
The wiring in most vehicles 2020 and newer are soy/ nut based product… which squirrels, rodents and other animals can’t resist and the wiring throughout the vehicle is being chewed this all makes all models all manufacturers… there is also problems with the 8 speed transmission that shutters and hard gear changing and the quick fix is to flush out and refill it with transmission fluid
Power Train, Electrical SystemNHTSA complaint 11559477 · Dec 11, 2023
Infotainment center Reboots if phone is plug in. Radio station becomes very loud and driver is unable to control volume. Driver is now distracted from driving and trying to repair problem. Bad situation when in traffic.
Electrical SystemNHTSA complaint 11488917 · Oct 12, 2022
When rolling to stop signs or red lights, the vehicle occasionally fails to downshift properly and will attempt to continue pushing the vehicle when trying to stop. On multiple occasions, the vehicle acts as if it cannot be stopped due to the transmission failing to downshift. One must aggressively apply the brakes to get the vehicle to come to a stop. Unable to have the vehicle checked out at a local dealer, due to being backed up for weeks when trying to have it looked at. No visual indication/warning is given when this happens. There is a current class action lawsuit for models up to 2019…
Power Train, EngineNHTSA complaint 11446376 · Jan 5, 2022
I AM THE OWNER OF A 2020 CANYON SLE THAT WAS PURCHASED IN JUNE OF 2020. THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 20,000 MILE ON IT CURRENTLY. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING A "LAG" ON ACCELERATION AFTER COMING TO A STOP. THIS FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION ISN'T DOWN SHIFTING ALL THE WAY. AT TIME WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP THE TRUCK WILL ACT AS IT IS IN A HIGH GEAR THEN SUDDENLY SLAM INTO A FIRST GEAR. I HAVE TAKE MY TRUCK TO JESSUP GMC IN PALM SPRINGS AND THEY SAY THE TECH CAN NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE THE 2015-1019 MODELS HAVE IN REFERENCE TO BULLETIN: 18-NA-355 DATED AUGUST 2019
Power TrainNHTSA complaint 11387073 · Jan 7, 2021
I'M THE OWNER OF A NEWLY BOUGHT (6/5/2020 PURCHASED DATE) 2020 GMC CANYON. I TOOK MY TRUCK INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND COMPLAINED THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION ISSUES WHEN DOWNSHIFTING OR ACCELERATING. MY MOST COMMON ISSUE IS 'SHUDDERING' WHEN THE TRUCK ACCELERATES AND SUDDEN 'JERKING' WHEN DOWNSHIFTING GEARS WHEN DRIVING UP AN INCLINE OR EVEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAVEN'T HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE 2020 CANYONS AND UNLESS IT READS A 'CODE' THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. GM SAID TELL THE CUSTOMER TO DRIVE IT AND WE WILL CALL IF WE GET ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. THIS…
Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control, EngineNHTSA complaint 11362569 · Oct 3, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 GMC CANYON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FEATURE FAILED TO PROVIDE ANY WARNING THAT ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS STOP IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE OR SLOWING DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GATES GMC BUICK NISSAN (143 BOSTON POST RD, NORTH WINDHAM, CT 06256, WHERE A ROAD TESTING WAS PERFORMED. THE TECHNICIAN DUPLICATED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,000.
Forward Collision AvoidanceNHTSA complaint 11350607 · Aug 21, 2020
2020 GMC CANYON WITH 774 MILES SUFFERED AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE LOSING ALL POWER WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE BATTERY CABLE CONNECTION CAUSED MELTING OF ADJACENT COMPONENTS. AS IT WAS HAPPENING, THE DASHBOARD SHOWED A "BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE" MESSAGE FOLLOWED BY A "SERVICE BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM." THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A NEARBY DEALER. THE PROBLEM APPEARS SIMILAR TO RECALL N192273510 FOR THE GMC SIERRA.*DT*JB *TR
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)NHTSA complaint 11326064 · May 26, 2020

2020 GMC Canyon: questions owners ask

Is the 2020 GMC Canyon reliable?

NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 GMC Canyon; the most common categories were power train (6, 42.9%), electrical system (3, 21.4%), engine (3, 21.4%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 1 complaint mentions a crash, 1 injury was reported.

What are the most common problems with the 2020 GMC Canyon?

Across 14 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are power train (42.9% of complaints), electrical system (21.4% of complaints), engine (21.4% of complaints), air bags (7.1% of complaints), electronic stability control (esc) (7.1% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.

Does the 2020 GMC Canyon have any recalls?

As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2020 GMC Canyon. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

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 2020 only.

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