2016 GMC Canyon Steering
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Loss of power steering. This is a known problem with the 2015 GMC Canyon models. My 2016 GMC Canyon has the same problem. This is a serious issue. A recall should be issued. It has happened to me several times.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
1. The power steering failed when I was driving my 2016 GMC Truck. 2. The failure caused the steering of the truck to be very difficult putting myself and any passengers at risk. 3. This issue occurred on 2/19/26 at about 3:00PM Central time while driving. Power steering warning lights did illuminate. 4. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone at this time. Please note there is a safety recall associated with the 2015 GMC Canyons for the exact same problem. Instructions were given to submit a report to the NHTSA and the vehicle's owner may be eligible for reimbursement or free repair is a "hidden," warranty extension or "customer satisfaction program" covers it.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering feature suddenly malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. After the failure occurred, the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering column was faulty and needed to be replaced. The steering column was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer was aware of the failure involving the steering column on similar vehicles, but had not issued a recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I believe the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly is causing my power steering to intermittently stop working I read the report for the 2015 model year and my truck is doing the exact same thing truck was produced in 10/15 but is not part of the recall after further searching online I’ve found other people owning the 2016 model year that has the same issue I believe the recall needs to be moved to cover the 2016 model year as well
Power steering goes out intermittently while driving, almost causing wrecks. A warning pops up that power steering needs to be serviced...but when truck is turned off and restarted the issue goes away. This is an extremely dangerous situation and seems to be affecting thousands of vehicles according to internet research. GM needs to be held accountable and recall and fix the issues immediately.
Power steering turned off while driving Pulled over cycled the key it came back on Has happened 3 times in two weeks
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.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost electric power steering, and the steering wheel became difficult to steer. The contact pulled to the shoulder of the roadway and turned the vehicle off. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the power steering became operable; however, the failure recurred while driving. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Car repeatedly gives stabilitrack warning while driving and power steering goes out completely. It is incredibly dangerous and it appears this was a problem with the previous model year as well. This has continued to happen and looking online it looks like many owner of this year are plagued with this problem and the cost to fix is very expensive, even though it is a known recall for the previous model year.
While driving the truck's stabilitrak and power steering lights came on and I lost the use of power steering. This first happened while going 70 mph on the toll road and I almost lost control of the car it happened so suddenly. I was able to pull over and turned the truck off and back on again. The issue seemed to have resolved itself. Then a week later I was turning right into traffic and it happened again mid turn causing me to almost hit a car in the adjacent lane. It resolved itself again upon restarting the truck but has happened with each trip since. When I looked up the issue I saw that there was an issue with corrosion on the electrical part that controls these features in this particular model.
While driving, power steering system quits providing power assist. This problem is intermittent and can occur at any time without any warning and at any speed. This is a safety concern since no warning is given as to when the power steering system will fail. Have contacted local GMC dealer and was told there is a recall for the 2025 model but not the 2016. Contacted General Motors and was told the same.
4/17/2025:Approached a 4 way intersection and truck steering lost power assist. Vehicle engine still running and hard steered thru intersection. A convenience store on corner so turned wheel (manually) into parking lot. StabiliTrak light was on as well, turned key off. Re start truck and power steering good, stabiitrak light off. 4/25/2025: Driving truck and stopped at red light, truck engine stopped. Pressed accelerate pedal, no response. Turned key off and back on, started and drove normal with no problems.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to turn. The message "Drive with Care" was displayed. The traction control warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power train torque sensor needed to be replaced. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to an unidentified recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
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
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.
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.
We have lost power steering several times.We did take it to our local GMC Dealer and they supposedly fixed the problem by re-programming the Steering Sensor. We have since had several unexpected failures that put us in dangerous situations and have been very lucky in not had collisions or off-road accidents We sought answers and looked to the internet In researching this problem. We could occasionally get steering back after parking,shutting off engine, then restarting it. We now only drive the truck very little knowing we could have a steering failure anytime. This is not a sustainable or reasonable situation. We have found that the NHTSA issued a recall for replacement of the Steering Sensor Cover in 2015 , but did not for 2016 and beyond model years for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. We implore the NHTSA to recall all of the aforementioned vehicles that experienced this failure. Please help us by defraying the cost of replacement and programming and hold GM to repair our unit, and all of the others needing repair. This expense ethically and morally should be borne by GM. A response is expected and appreciated.Thank You.
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.
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.
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.
Was driving home going about 45 mph and the driver information center displayed “service power steering” and service stabilitrack system. Was able to safely move over without power steering and come to a stop. Put the truck in park turned it off. Turned truck back on and everything is as working fine
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.
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 literally 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 Pinion issue was the result of diagnostic conducted by Schumacher Chevrolet here in West Palm Beach, FL. They quoted me 3K for the repair.
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Quick Summary
The 2016 GMC Canyon has 137 Steering complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.