There are 50 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2016 GMC Canyonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
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
At random the power steering and traction control turn off making it difficult to drive.. This happens randomly and has become unable to steer. Once the vehicle is turned off for a period of time you can start it up and the steering returns. The issue was reported in the 2015 models. That recall needs to extend into the 2016 models since most of the parts were most likely manufactured tot eh same specs as the 2015. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent repair shop. The dealership wanted $200 for just the diagnostics. Every time this happens it becomes very difficult to drive and is a safety issue. The issue first appeared 2 months ago and after the restart stopped. Then all of a sudden it seems to occur daily.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that the headlights failed to activate automatically. Additionally, one of the phone charger ports had become inoperable. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. A message advising that the power steering was inoperable and to drive carefully was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality returned. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH after the power steering failure, the vehicle was pulling to the right. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
EPS becomes difficult to steer occasionally, Brakes seem to lose stopping ability Leaking oil @ either oil pan or transmission
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.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that upon attempting to leave the driveway, the vehicle was shifted into drive and the engine experienced a complete loss of automotive power, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle lost power steering functionality while driving at 65 MPH, and the traction control and vehicle stabilization warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the 4-WD assembly, steering electronic motor, steering angle sensor, and the electric belt drive rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,263.
As I was pulling away from the stop sign my power steering quit working and I was almost hit by another vehicle. The dash light flashed and said there was Drive System problems. I was able to get the truck turned back around and headed back home. I got into my garage and checked the power steering fluid and it was full. I started my truck back up and was able to drive to the dealership (Everett GMC where I purchased the truck new) The service representative said he will put it on the diagnostic machine and find out what was wrong. The next day they called me and said they found out what it was a drive gear that quit working. He said that he would get this ordered and put it in, I got a call 2 days later and said it was finished. My wife checked to see if there was a recall. There was a recall for this problem for 2015 Canyon in 2021 for the same issue. I am thinking that this issue and a very
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.
While driving the power steering went out making the vehicle difficult to control. Once I stopped the vehicle and turned it off then back on, the power steering came back on leading me to believe an electrical issue is the cause
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.
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 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.
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.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026