Warning on dash states Service Power Steering Drive With Care, results a complete loss of power steering assist. Happens at start up or while driving. Looses stability control and traction control as well.
2016 GMC Canyon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Canyon years
Owner complaints for the 2016 GMC Canyon are substantially higher than the model-year median of 38.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Canyon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
124 reports with mileage · 144 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
268 reportsI lose steering like the recall says, would like dealer to fix this as part of existing recall
Driving down the road and power (electric) steering goes out. Power steering and traction control warnings lit up on the display. Almost impossible to steer without power steering. I am lucky that this didn't cause an accident-- very scary. This seems to be the same issue as the recall for the 2015s, but GM didn't recall the…
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Driving down the road and power (electric) steering goes out. Power steering and traction control warnings lit up on the display. Almost impossible to steer without power steering. I am lucky that this didn't cause an accident-- very scary. This seems to be the same issue as the recall for the 2015s, but GM didn't recall the 2016s (even though online forums report that it was the same part number for 2016 as 2015). Reported same codes when the truck was the same as those reported by others (C0545: Steering Wheel Torque Sensor, also U0420: invalid data reported from steering control module). Upload button below disappears when I try to upload my invoice--but invoice included remove and replace of rack and pinion, diagnosis, alignment-- total invoice $2003.78
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Power Steering" message was displayed, and the contact became aware that the electric power steering was not functioning properly. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the fai…
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The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Power Steering" message was displayed, and the contact became aware that the electric power steering was not functioning properly. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering column shaft torque sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V054000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 146,000.
Driving on expressway power steering went out, very hard to steer, warning light came on. Upon reaching destination, turned vehicle off, then back on, fixed the issue. This has happened again, two more times over a period of three months. This appears to resemble NHTSAC 16V054, or GMC recall N202325410. GMC dealer informed m…
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Driving on expressway power steering went out, very hard to steer, warning light came on. Upon reaching destination, turned vehicle off, then back on, fixed the issue. This has happened again, two more times over a period of three months. This appears to resemble NHTSAC 16V054, or GMC recall N202325410. GMC dealer informed me vehicle reports diagnostic code C0545 which reflects the same issue as the above campaign and recall. This is very dangerous.
power steering shows stabillitrack and I lose control.
On Monday, 10/23/23 I was driving up a mountain to go on a leisurely hike at Fremont State Park, CA. While I was ascending up the mountain the "Service Power Steering and Service Stabilitrack" warning dash alert came on. From then on, I lost power steering and had to struggle driving up the mountain. After my hike and having res…
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On Monday, 10/23/23 I was driving up a mountain to go on a leisurely hike at Fremont State Park, CA. While I was ascending up the mountain the "Service Power Steering and Service Stabilitrack" warning dash alert came on. From then on, I lost power steering and had to struggle driving up the mountain. After my hike and having restarted my vehicle, Power Steering returned. However, while I descended down the mountain, I lost Power Steering again and had to struggle steering my vehicle down the mountain (this scared me quite a bit and placed my safety at risk). It's been five days since I had this problem. I haven't had any issues since then. I primarily drive on Highways, but now I'm nervous driving up hills or mountains with switchbacks. No. Right now, I don't have the means to pay for a scan or fix. I'm not planning to drive up a mountain anytime soon. However, before I drive up mountains or hills with switchbacks, I plan to get it checked and fixed if possible. There weren't any warning or messages before this incident.
Stability track Cameondoing 50mph transmission geared down motor shut down on and off yes it's available problem not found by dealer took to 2 different ones stability track comes on side lights stay on and off press brakes it shut down turn left it shut down motor running in park put in reverse shut down Will drive and run some…
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Stability track Cameondoing 50mph transmission geared down motor shut down on and off yes it's available problem not found by dealer took to 2 different ones stability track comes on side lights stay on and off press brakes it shut down turn left it shut down motor running in park put in reverse shut down Will drive and run sometimes but gets worse
The vehicle’s power steering and stability control (Stabilitrak) have stopped working suddenly several times over the past two weeks. There have been no warnings leading up to the loss of power steering .This has happened while I have been traveling at highway speeds as well as in the middle of making a turn and has nearly led t…
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The vehicle’s power steering and stability control (Stabilitrak) have stopped working suddenly several times over the past two weeks. There have been no warnings leading up to the loss of power steering .This has happened while I have been traveling at highway speeds as well as in the middle of making a turn and has nearly led to crashes on a couple of occasions. It has also happened at lower speeds as well as upon starting the vehicle with no rhyme or reason. The vehicle has not been inspected for this issue but is available for inspection if necessary. I understand that this same issue has also led to a recall on the previous year’s model (2015 GMC Canyon).
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the power steering failed. The contact stated that the ABS and "traction control" warnings were illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled off of the road and turned the vehicle off and on several times and the power steering regain…
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The contact owns a 2016 GMC Canyon. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the power steering failed. The contact stated that the ABS and "traction control" warnings were illuminated. The contact stated that he pulled off of the road and turned the vehicle off and on several times and the power steering regained functionality. The contact stated that the power steering failure had been intermittent initially but had become a recurring failure that would occur at any speed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed showing a C0545 code (steering wheel torque sensor malfunction) and determined that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Official recalls
418V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
May 31, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
17V621000 · Air Bags:frontal
Oct 5, 2017
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17387.
16V125000 · Air Bags:frontal
Mar 2, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
15V807000 · Latches/locks/linkages
Dec 1, 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado trucks manufactured August 25, 2015 to September 24, 2015, and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured August 28, 2015 to September 24, 2015. The affected vehicles have a console compartment lid latch assembly that may fail to keep the compartment door closed in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the console compartment door does not remain closed in a crash, the contents stored in the console may strike the vehicle occupants, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the console compartment door latch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on January 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16370.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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