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EnginePart report

2011 GMC Canyon Engine Problems

Complaints
3about this part
Share
25%of 12 total for the year
Median mileage
30,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the engine of the 2011 GMC Canyon, 25% of the 12 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 30,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I am experiencing problems with this vehicle that are terrifying as it is putting my family in jeopardy. My first indication of a problem occurred in august 2013 and continued until may, 2014, the problem seemed to have fixed itself as I did not experience any more serious problems after may 2014 until october 2014. This leads me to believe the problem seems to have some connection to colder weather. The stalling problem is now occurring regularly and the error messages tend to disappear overnight before I can get to a dealer. …”

NHTSA complaint #10658993, filed 2014-11, 30,000 miles

“Since I purchased this Canyon in 2019, I've had many occurrences (at least twice a week) of the truck not starting. Through my research on line, I've found other Canyon owners experiencing the same problem. Long story short, the ignition locks and the truck cannot be started unless I wait 10 minutes. This problem interferes with my daily life. I believe GMC should correct this problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11616997, filed 2024-09

“Recall #11181 for 2011 Canyon SLE says GM will replace the automatic transmission adjustment CLIP for free. Recall was established in a GMC assembly plant when a truck would not start. Our truck randomly does not start and we’ve had it looked at with no problems found to indicate why it randomly does not start. We wait 15-20 minutes and then it will start. This recall is not being honored at a GMC dealership because of no longer available, they say. Can you help us with this issue? Again, the recall # is 11181.”

NHTSA complaint #11483654, filed 2022-09

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025113%
2024147%
20231016%
202227%
2020321%
2019318%
2018611%
20171421%
2016228%
2015134%
201214%
2011325%
2009311%
20081437%
2007512%
2006613%
200554%

Other parts of the 2011 GMC Canyon

Air bags
3 complaints
Electrical system
3 complaints
Brakes
2 complaints
Electronic stability control
2 complaints
Exterior lighting
2 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
2 complaints
Other or unknown
1 complaints
Body and structure
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2011 GMC Canyon

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology