The Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are among the least reliable vehicles available today, according to data compiled by Consumer Reports.
The publication recently put out its annual 10 Least Reliable Vehicles list, which uses data from previous model years to predict the future reliability of certain vehicles. CR studies cars across 17 different potential problem areas and gives them each a reliability score out of 100 after taking a variety of reported problems into consideration, from broken trim pieces and buggy technology to engine and transmission problems and more.
With a Reliability Score of just 26 out of 100, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups are the sixth least reliable vehicles studied by CR for this year’s list. The Volvo XC60 crossover and Tesla Model S electric sedan also received a Reliability Score of 26, tying them with the Colorado and Canyon. The 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 are also found on this year’s list.
CR reported seeing recurring “minor” and “major” problems with the six-speed automatic transmission in the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 model years, though it saw a reliability improvement in this department for the 2020 model year. Minor issues in the paint/trim, body integrity, body hardware and in-car electronics categories also contributed to the pickups’ poor performance in this reliability-based index.
CR uses some data from its road tests of vehicles when giving a vehicle a Reliability Score, as well, which didn’t play into the trucks’ favor. Judges previously criticized the Chevy and GMC midsize trucks for their “choppy” and “stiff” ride, uncomfortable standard cloth seats, awkward driving position and weak-feeling GM 3.6L LGX V6 engine, further contributing to the poor score.
The Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon also struggled in last year’s CR Reliability Survey achieving a reliability score of just 4 out of 100, placing the pair among the least reliable vehicles on sale for 2020.
GM introduced some light updates for the 2021 Chevy Colorado and 2021 GMC Canyon, including restyled front and rear fasciae and different trim levels and equipment. It will be interesting to see if the lightly updated versions of the trucks can improve their reliability in next year’s vehicle reliability rankings.
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Comments
Again another flawed CR Poll.
On the other hand the Canyon is in the top ten vehicles in resale.
C8.R
CR surveys it’s readers, and less people are reading CR. So every year they’re basing their rating on less and less information. This year they didn’t have enough information to rate: Acura, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Genesis, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Fiat.
You don’t need to be a statistician to realize CR is basing their reviews on very little information.
Exactly. Their surveys are far from complete and scientifically accurate to represent any vehicle.
#1 Truck buyers in general are CR readers.
#2 Only subscribers are permitted to review.
#3 They never qualify their reviews with How many actual reviews they had, they don’t say what specific years and models. They never cover. The number of years covered. Etc.
Like my statistics teacher in school stated in Surveys you can make them say anything you like. Or if you don’t construct a survey properly it can be wrong.
Just look at the political surveys of late have proven either dishonest or just incompetent.
As for their own reviews their staff is geared for testing Accords and Camrys not much else as most of their readers are not a varied group of owners .
Anymore if you want to see what is wrong you just need to go to forum for the vehicle as this is where the real complaints are registered and often the solutions to these issues. On forums people generally don’t go there to say hey my car is great. They say I have a problem what do I do?
In this class none of the trucks are perfect they all have had their complaints. But the GM models are still best in class if you want a truck this size.
That Magazine is anti American ,It is the Ralph Nader of magazines that is out to get GM Chevy to it death ! I own a Chevy Colorado ,That I bought in it first model year , A 2015 LT crew cab long bad 3.6 V6,With the HD towing package ,I pull a 20Ft Travel trailer and Have not had any problem with my Colorado !
The problem with CRs ratings is that a loose knob on the gear selector gets marked as one problem the same as a transmission blowing up and needing a complete overhaul gets marked as one problem. Of course a vehicle with a lot of minor flaws can be quite unpleasant, but it certainly isn’t the problem same as a vehicle that is inoperable.
I have compared CR reviews with my own experiences with vehicles I have owned over a span of more than 40 years and CR has been correct in general at identifying problem areas, though it doesn’t shed much light on specific problems. My experience is that the data have aligned best for vehicles that are five or so years old. I would trust the CR ratings as a pretty good rule of thumb for shopping used vehicles.
The Asian car makers and especially European car makers aren’t exempt from criticism by CR. I have a 2005 Tacoma and CR bashed the seating position, fragile paint and frame rust. They were quite correct. For what it is worth, that Tacoma was assembled in the defunct Toyota/GM NUMMI plant (now Tesla factory) in Freemont. A lot of the parts were obviously sourced from the GM parts bin. Toyota sourced the frame from Dana and the frame rusted so badly that Toyota replaced the entire frame under warranty. I believe GM did not make that particular mistake.
CR is anti GM and favors Imports. The 3.6 engine is far from weak, the performance in my 2018 Colorado is great and my 2019 XT5 is no slouch either.
Doesn’t CR tell there sycophants that are unable to think for themselves to buy Toyota? So why would any CR reader buy one of these trucks????
If I wanted to feel like I was driving a go cart I would buy a go cart. The Tacoma driving position feels like a go cart seating position. This is not just my opinion but every auto tester makes the same statement.
I own a 2015 GMC canyon . Yes it is junk. I thought I would buy GM and give it a try what a mistake. The engine light stays on every other day. The power brakes went off while driving it and about 2 weeks ago the power steering goes out while driving. Pull over turn it off and its ok for another 100 miles or so. Called gm they said sorry but it is not on the recall list. Truck has 102000 miles uses 2 quarts of oil every 3000 . It just a gm engineered piece of dodo. Never again!!!!!!!!
“. You guys are not “Not why nothing auto is perfectA few exceptions Lexus finest automobile you can buy for reliability I have one for my wife no problems at all I’m a car guy I have a 17 Colorado I’ve had a few little problems all taken care of by warranty I don’t and I believe that the 17 X a lot of that Miss fortunes of the 1819 and 20 and 21 had no issues with the engine North eight speed tranny I have 41,000 miles on it have no issues I’ll get another hundred thousand out of it I maintain it only use mobile one use the best replacement parts GM and you won’t have a problem and make sure make sure every week you take care of your tire pressure and rotate your tires change your oil oil filter properly don’t buy the cheapest oil in the world by mobile one GM has great engineers just as good as his Ford not as good as Toyota making changes something works and they keep with it that’s the reason reliability works with Toyota general motors suburban will get 300,000 miles that’s GM engineering that’s a Vortech engine and they haven’t made changes in the suburban in years that’s why it’s so reliable to GMIC8 Corvette fabulous car fabulous sports car it’s got issues too it’ll take them a year to models to get all the issues taken care of but it’s a great car world class anyhow have some faith and be a car guy and maintain it like you should maintain a vehicle and you won’t have the problems that you’re having anyhow I’m 100% for Chevy I’ve had seven Silverado‘s in my life I’m a bowtie guy I race cars I have a Colorado I’m totally happy with it thank you General Motors
They do not back there vehicles they build. This is the reason F150 has been # 1 for 43 years. Because Ford backs it vehicles. GM BULIDS CRAP when it comes to trucks.
For what it is worth, Repair Pal rates the Canyon/Colorado exactly on average for annual maintenance cost and repair frequency: 0.2 unscheduled repairs per year and average maintenance cost of $548. (Those must be some expensive oil changes and other routine maintenance!)
I drove these trucks in my past job, and they are garbage!
The 2.5L 4 banger is a raspy, unrefined, loud, weak little thing. 3 out of the 4 2017-18 Chevy Colorado’s that I drove, all had this weird swooshing sound coming from inside the truck. Almost as if you can hear the coolant circulating throughout the engine compartment.
The transmissions were jerky at times too. One of the trucks transmission failed at 112,000 miles, I clearly remember that day because it broke down on the freeway and my coworker needed it to be towed to shop. And another coworker of mine had to pick him up and bring him back to work. Trucks that had only 60,000 miles on them looked very worn out on the inside. The driver cloth seats was already falling apart and one truck had exposed foam from the constant daily use. Steering wheels materials falling apart, door panels getting loose and fading. These trucks don’t age well at all. They already feel worn out under 100K.
So CR is on point in this case. I can’t speak for the newer Ford Rangers, but all I know is that their older ones were bullet proof, but damn did they have horrible cheap ass interiors and trim that also fell apart with a very bad ride quality, you felt every small bump in the road in those things.
GM really did a crappy job on these Colorado’s/Canyons. The 4 cylinder engine is simply way too weak, noisy and underpowered for size and weight of the trucks.
I mean, what happened to the ones in your past job could’ve happened to a Ranger, Frontier, Tacoma, Silverado etc. Sounds like you either did parts delivery or maybe meter reading for a power company? Fleet vehicles all look worn and crappy after 60,000 miles, hell even sooner. Very few that drive company vehicles treat them like their own. A couple of the Ford Transit Connects used by one of the parts places we buy from looked shot after the first year they had them. Its the nature of that type of business.
The 4 cylinder is a dog though, that is true. I drove a 6 speed manual version once and even that didn’t improve the 4 cyl.
Work vehicles are always driven hard and misused by employees, everyone knows that.
So are working girls.
I don’t know–112K? I had a co-worker whose two-year-old Bonneville’s transmission, many fewer miles, failed her. Hard to complain at that much use.
the last Bonneville made was 25 yrs ago, maybe even longer, automatic trannies don’t like sitting idle for weeks or months on end
This was well over 25 years ago, and my co-worker used her car daily. It did not sit.
I loved my 2016 diesel. Had one issue with a DEF heater and a noisy blower motor and that was it. Everything else was solid. I will agree however even with the leather mine had, the front seats need a bit of improvement.
Other than the 8 speed shudders, the ones we’ve sold at work and that come in for service have very little go wrong with them. They do like to consume rear brakes up here in NY at about 30-40k miles. Lack of lubrication does that however. Other than that, they are more reliable than some of the Silverados we get in.
All the Hydro 8 speeds has T.S.B. Issued and the trans. Fluid is being changed to Dex. Synthetic made by Mobile 1.
I really like the way the trucks look but I was really disappointed in the interior. I’ve read a lot of comments from people about how cheap looking they were in the inside and sad to say they were all true, even on the comments about the seats and how uncomfortable they are. I just test drove a 2019 Colorado yesterday for the first time and it was a big disappointment.
CR is garbage. I have both and they are outstanding vehicles.
They definitely have a puritanical streak. The loved the old Beetle until Nader declared it as flimsy as a Japanese lantern. When they have done camera comparisons, it was often of models not on the market at the same time. They don’t know from life insurance policies, either.
So funny how the majority of complaints about these trucks come from people that don’t realize they come with a maintenance schedule. Believe it or not if you actually take care of your truck , it will last. You can’t just beat a vehicle into submission and expect it to keep running. Fluids, filters etc, need to be changed as per the little book that comes in your glove box. I have owned two GMC canyons, and still have my 2017 SLT Canyon. I take care of my truck. With close to eighty thousand miles, I have only done the “ scheduled maintenance “ , and yes, NO problems to speak of. Take care of your vehicle’s, you’d be surprised how long they last !
I have a 2018 Canyon Delani, it is a stiff ride & the trim package is alot better in the Delani..But over all i satisfied with engine performance of the mid size truck . Now ask me would i trade for a Seirra …Yes i would in a Heart Beat ….
I have a 2015 canyon all terrain it has been very reliable and safe very pleased with my truck drives much better then the Toyota nice quiet comfortable ride no complaints here and the the canyon is by far the best looking midsize truck available today v6 is very strong and I get 22 mpg in the city and 27 highway
All vehicles will have issues they are machines that will wear parts out at some point in the life longevity has to do alot with how well you maintain your vehicle
CR is just plain wrong, by my experience with my 2017 Colorado – which I had til 50,000 miles and then traded on a 2019 Silverado.
On the whole it was reliable, the few problems looked after well by GM and my dealer.
Yes, the ride was “choppy,” perhaps a necessary trade off for full size truck capabilities.
Otherwise, in fact the seats were comfortable, driving position was fine, and the engine very strong.
GM has gone to total crap. They have lost 70 percent of their base. My family and friends and people I know wouldnt even look at driving anything else at one time. Now everyone is saying ,pick your poison their all junk. GM’s quality has went way down hill that past 13 years or so. Scotty Kilmer has reached out to over a billion people about GM’s quality issues. It’s sad how this company doesn’t excite the public like they once did.
kilmer is a shill for Toyota, you wouldn’t recognize bias if it slapped you in the face,, kilmer is a loud mouth miscreant, he said the 3800 GM V6 was a good engine perhaps not realizing it was rated one of the best engines of the last 100 years. he’s a fake phony fraud
LOL @Consumer Reports. Their opinions—especially on vehicles—aren’t worth the gunpowder it would take to blow them to hell. That is all.
rubbish. Colorado’s are great trucks. I have five customers that that bring them to my shop for service. Two of them are both approaching a hundred and fifty thousand miles with original drivetrains. As a master technician with 35 years of experience I can tell you straight out that the people that don’t cheap out on maintaining their cars get many many miles out of them. There of course are outliers but for the main part this is true to the point.
I have driven a Colorado ZR2 and planning to buy one here and the near future. I plan on using it manly for hunting and pulling my CAN AM. I’m going to ask for a performance package I’ll keep you informed how everything goes and what I like and dislike
JAm
I don’t claim the GM midsized trucks to be the penical of reliability, but take what CR says with a grain of salt as they push a lot of false BS.
They’ll criticize a Colorado/Canyon for things like “awkward seating position,” “uncomfortable cloth seats,” “poor ride quality,” “weak V6,” but then they’ll promote a vehicle like a dated Tacoma. Are you kidding me. These kinds of claims show a huge bias either towards or against certain brands. The Colorado/Canyon easily bests its Toyota competition in all these areas. It’s easily the most comfortable midsized truck with the best seating position that I’ve ridden in. (I’ve not ridden in a new Ranger or Ridgeline to be honest) Also for what it is its V6 is pretty ballsy. For its price and when compared to the competition I certainly don’t consider it to be underpowered. Yes a L8T with a 10 speed in a ZR2 and Denali would be nice, but it’s never going to happen.
BTW I just meant to leave a comment. I didn’t mean to reply to someone elses quote.
I have a 2018 colarado and had no problems with it i bought it new in 2018 dealer serviced from new consumer reports should stick to testing microwaves
maybe they should test anvils and crowbars as well
I have to say I own a 2017 ZR2 and I drive it like I stole it on a daily basis. It has almost 50k on it and have not had it to the dealer except for oil changes. It’s a fun truck that can take a beating. Only gripe I have would be they need a more durable tailgate trim. We take this truck 4 wheeling at a orv park and keeps up with the bigger trucks while taking all the hits from the trails.
Ever get tired from all that digging Sam?
The big “tell” on consumer reports reviews is that they pick the Honda ridgeline as the best pick up.
The people at consumer reports don’t seem to like actual pick up trucks they want a car with a bed.
Hondas are very reliable, but that is a truck in name only. It’s really just a car with a bed on it. I can’t imagine buying a Ridgeline to actually haul things or tow.
One other thing, this article keeps mentioning the six speed transmission between 2016 and 2019. That 3.6 L V6 has had an eight speed transmission that entire time. The diesel version has the six speed transmission which has shown itself to be very reliable. The 8 speed had the shudder issue to be sure, But I believe GM came out with a fix for that early in 2020.
The transmission was the only big “ding” on the Colorado; Otherwise it was pretty reliable.
consumer reports reliability stats are a study in bad data interpretation. The Chevy/GMC stats are so bad because that particular model has been out since 2015 and has quite a bit of data behind it. Consumer reports writes the new Jeep pick up as it’s number two pick and shows it to be very reliable based on one year of data. That’s just bad analysis.
As soon as the El Camino and Ranchero are being made again (not holding my breath), there can be a proper comparo with the Ridgeline.
Good point, Lurch. But the El Camino or Ranchero would have to be built on Chevy Blazer and Ford Edge platforms respectively rather than Malibu and… Gee, I guess Ford doesn’t even have a midsize car anymore anyhow.
Yeah, that works for me, Steve. The Ridgeline is basically a Pilot with the back of the long roof removed–which means it’s sort of the Odyssey minivan with an open-air back, too. If I ever saw a Camino-style Accord, Malibu, or Fusion, I would be so giddy I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
Lol they base their reliability reports on what consumers have reported on the truck in the previous years. That’s why it’s called CONSUMERS reports, people that actually own the product. So if a lot of owners in the previous years report a lot of problems, reliability score will go down. It’s about unbiased as it can get. I mean, where else can you find out about how reliable a car/truck is? They are the industry standard. They survey actual owners of the vehicle.
You are biased in your own thinking because they had the Ridgeline as the most reliable truck. Just because you don’t think it’s a real truck, thats the real tell here? Lol why don’t you talk to Ridgeline owners to see what they haul or tow. Hell most truck buyers don’t even need a full sized truck
Well, CR is okay with reporting what Consumers have an issue with on a particular model. But they are not comparing just reliability. They are conducting a full road test and comparison to other vehicles. This is where they fall down Because they don’t “weight” the ratings based on number of years in service for a model, they aren’t doing the math right.
I made the example above where the first year of the Jeep Gladiator is the number 2 pick for them in midrange pickups behind the Honda Ridgeline.
There’s several things wrong with the ratings comparisons:
1) they don’t qualify what makes something a “pick” for the range. They clearly like the Honda Ridgeline even though it is actually the “weakest” truck in the segment for doing Truck-like “stuff”.
2) With the Jeep Gladiator, they reward less years on the market. We know the jeep. It has essentially the *exact* same hardware as the Wrangler which is rated very poorly by them. We can reasonably expect the reliability of the Gladiator to mirror the Wrangler, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at their ratings; they list it as a “recommended” pickup.
3) They don’t test all the models or look at rating from all the models. For example, with the Colorado/Canyon, they don’t test, rate or show specs for the diesel version at all which is a very unique pickup in this segment.
4) They are testing pickups, yet, they don’t test anything related to what pickups DO. No load rating. No tow ratings, no offroad testing. Yes, they don’t ride like a car — are they really surprised?
I don’t think they are totally bad, but they definitely have a bias against pickup trucks in general which makes them suspect for using their “ratings”.
This guy is no journalist. Hatchet job and yellow!!!
CHEVY AND GMC SHOULD DEMAND AN APOLOGY.
HE MAY HAVE BEEN PAID BY FORD TOO.
I own a 2018 Chevy Colorado crew cab 4-wheel drive. It’s got 30000 miles and no problems. It is one of the smoothest riding trucks I’ve ever been in. The four-wheel drive is impeccable. The 3.6 l V6 is a hot rod motor! The 8-speed transmission is absolutely incredible. My gas mileage in the city runs about 16 and a half and I get up to 30 miles per gallon on the highway, depends on which way the wind is blowing. The fit and finish is flawless. The interior design is fantastic, yes there’s a lot of plastic but it’s a truck remember. It’s not a highfalutin $70,000 truck. It’s a $36,000 truck. Uncomfortable seats I don’t know what they’re talkin about! I am 6 ft tall and I love the seating position. Consumer Reports have been addicted to imports from years and years back. Every vehicle they said was junk that I owned was never junk. They were excellent automobiles. And that includes my 2018 Chevy Colorado crew cab 4 x 4 LT.
yea Vic consumer reports is about as fair as the Detroit, Philadelphia vote count
The people at CR are from the NE, from my years of driving truck over the road I can tell you they are a different breed. Nowhere else in the country is like them. Anyone who thinks a Honda Ridgeline is a great pickup is weak in the mind. VW found back in the 70s and early 80s that front wheel drive pickups are not very good as pickups. As soon as you put a LOAD in the bed the weight on the drive wheels lessens creating a low traction situation. Sure you can spend several thousand dollars more and get 4WD, but the point is you shouldn’t have to if you live in a warmer climate just to be able get moving on damp grass or any wet surface. If you’ve bought a load of landscaping material and drive into the back yard and you’ve got a slight uphill grade to come back out good luck. VWs were used by appliance delivery trucks, when they put a washer/dryer in the back to deliver the front wheels were so unloaded they could “burn rubber” at every traffic light. When you load a truck bed that normally puts more traction on the drive wheels. Concerning the Jeep gladiator, it uses the Ram 1500 undercarriage, not the Jeep Wrangler, yes it does use a solid front axle but the rest is Ram 1500.
Really who reads this trash magazine?, this isn’t 1990, truck buyers don’t read suburban MILF material anyways.
Other than the transmission shudder, fixed under warranty, I’ve had no problems. It’s little stiff, good it’s a truck not a car with a truck bed. Wanted a non turbo so i have the 3.6 V6 plenty of power. Also searched for the crew cab with rare long bed. Very satisfied. I couldn’t haul the same with a Ridgeline.
What a crock of caca! Have 41k plus on my 2018 Colorado. Not a hiccup. Driven in snow, off pavement, highway and city. I step on the gas and the 3.6 delivers. Get your head out of Honda’s ass.
Has there ever been any validity to anything Consumer Reports puts out? I see them push a lot of vehicles that are well-known to be junk and bash ones that have proven to be some of the most well-made and reliable vehicles on the road. I guess I’ll have to break the news to my Colorado that it’s not reliable after beating the hell out of it for 250,000 miles without issue.
I have a 2018 colorado z71 loaded and its a piece of junk tranny slips gone threw 3 torque converter everything breaks on this truck its garbage
Seems like the GM Dealer didn’t repair the transmission and replace the converter? If done correctly and with the better transmission oil should have fixed the issue.
C8.R, man you know we spend alot of $$$ on our cars & trucks & for transmission & engine going out & the dealership will not ” STAND” BEHIND THIS JUNK- NOW IF YOU GUY’S LOOK ON THIS SITE CALL CARCOMPLAINTS- THESE ARE PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS STUFF . FROM 2015 TILL 2019 THIS TRUCK HAVEN’T BEEN NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS, HELL I JUST BROUGHT A 2014 CADILLAC XTS PLATINUM WITH 71,000 & 8 MONTHS LATER IT NEEDS A TRANSMISSION, NO HELP FROM THE CADILLAC DEALERSHIP WERE I BROUGHT IT.
2018 ZR2 flawless, wonderful, and great looking. Are you sure you weren’t looking at Trump articles?
I owned a 2015 and now a 2017 Colorado. They both have been excellent trucks. The V6 engine delivers plenty of power. I have driven as far as 850 miles in a day and did not feel worn out from the experience. I definitely would recommend these trucks. P.S. I’m not sure how much I can trust Consumer Reports when they discuss the transmissions. My 2017 has an 8 speed, not a 6 speed. Maybe an in depth study rather than a knee jerk reaction is required before I take their reporting seriously.
Totally disagree with this. I have owned two Chevy Colorados, the first was total when I was hit by a guy running a red light. I’ve not had any issues with the Colorado. I’m 6’ and my husband is 6’2” we found the Colorado was the most comfortable and has plenty of head and leg space. We tow a 21’ travel trailer and have not had any issues with towing. The Colorado is a work horse and has met every challenge we’ve given it, traveling, towing, hauling, pulling, it always preforms. The seats have held up well to a Great Dane and two Dachshunds and numerous Grandkids. I have never regretted buying a Colorado and that is my to go to vehicle from now on. This review is total B.S.
How can anyone believe this crap article when they don’t even know what trans are in them – hello! The 2015-2016 have the six spd which are great, not the shuddering 8 spd that started in 2017. Get the facts straight before posting an article
I think you’re full of BS because I have 2 Colorado’s and have never has any issues with then doing everthing having fun with. One is 2005 it pulled a 19ft boat and never had trouble pulling up hills. Plus never got stuck in snow. Other one is a 2017 it pulled a 28ft camper from mi to Boston to fla then to La. Then back to mi with no trouble. I would buy another one plus tell others about how good the truck is.
Well first of all the 2017 and up models have 8 speed transmission not 6 and I own a 2019 bought it brand new without issues so far. The ride is unbelievably comfortable and the v6 has plenty of get up and go. Not sure where some of these specs come from. You guys are constantly pushing Honda and Toyota maybe thats why.
Yes I have a 2019 GMC canyon and it’s the best thing I’ve ever had it’s got the v6 it’s got more horsepower it gets up and go it gets out of the way if when this one’s done I probably get me another one
This review is ridiculous. My 2020 Chevy Colorado V6 LT has been an amazing vehicle so far. In its first 16,000 miles, it has pulled our Lance 1685 trailer (5,500 pounds) up and over the Death Valley grade (4,000ft of steep elevation) in 116 degree heat without a problem. It’s been a reliable hunting and fishing vehicle; handling some pretty hairy back roads on two wheel drive. On the freeway and in the city, it’s a smooth, pleasant drive. I have no “brand loyalty.” I think this is a “hit piece” for some ulterior purpose.
I owned a 2020 chevy colorado zr2 and I really loved it! Its power and performance is so amazing.whoever write that article has no idea what he is saying against this trucks!i would suggest to him/ her to try to hit the road first driving the colorado zr2 and I am pretty sure he will change this article.
I bought my 2016 Colorado Z71 brand new in December 2015. Since then it never failed on me. it’s the best truck i got so far. My first truck i bough was in 1989. It never saw the dealers garage other than oil change.
As well as many others before me have called BS on this article. I have a 2018 Colorado Z71, which I bought brand new without even test driving one. It has an 8 speed auto, not 6 speed (where are editors when one need one?), has plenty of power, is the most comfortable vehicle my 9q year old mom has ridden in, carries tons, tows wonderfully and has
The people that produce these articles are obviously paid to say one thing or another (depending on who pays them). 99% of the time they are completely way way way off on facts about the vehicle much less price. This type of article is nothing more than a ploy to gain attention to the junk they are comparing the subjected vehicles to.
Lots of luck to anyone in their right mind that would even consider this article (or it’s creaters even remotely relevant
Peace to all you suckers that think otherwise.
2001 powerstoke 7.3 2wd. 497,079 miles
1990 Chevrolet 2500 350cid, 589,000 miles
And 2007 gmc canyon 2.9 194k, miles still getting in the 20’s for highway mileage.
The only thing i would agree with is hard to find great driving positions with the seat.2019 z71.
I own a 2015 GMC canyon . Yes it is junk. I thought I would buy GM and give it a try what a mistake. The engine light stays on every other day. The power brakes went off while driving it and about 2 weeks ago the power steering goes out while driving. Pull over turn it off and its ok for another 100 miles or so. Called gm they said sorry but it is not on the recall list. Truck has 102000 miles uses 2 quarts of oil every 3000 . It just a gm engineered piece of dodo. Never again!!!!!!!!
Bought A 2015 GMC conyon best truck l ever own l don’t understand why you try to make it look so bad may because you don’t own one
Me and my wife bought a 17 colorado with the 2.8 diesel in it and the trans shimmys at certain speeds and two days ago found that the while front of motor is soaked in diesel not happy with this truck gm won’t do nothing for us
GM does not listen to its customers. Their interiors have been substandard in appearance for years. Quality has never been a high priority as a result it varies greatly from year to year. These kinds of issues have let RAM claim huge gains in market share over recent years. Silverado USED TO outsell Dodge/RAM 3-4 to one. Now RAM has outsold Silverado in some quarters.
GM get your act together. Electric vehicles are not going to be your silver bullet to increased market share.
I have had 23 Chevy full-size pickups double cabs in regular cabs I’ve had one Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 1 Ford F150 and 1 Dodge Ram and one Colorado I’m going to be 67 years old and just ordered a new 2021 Colorado some of these reviews make it depressing to read I am hoping that my 2021 Colorado treats me right I’m planning on keeping this one for a long time as I am retired
Herd a lot problems with the 6 speed transmission I have a 19 Colorado z71 has lots of power for a 6 cylinder very comfortable with the leather seats have a 8 speed transmission
CR’s word is right on par with Vladimir Putin-garbage.The Colorado and Canyon are well built trucks and get lots of praise from C&D and R&T so there you go.CR has a hard on for Japanese cars and trucks and they have a crap ton of issues as well,see Tekata airbags that all manufacturers are recalling.CR repeatedly criticises GM but customers keep buying and love the products for the most part.Some people will complain about anything,so I just let it go in one ear and out the other.I have driven GM products for 39 years and have never been disappointed.I trust GM more than any other car manufacturers,they have never let me down.
Even if it’s true that the Tacoma is more reliable, it remains an inferior truck to the Colorado/Canyon in every other important way: handling, payload, towing, interior room, gas mileage, and doesn’t look as good either.
So, really, which truck makes more sense?
I have owned my 2019 Colorado for a year and a half and have put over 36,000 miles on it. Other than oil changes and tire rotations I have had zero problems with it. The transmission is the smoothest shifting of any vehicle I have ever owned. The body is in perfect condition and it rides quite well. I don’t know where the author of this article gets his information from but I have enjoyed owning this truck and would not hesitate purchasing another one.
I drive a 17 colorado diesel and love it and also work at a Chevrolet dealership i think we’ve had one transmission problem in a colorado and it’s not a major problem . Yeah some interior issue’s but knothing like this article . We sell these trucks like crazy and since I work in the parts dept this article is bogus.
Crazy. Ive driven the competition, not even close to the quality of the Canyon /Colorado. Cheap interiors, sub par performance on their V6 engines and terrible road noise. I am on my third Cayon, love it. Oh wait, its consumer reports. They bash every vehicle not a Toyota or Lexus. Unreliable source. Put your Tacoma or frontier next to me, I will out handle, eccellerate and tow them hands down.
Ive owned my ’18 zr2 for 2 yrs, 28k miles and its been a great truck. This article is bs. Im aware of issues the colorado had had but show me a vehicle that doesnt. Ive had zero issues. The power is great. The ride is great, mileage ok for 300hp v6.
I bought a 2019 Colorado LT 3.6 liter and am very pleased with the vehicle performance and towing capabilities. It also has excellent fuel efficiency. The cab space for a crew cab is small compared to a full size pickup. It’s a go getter in the snow also with 4 wheel drive. Ok, that’s my 2 cents. Thanks!
Huh, I’m on my second one. I ran up 155,000 on my 2015 Canyon with one sensor replaced and a set of brakes. No problems. This one, a 2018 Canyon, just a trans flush on the “horrible” 8 speed. The article couldn’t be farther from the truth from my experiences.
I have owned nothing but GM for over 40 years. I also used to subscribe to CR. Back in 1990 I purchased a GEO Prism, which was a collaboration with Toyota. Both the Prism and the Corolla rolled off the exact same assembly line with the same parts, just different badging.
I had 205,000 miles on the car when I sold it. I ran the piss out of it commuting to NYC every day. Only issue I had was replacing the CV joints after 100,000 miles. I never did anything but regular maintenance and tires. The car still had the origional clutch.
Reason for post was that CR gave the Prism a poor rating while giving the Corolla a best buy review. They are very biased against American cars, and I have contacted them before about this bias.
I have a 2018 Colorado ZR2 and with 25000 miles I have had 0 issues with the truck.
Got a 2016 canyon diesel, 75000 miles, no issues, gets 30 mpg combined. Would buy another, never did I believe what CR says about vehicles. You take care of your vehicle, it will take care of you, my last canyon (2004) I gave my son, has 350000 miles, all original drive train. If I would have believed CR I would never had bought either truck.
I own a 2016 Chevy Colorado with 85,000 and it runs like a champ. Yeah the info system needed to be replaced but after that its been fine. I would definitely buy another one. This article is absolutely garbage.
Not sure about the newer canyon but I own a 04 with the i5 with over 400k on the clock and I wouldn’t give it up for any other brand out there. I change the oil she starts every time. Best truck I have EVER had. When she gives up finally I wouldn’t buy anything else but another canyon.
I have a 2018 Colorado extended cab LT and have had good luck with it. It drives great, gets great gas mileage. Everything works great. I owned a auto frame and suspension shop for 18 yrs I know what to look for in driving and suspension workings. The one complaint I might have is the silver ring around the shifter could be better, painted black or chrome instead of gray painted phony chrome. Interior and seats are comfortable, have put some highway miles on it and it was comfortable the whole time.
I have a 2018 Colorado extended cab 4×4 LT and have had good luck with it. It drives great, gets great gas mileage. Everything works great. I owned a auto frame and suspension shop for 18 yrs I know what to look for in driving and suspension workings. The one complaint I might have is the silver ring around the shifter could be better, painted black or chrome instead of gray painted phony chrome. Interior and seats are comfortable, have put some highway miles on it and it was comfortable the whole time.
Own a 2007 Colorado and as stated by most the other people who commented, this article seems to be way off. The truck has never broken down. It’s at 225,000 miles. It’s the 4 cylinder lt extended cab.
After reading the article a second time it does say how they calculate the score. In short they’re talking all the “nickel and dime” stuff. I have plenty of that and I’ll just list the one still ongoing. Passlock system.! If you ever see that word on sticker price. Leave.
It’s worth distinguishing between the generations. I owned a 2005 extended cab Colorado with the five cylinder. It was pleasant, still very much a truck, with my worst problem being a bad windshield seal leading to the replacement of both windshield and headliner. It was rear-ended in an accident but repaired, and it fetched a good price when I sold it to CarMax. I don’t know much about the new generation, but that one was pretty good.
I have 2006 cheve Colorado public truck,it is the most worst designed,manufactured vehicle in the world ,first I had a emission control defects and now I have engine pass lock problem with bad ignition sensor..engine won’t start for 30 minutes and cheve dealer want at least 700 dollars to replace sensor also denied to admit any wrong doing by cheve manufacturer, its shame for American company not to fix their defected products..I will never buy American cars or truck or will recommend any one to buy cheve products or vehicle..because of financial situation I cannot afford to pay for th this repair….I hope cheve manufacturer will get message and listen their conscious and will offer to fix my truck free….God Bless America..
I bought a 2020 Colorado back in May. I drove it to work about 60 miles one way. Then took a trip to Gatlinburg and had AC problems…..it would freeze up. Then about a month later the radio would turn off the whole screen and then reset. Got home from work on night went inside to eat had to come back out to get something out of the truck and it was on fire grom and electrical short. Chevrolet never did anything about it.
I purchased a 2018 Canyon in January 2019. One week later after having told the dealership they sold me a truck with a faulty transmission, they put me in a 2019 Canyon. Right out of the gate I heard a whining noise as the gas remain applied. Salesperson said it was the high performance fuel system. Needless to say, it was not that. My truck stayed in the dealership for 94 consecutive days. I had to file a BBB claim and after not getting results from the dealership I purchased the truck from, I was sent to another one. The following morning a service representative told me out of the 15 documented issues I listed, they immediately discovered the cause of number 15 – “whining noise as the gas pedal is applied.” It was a faulty pinion gear. The truck stayed in their shop so long because there was not a replacement pinion gear to be found on the planet that would fit, and GM put up resistance for having a complete rear-end assembly replacement sent to the dealership from the factory The dealership parked the truck and waited to see if my BBB claim would win a buy-back of the truck. GM coughed up a replacement rear-end assembly, which was the only solution. BTW, if you file a vehicle BBB claim, you must say this, “I am requesting that you make a final attempt to repair this nonconforming vehicle of make/model with the VIN listed as….”
The journey went on with no more whining from the rear end. However, I thought I was going to have to take out extra insurance because the shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st promoted a harsh gear exchange, which made it feel like I was being hit from behind each time, continued to occur. Also, the truck would stutter when cruising at random speeds above 45 mph. The transmission provided the jerking effect as best simulated by sitting in the seat of a wooden rollercoaster as the lift pulls you to the initial peak. After three transmission flushes at less than 5000 miles, the harsh shifting and gear jerking remained. The dealership who serviced the truck ran out of solutions and started saying, “cannot recreate issue.” My BBB claim had granted me three payments for the 3 months it was in the shop and a 5-year extended warranty. So, I had a warranty on a vehicle that GM could not fix. Also, I went without a functional AC system for two straight summers. The AC would freeze up within 2 minutes of use. It also provided two options that I did not request – being that of ice delivery from the AC vents for my tea and moisturizer for my face also being sprayed from the vents. After 5 attempts of reprogramming the AC computer per different regional settings, none of them provided a lasting solution.
Folks should look up GM 8 speed TSB issues and their eyes will be opened to ongoing 8-speed GM transmission issues starting from 2015. A friend of mine purchased a Cadillac the same day I purchased the Canyon, from the same dealership. His vehicle has the same transmission issues, and it is an 8-speed as well.
I dumped the truck and left a note hidden inside for the next buyer that listed every issue I had with it, along with my phone number. With dealerships not thoroughly cleaning vehicles to sell as used, I knew my note would be found and the new owner contacted me. Of course I shared my poor GM experiences and advised that person to return the vehicle.
I now drive a 2020 Ford F-150 that have owned for 6 months now. To this day as I advance from a stop sign and/or red light, I tense up thinking I am going to feel that “hit from behind effect” I was conditioned to experience it from that poorly made GMC Canyon. Words to the wise, steer clear from anything GM makes that has an 8-speed transmission. If GM actually cared for their customers, they would not be 1) fighting the 8-speed lawsuit, and 2) would stop embedding the same faulty equipment in their vehicles as the years progress – in this case, their faulty 8-speed transmissions.
“choppy” and “stiff” ride, uncomfortable standard cloth seats, awkward driving position and weak-feeling V6 engine…
Almost sounds like a Tacoma.
My 2016 4×4 Crew Cab SLT Diesel has been stellar. While I have leather seats, the driving position is awesome.
I have a 2018 colorado extended cab 4wd and I love it! No problems at all. I had a 2005 canyon and liked that too but didn’t like the 5 cylinder it had though. I bought the 18 brand new and only have 12 thousand miles on it now. I drive a company vehicle so that keeps the milage down on my vehicles. As for the 8 speed trans it does start to stutter when I’m gently driving on back roads with hills and curves. Its like it wants to shift up to 8 as soon as it can to get the best fuel milage so I simply drop it into low and down shift one speed to get the rpm’s up then shift it manually with the button on the shifter till I get on the straights again and go back to drive. No problem for me. I’m very impressed with the engine as well. It gets up and goes like a rocket if I want it to.
I purchased a 2018 model with a 2.8-liter diesel. Zero issues after 78,000-miles. Would not be surprised to see this exceed 400k miles with ease. I take care of it but don’t baby it. CR is full of crap for the most part. I traded a Toyota Taco in for the Colorado. No issues with the Taco, but certainly not as nice a truck as Colorado.
2019 Colorado crew cab 3.6 4wd. Had a shudder in trans back to dealer in first 5000 had wrong trans fluid. 33,000 on it now and no issues. And “lack of power?” Has plenty.
I would be sure that CR would of nominated my neighbors 2019 Tundra pickup. I’ve seen that on the back of a wrecker more than I’ve seen it driven. But CR is notoriously anti domestic.
Who wrote this article?
They really haven’t done their research. I own a 2019 Colorado ZR2 and this trucks a beast. Its a V6 puts out tons of power. If you read this article dont be discouraged these are great trucks.
Wow so they are predicting poor reliability on newly introduced 2021 models? And how in the world can the 6 speed automatic be troublesome on the rarely ordered 4 cylinder or diesel engines when it’s the 8 speed unit from the 3.6 that garners most of the complaints? The 6 speed is reliable in any other applications. And I’m saying BS to the “weak” feeling 3.6 LGX as not only did that engine gain more bottom end torque it’s also tied to a 3.42 rear axle and the 8 speed does also liven up it’s response compared to the old 3.6 LFX setup. As to uncomfortable seats they surly are confusing the Tacoma and the Colorado. Note too that the 2021 GM twins now use a 6 way power seat instead of the old 4-way setup for greater adjustability.
i leased an 2018 colorado for 2 yrs and totally loved it , no problems . i avoid and ignore most all car magazine opinions because they have been biased against american cars for a long, long time .
I have a 2016 DURAMAX Colorado with 94000 miles on it. I have not had any issues. Never Really pay much attention to CR anyway. Seems to be a lot of misleading reports everywhere in our world today.
That is a very good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!|
No surprise….I leased a 17 Canyon for a short time….transmission issues from get go. I still believe the 3.6L should be used as in suv and cars , only. Too noisey and not enough torque for a body on frame truck. GM had the perfect mill for the Colorado and Canyon…tried and true 4.3L V-6. GM uses OHV engines for full size pickups, why not for the mid size trucks, too? Existing OHC engines lack the grunt that OHV motors inherently have.
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Despite people dising CR most mechanics say the same thing. GM trucks are crap in recent years. My last 2 work vehicles purchased by my employer were Chevy Silvarado 3/4 ton, 4x4s and not cheap. The 2012 went through 3 transmissions, 2 transfer cases, electrical problems, and 2 rear axles. The 2018 was having transmission problems at 25000 miles, the mechanic who works on all our vehicles said all Chevy/GM vehicles are very unreliable. It’s a shame because the Canyon/Colorado have a great variety of options like 3 different engine options, locking differentials even in two wheel drive models, and some great off road packages. The trucks perform great, until they break. I’d buy one if they were reliable. But Ford Rangers only have a stupid DGI 4 cylinder lots of power but I don’t trust them. So I guess it’s a Toyota, at least they have good engines and transmissions.
For what it’s worth, a few years ago, one of the students in an engineering class I teach was a mechanic. He had experience tearing down and rebuilding transmissions. His opinion was that Ford’s transmissions were better designed than GM’s or Chrysler’s. He mentioned that Ford used sintered bushings in some areas where the others had sleeve bushings in similar applications.
The last place I worked was across the street from Mustang Dynamometer’s HQ. They build the dynos for smog test lanes and do contract work testing of vehicles on their in-house equipment. I’d go walking around the industrial park for my lunch break daily which included walking by Mustang’s building. I got the impression Chrysler was looking for something going on with the rear diffs on some Ram pickups. They would have the truck on a dyno up in the air with a big fan blowing on the radiator and a huge Caterpillar industrial chiller blowing freezing air on the diff in the back. They had the truck up there on and off for a few years running. I never found out what Chrysler was up to. It might have been nothing more than QA testing.
I had a couple Rangers back in the day when they had a 3L V6 option. The first one, a 1994, had a 5 speed manual 2WD and I had it eight years. It was very reliable except two different times on a six plus hour trip the ECU over heated and the engine started misfiring. It took hours of hot soak to cause the issue and it never happened around town. The other Ranger I had was a 2002 V6 overdrive auto trans with a limited slip diff. It was pretty good in snow thanks to the LSD. I disliked the auto trans though, it felt like there was a rubber band between my foot and the gas pedal. The Ranger was flex fuel and could burn E85 even though Ford didn’t advertise it. All fuel system parts were stainless steel and the owner’s manual said E85 is OK.
My current small truck is a 2005 Toyota Tacoma with 2.7L 2TR-FE truck-specific 4-cyl engine. That’s a great engine. It is a 4WD with a five speed manual trans. I really wish it had an LSD. It is pretty unstoppable in 4WD, but I can really tell the difference with the open diff in 2WD. Toyota totally sucked on the Dana-made frame though. The frame was under coated with something that looked like black Vaseline which washed off in less than a year and the frame rusted to pieces. To Toyota’s credit, they did a customer satisfaction action and replaced the entire frame, brake lines, leaf springs and fuel lines when the Tacoma was 11 years old. The new frame appears to be powder coat or maybe something like POR-15. I have put five more years on the Tacoma and it still looks good. The 16 year old sheet metal still looks practically show room new. The six-bolt hub front brake calipers have problems with the pistons seizing. They have four pistons, two on each side. I’ve had to replace three calipers so far. The other thing to keep an eye on is the breather vent on the rear axle. If it jams shut, you’ll get gear lube past the oil seals into your brakes – personal experience. The Denso A/C compressor is another potential weak spot. I like the plastic bed on the Tacoma – you can throw anything in there and not worry about scratching or breaking the bed.