Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon Among Least Reliable Vehicles, Says Consumer Reports
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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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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.