General Motors unveiled the all-new, third generation the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon in conjunction with the 2023 model year, offering off-road enthusiasts the Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4X. Critically, GM Authority has recently learned that General Motors is adding extra cargo bed reinforcement to both the Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4X after the trucks have rolled off the production line.
According to GM Authority sources, the cargo bed welds in the Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4X are not strong enough for some extreme off-road use cases after the trucks initially roll off the line at the GM Wentzville plant in Missouri, prompting GM to add bolts to the front of the cargo bed as an extra strengthening measure. Sources say that the added bolts were not part of the original production plan, which explains why the fix is being performed after the trucks are built, rather than during the production process (on the line).
This new bolting process for the cargo bed in the Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4X only applies to the all-new 2023 model year, and our insiders tell us that this step is expected to be integrated into the build process at the GM Wentzville plant for the pickups’ 2024 model year. No units of either truck have shipped to customers without the fix.
It’s likely that this fix was one of the causes behind the production delay for the 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2 and 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X. Per previous GM Authority coverage, both models were initially scheduled to begin production on April 10th, but were later pushed back to mid-May.
GM Authority reached out to GM for comment, and Chevy spokesperson Shad Balch provided the following statement:
“Both of our midsize off-road trucks are shipping to customers,” adding that “the trucks were designed and built to handle the toughest scenarios our customers will throw at them.”
As a reminder, the 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2 and GMC Canyon AT4X both feature the turbocharged 2.7L I4 L3B gasoline engine (Turbo High-Output variant) as the exclusive engine option. An updated version of the GMT 31XX platform provides the underpinnings.
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Comments
Loving the spokesperson non-answer.
Translation “…we thought our trucks were designed and built to handle the toughest scenarios our customers will throw at them, but obviously not!”
No its just the production and pre built were a little different. Which I’m sure happens at all manufactures. At least they are fixing it before it becomes a issue for the dealers and a warranty claim. Shows they want them to work right for the customer.
Hopefully those bolt holes aren’t being drilled into the alpo’ed box and frame after the fact.
The Quality and Thorough testing GM is putting in there vehicles 🤓😎
Chad Hall bent the frame during the Mint 400 in a pre-production mostly stock ZR2. Still won the class!
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/03/chevy-colorado-zr2-race-truck-bends-frame-still-wins-class-at-mint-400/
Embarrassing for GM particularly since the new Ranger Raptor has been winning the class in off-road races since.
Instead of being cheap, GM needs to reinforce every model of Colorado/Canyon going forward, IMO.