Consumer Reports Says This Popular Pickup Truck Is One Of The Least Reliable Cars

When you're in the market for a new pickup truck, you probably look for things like cab size, budget, fuel economy, and reliability. You may even pay attention to resale value, since pickups tend to hold theirs better than other models, like sedans. The GMC brand tends to hold its value well, especially in trucks and SUVs. For example, the GMC Sierra HD is a popular truck model from 2023 with a 67% resale value.

Even with generally good resale values, Consumer Reports lists one popular pickup truck from GMC (the 2025 Canyon) as one of the 10 least reliable new cars that have the greatest risk of problematic operation. In fact, it only lists one 2025 pickup truck with a lower reliability score than the GMC Canyon (the Ford F-150 Hybrid model).

According to Consumer Reports, the 2025 GMC Canyon has a predicted reliability score of 15 out of 100. The product-testing non-profit organization based its score on data from the 2023 and 2024 Canyon models. The Canyon pickup went through a full redesign with the 2023 model year. Since then, the reliability score moved toward the bottom of the scale for this model. Many of the well-below average ratings for the Canyon relate to its build quality. It struggles with electronics, body hardware, paint, trim, noises, leaks, and electrical accessories. Drivers also have reported issues with a raspy engine.

According to GM Authority, the Canyon is a popular truck, ranking sixth in sales among midsize mainstream pickup trucks through the first three quarters of 2025. In this time, GMC sold almost 27,900 units of this model.

The Canyon's design is very similar to the Chevrolet Colorado pickup, also made by GMC. The two trucks have differences in their exterior and interior styling. However, they both use a similar 2.7-liter engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as comparable towing packages and payload capabilities. The 2025 Colorado has received the exact same Consumer Reports reliability score of 15 out of 100 as the Canyon, further highlighting the design issues. The Colorado truck also underwent a redesign with its 2023 model. 

The 2025 GMC Canyon has a suggested MSRP between $41,000 and $67,000. Consumers typically spend in the $50,000 to $60,000 range for full-size trucks, although they can buy less expensive work trucks for under $40,000. For comparison, this year's Colorado has a suggested MSRP between $33,600 and $62,900. Despite the similarities between the two models — and likely thanks, in part, to its lower price – the Colorado ranks second in sales among mid-sized pickup trucks with 77,390 units sold through the first three quarters of 2025, almost triple the number of Canyon units GMC has sold, according to GM Authority. The Chevrolet Colorado truck has a good resale value, too, of 66.5% for the 2023 model year.

Consumer Reports gathers data for its reliability scores through surveys taken from its members throughout the calendar year. The members are asked to identify any serious problems they have with the vehicles. Members are asked to select problems with the vehicle in 20 specific areas. Typically, Consumer Reports ends up with 200 to 300 sample surveys from members for each model year of vehicle. For other aspects of the vehicle's overall score, Consumer Reports uses a hands-on road-test program, measuring owner satisfaction, and using official crash-test data.

Some people aren't completely sure that the Consumer Reports reliability rankings are as useful as they could be. The scores are based on the vehicle's performance for up to three years, when it should still be under factory warranty. Some believe calculating reliability scores would be more useful after the vehicle exits the factory-warranty period. It's worth noting that Consumer Reports does not accept advertising nor does it accept products from manufacturers, purchasing everything it tests like consumers do, which helps to eliminate bias.