2020 GMC Canyon

Showing the 2020 Canyon Denali. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
19–23 mpgcombined; city 17–20, highway 24–30; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,760–$21,060U.S. average; Ohio $13,190–$21,340 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
14filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2020 Canyon. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Canyon. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power train6000
Electrical system3000
Engine3000
Air bags1101
Electronic stability control (ESC)1000
Engine and engine cooling1000
Exterior lighting1000
Forward collision avoidance1000
Service brakes, hydraulic1000
Steering1000
Vehicle speed control1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 200648
  2. 200742
  3. 200838
  4. 200927
  5. 20108
  6. 201112
  7. 201223
  8. 2015303
  9. 2016271
  10. 201766
  11. 201852
  12. 201917
  13. 202014
  14. 202112
  15. 202227
  16. 202362
  17. 2024206
  18. 20258
  19. 20268

Every Canyon year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2020 Canyon. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 861 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2020 Canyon, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (259), electrical system (168), engine and engine cooling (162), power train (108), unknown or other (101).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2020 Canyon.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2020 GMC Canyons for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: small pickup trucks. EPA greenhouse gas score: 3–4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Canyon
Rear-Wheel Drive		2.8 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 6-spdDiesel20 / 30 / 23
Canyon
Rear-Wheel Drive		2.5 L, 4 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline20 / 26 / 22
Canyon
4-Wheel Drive		2.8 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic 6-spdDiesel19 / 28 / 22
Canyon
4-Wheel Drive		2.5 L, 4 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline19 / 24 / 21
Canyon
Rear-Wheel Drive		3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline18 / 25 / 20
Canyon
4-Wheel Drive		3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline17 / 24 / 19

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data