2015 Canyon - Hesitation/Gear Searching

Surf75 · March 29, 2015

I have had my new Canyon for about a month now and love it. I made the switch to GM from an '04 Dakota I had for 11 years. Making the change from a 4.7L V8 to a 3.6L V6 in a mid-size truck is hardly noticeable with the VVT engine. However, I have noticed some slight hesitation or gear searching when going up an incline or from simply letting off the gas on a level road and then giving it gas again. The truck seems to struggle to find the proper gear sometimes. It's almost like the computer is trying too hard to find the most fuel efficient way to deliver power. (Coming from my old V8, when I hit the gas I expect power not hesitation then power). I wanted to reach out to forum members to get some insight and opinions on whether or not this is something others are experiencing or a unique issue I'm having or if this is to be expected from the 3.6L VVT. Thanks!

MattFL · May 17, 2016

Did your truck's have this problem right from the start, or did it develop as you put more miles on it?

Pinnacle · March 31, 2015

Steve: Ride quality is top notch. The steering, turning raidius and responsiveness is very tight, making it a nimble vehicle in the city. The 4wd auto feature is convenient and capable in the last few snow storms we had here. As far as interior room... I think it's got ample room. I'm about 6' and have had adult passengers in the back with no complaints. (compliments actually). Overall I love the truck.

Keep us updated on this issue, I haven't seen anything you are experiencing on the internet with regards to these new trucks, still too new.

philosch · September 15, 2017

The answer to this problem is putting a trifecta tuner or program on this truck. I have a 2016 crew cab Colorado (3.6 L) with the same issue. Put the Trifecta tuner on it and problem is not completely gone but greatly reduced. Also got an approximate 10% boost in HP and torque along with better gas mileage and I'm not affiliated with Trifecta, just a customer. I was just frustrated with the shift pattern and low end responsiveness, these trucks aren't cheap. I got 29 mpg highway on a 400 mile road trip in the downhill direction with the wind and 25.6 uphill against the wind. I read these accounts from other trifecta users myself and didn't believe them until I experienced the performance boost first hand. The tuner reprograms the engine and transmission so you get better shift points and I assume better fuel mixture and so on. The only problem I've experienced was 4 months after the tune my BCM failed but most everyone I tell about this seems to be sure the BCM failure is unrelated to the tune. If you are dissatisfied with your 2015-2016 Canyon/Colorado I would definitely look into the Trifecta tune, you will be pleasantly surprised. In sport mode there is no more problem merging on the highway, truck takes off like a beast. Chevy could very obviously fix this problem with properly programmed engine and transmission but they won't bother because they don't need to.

hwyone · July 19, 2016

I have a 2015 Canyon with the same transmission problem. It's been an issue from day one, and I still have the problem with 20,000 miles on the truck. So it's NOT a "learning" issue. It's not only irritating, it's dangerous. If I'm travelling in the 40 mph range and have to pass someone, it will hesitate and then suddenly drop down to what feels like 3rd gear, the RPMs will nearly red-line, and the noise level over-rides the radio. Had it to the dealer twice and they claim there's not an issue. Right. It's a shame because otherwise I am a huge fan of this truck. Ron...

bjoyner · December 28, 2015

I see a number of statements about the truck learning' the driver. That is BS I have taken my trunk in twice and have 8K miles on it. Major issues w/ the shifting at low speeds. The truck tries to stay in 6th gear at 25mph / 500 rpms and almost dies. If you look over the internet you will see this is an issue. I was on the phone w/ GM and needless to say -full run around. They are more concerned about not saying there is an issue than fixing it. Drive in Atlanta roll and go traffic and you will have the worst driving experience you ever had. I fell like the biggest sucker ever w/ this truck . Anybody need one? Make you a good deal!

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/colorado/2015/long-term-road-test/2015-chevrolet-colorado-nice-accelerator-but-lazy-shifting.html

hwyone · July 19, 2016

I have had the same problem with my 2015 Canyon since the day I bought it. I've now logged over 20,000 miles and it still hesitates when I try to accelerate. So it's NOT a "learning" issue. It's not only irritating, it's dangerous. Mine is most obvious around 40 mph when I'm in 6 gear (O-drive). If I need to pass someone, the truck will hesitate and then drop down to what feels and sounds like 3rd gear. The RPMs will nearly red line and the engine/fan/trans noise will drown out the radio. I've had it to the dealer more than once and the answer I always get is that there's no problem. Right. This is a shame because otherwise I am a huge fan of the truck. Truly wish there was a way to get all owners of the Colorados and Canyons together on this so we could approach GM en masse. It would then be impossible for them to ignore the issue and they would have to take corrective action or suffer the negative publicity. Eventually this trans issue will be common knowledge among truck fans and all of us with 2015 and 2016 models will be stuck with trucks that have little resale value because everyone will know those were the years that came with that crappy transmission!

Chris · March 29, 2015

How many miles? The transmissions go through a learning phase

EDDYA · May 26, 2016

2015 canyon with 35,000 miles already and this hesitation an like chattering that this trucks have made me have almost an accident twice.Took it to different dealers and found nothing they said they couldn't recreate the problem I called GM and they just gave me the round and round they did not know what I was talking about.So I just gave up. Months later I saw the bulletin saying that this is a normal situation. Now is getting worse and I am very afraid of passing a vehicle, when I step on the accelerator the truck just sits there trying to find a lower gear and suddenly finds the lowest gear and the rpm raises to hell an truck does not move until it wants to. this is really bad otherwise it is a very good truck.