Rear passengers and front crash prevention hold the 2026 GMC Canyon crew cab back from IIHS Top Safety Pick honors.
The 2026 GMC Canyon crew cab rolled into IIHS testing with six standard airbags. It rolled out with no Top Safety Pick award.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released new ratings on September 3, and the Canyon missed every Top Safety Pick title. Weak rear-seat protection in the updated moderate overlap front crash test and poor vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention scores dragged it down. NHTSA has not yet issued an overall crash rating for the 2026 Canyon.
IIHS now expects strong scores in multiple crash tests, solid headlights on every trim, and effective front crash prevention against both vehicles and pedestrians before it hands out awards. The Canyon crew cab did not clear all of those hurdles.
The truck earned only a marginal rating in the updated moderate overlap front test. IIHS recorded rear passengers moving too far forward, which raised the risk of head and chest injuries in the back seat.
The Canyon also posted a poor rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation. That result alone kept it from Top Safety Pick status.
Other models struggled in the same test round. Only the Tesla Model Y and Kia Telluride scored Top Safety Pick+ honors. The BMW 3 Series, electric BMW i4, Lexus IS, Toyota Crown Signia, and the Canyon went home without awards.
The updated moderate overlap front test now focuses heavily on second-row occupants. IIHS found that rear passengers moved too far within the cabin, which boosted the chance of serious injuries for anyone riding behind the front row.
That’s important to note if you use a crew cab as a family or work truck and keep people in the back seat. The test results suggest the Canyon needs better restraint performance there.
IIHS also tightened rules for automatic emergency braking. Current awards look for at least acceptable pedestrian protection and strong performance in newer vehicle-to-vehicle scenarios that include motorcycles and large trucks at higher speeds. The Canyon’s poor score in that exam left it out of contention.
GM issued a brief response after the ratings. The company said its vehicles meet or exceed all federal safety standards and that engineers will study the IIHS data for potential updates.
Motor1’s Take: These results give GMC a clear to-do list. It needs to improve rear-seat protection and upgrade the Canyon’s frontal crash-avoidance tech. If you regularly carry passengers, keep these scores in mind while shopping. Any future hardware or software changes that trigger a retest will be worth watching.
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Source:
IIHS
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