2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 638 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 19 Silverado 1500 model years with reports.
Of the 2011 reports, 29 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 39 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
Campaign 21V054000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
Campaign 21V050000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rear, axle, spindleJan 6, 2011
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, COLORADO, EXPRESS, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; AND GMC CANYON, SIERRA, SAVANA, YUKON AND YUKON XL VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK.
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Campaign 11V007000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rear, axle, spindleDec 17, 2010
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT, CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO LD AND GMC SIERRA LD VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK.
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Campaign 10V643000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: air bags
319 reports, newest first. Show all
Air bags, Sep 27, 2025
[XXX] WITH ONLY 88,500 MILES no wreck or other incident service airbag light came on and dealership wants 180.00 just to check it. what creates the issue is that my other vehicle a 2010 Tahoe with 285,000 miles came on within 3 days of this one. What am i supposed to do? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Air bags, Mar 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); the contact was informed that the SDM module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.
Air bags, Mar 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, unoccupied, and turned off, the front passenger's side air bag deployed. Prior to the failure, the air bag warning light had intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that there was no impact to the vehicle that would have caused the air bag to deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Air bags, Sep 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
Air bags, Aug 20, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Air bags, Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced and was causing the air bag warning light to illuminate inadvertently. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was concerned that the air bags would deploy without the vehicle being involved in a crash. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,044.
Air bags, Mar 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags). The dealer was made aware of the issue but denied the recall repair due to the vehicle having a Salvage Title. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was opened. The contact was informed to have the DMV remove the branded title from the vehicle. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Air bags, Jan 18, 2024, crash
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE AIRBAG WENT OFF AND CAUSED ME TO CRASH INTO A POLE
Steering, Suspension, Air bags, Jun 22, 2023, crash
The truck brakes or something locked up and cause me to crash the truck. Police report was filed and insurance company has appraised the truck. No warning lights or anything came on.
Air bags, Traction control system, Oct 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that he purchased the vehicle aware that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the front passenger’s side air bag, traction control, and stabilizer control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Air bags, Aug 27, 2022, crash
Today I rear ended a car with the 2011 Silverado. The drivers airbag in the steering wheel did deploy but not fully, never made contact with me at all. I have kept the truck updated with any recalls done.
Air bags, Dec 28, 2021
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to the recall repair was unavailable. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.
Air bags, Dec 17, 2021
2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIRBAG INFLATOR SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE REMEDY WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE.
Air bags, Nov 19, 2021
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving 50 - 60 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the recall but informed the contact that parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Air bags, Sep 20, 2021
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not notified of the issue. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Air bags, Sep 8, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Air bags, Sep 7, 2021
I received a letter in March 2021 stating my 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 informing me of a safety recall for the passenger airbags. I called when receiving the letter and was told I was put on a waiting list. It’s been 6 months now and I haven’t heard anything. I also have a check engine light on constantly with no codes coming back after being connected to a code reader.
Air bags, Aug 26, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Air bags, Aug 25, 2021
I brought my truck into a certified Chevrolet repair facility for routine maintenence and to have a repair done on my gas tank. Upon pickup of my vehicle, I noticed that my airbag alert light/ indicator was illuminated on my dashboard. I quickly re-entered the repair facility, and asked them why is my airbag light now illuminated, as it was NOT illuminated prior to this visit. The service manager told me there was a recall on my passenger airbag, so they took it upon themselves to install a new one, causing me to now have a "Service Airbag System"message on my dashboard, along with the illuminated Airbag indicator. My vehicle is equipped with "Onstar", which is a very useful tool that gives me real time diagnostics on my vehicle. Through documentation, I can prove the airbag system did NOT have any issues prior to them installing the new one. They did not notify me that they were going to do this recalled airbag. They are refusing to take accountability and liability for what happened to my vehicle. Please help.
Air bags, Aug 6, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Air bags, Jun 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it diagnosed with the air bag module needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure was due to having NHTSA Campaign number 21V054000 (Air Bags) completed. The failure mileage was 197,271.
Air bags, Jun 21, 2021
The possible failure of a faulty passenger side airbag has put the safety of my family at risk of possible injury or death. I recieved this recall notice going on five months ago now. What is Takata doing about this? Is anything being done? I think this criminal. Who is supposed to have answers to these questions? How long does something like this usually take to get resolved? Recall notice N212328800.
Air bags, Jun 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was in process of being serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (AIRBAGS)but the dealer advised the contact that the repair might cause further damage to the dashboard. The contact felt that the recall should have included a replacement dashboard for any additional damage caused by the replacement of passenger-side air bag inflator. The recall was not completed in order to avoid damages. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Air bags, Jun 2, 2021
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Air bags, May 24, 2021
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.