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
638 reports, newest first.
Structure, Jul 30, 2024
Unknown. I doubt this will qualify but it seems to be a very common issue so I feel it is worth bringing attention to. I recently bought a truck from a state action that was a prior police vehicle as stated by the title. Once I purchased it and drove it home I was inspecting it and found a rust spot on the frame. As I cleaned dirt and debris off of it I discovered that the frame from just before the drivers side door all the way to where it bends up at the gas tank was completely rotted out. Specifically the bottom of the frame is fully gone. Doing research into repairs it seems that this generation and brand of vehicle had this problem seemingly universally. Which leads me to think it may have been a defect in manufacturing. Due to the bottom rusting out it’s hard to spot unless you crawl underneath. I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail as to why a compromised frame that people could be unaware of could be dangerous.
Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2024
I am the original owner of a 2011Chevy Silverado 1500. At this time, the frame of the vehicle is badly rusted, and i was made aware after conducting research that General Motors had failed to properly apply anti corrosion material to the frame, which caused the frame to rust prematurely. The rear crossmember its totally rusted and could pose a problem in the very near future. By failing to apply anti corrosion material to the frame, it caused the acceleration and decay of the entire structure of the frame. This was visibly observed by both a NJ approved autobody shop as well as an independent repair shop where suspension work had just been completed.
Other or unspecified, Jul 12, 2024
I put my truck up on a 2 post lift to change the brakes. But once the full truck weight was on the lift the frame started to crack i instantly put it on the ground and took a look and found that there was a crack through the middle of my frame on the side facing me Spanning from the back part where it starts to go up all the way to about the part of the frame under the middle of the drivers door. Then I took a look under it and saw a large hole in the frame where the lift was placed. I proceeded to feel in the previously mentioned hole and found some of the frame was paper thin other parts where about half the thickness of a good part of the frame. After this I took it into my local GM dealer to take a look at it they said that the frame is definitely in a very bad shape but it will hold but it will be an issue in the future. I feel i could be put at risk because I could hit a bad part of road at some point in the future and it could damage the frame more or completely brake.
Structure, Jun 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the vehicle, he observed excessive frame corrosion under the driver’s side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 97,000.
Structure, Jun 24, 2024
This is the 3rd year in a row that i have to have the frame welded due to corrosion. I finally did an internet search and found this to be a severe problem for owners of Chevy Silverados. In my opinion, a truck frame should last longer than 100K miles. Why did the U.S. hold Toyota accountable when their truck frames rotted out a few years ago, but won't hold GM to the same standard? The dealership said there is nothing they can do about it, i'm hoping out government can. There are too many of these trucks driving around with frames on the verge of cracking or rear shocks falling off. Thank you
Structure, May 29, 2024
This GM vehicle presents a safety risk to the public. The frame of the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has prematutely rusted and corroded. GM fully understands and acknowledges this public safety risk only through a "Technical Service Bullitin" (service bulletin number 19-NA-255) which states that GM is aware of the lack of application of protective coating on this year and model. This "technical" concern urgently must be upgraded to a recall. The truck in its entirety and the public are at risk. The premature frame corrosion caused by the failure to apply protective coating which GM acknowledges, can, and presumably has, result in DEATH. The structural integrity of the entire vehicle should not be categorized as a safety bulletin. An incident due to faulty manufacturing resulting in death, is by definition a recall. Above mentioned vehicle does not meet minimum safety standards or poses an unreasonable safety risk due to defects that could harm consumers, hinder performance, or cause legal issues for the manufacturer.
Structure, May 29, 2024
The frame is rusted and flaking to pieces. Have replaced tailgate latches twice due to rust.
Other or unspecified, Apr 18, 2024
No. Plastic broke on my dash and from the sun or cheap plastic and popped and hit my child in the head which left a scratch on his head. The whole dashboard has cracked.
Other or unspecified, Apr 16, 2024
Frame is completely rotted out at 104,000 miles. Why are all Chevy Silverado 1500s from 09-14 all rotting out extremely fast. There needs to be a recall ASAP.
Other or unspecified, Apr 13, 2024
I recently had my vehicle inspected and the garage personnel told me it would pass inspection this time because there is a lot of rust on it.
Suspension, Apr 12, 2024
my frame is rotting out there is a section missing by gas tank. i checked on line with other people and a lot of people have same problem i know totyota had problem and had to replace frames .gm should have too. please help. thank you
Suspension, Other or unspecified, Mar 17, 2024
Complete structural failure of chassis (Frame). Upon inspection on a mechanics lift the frame is cracked in several places and due to the undersized structural components and type of steel resulted in extensive corrosion. All components of vehicle depend on structural integrity of support frame. The frame has been inspected by several mechanics. All suspension components attached to vehicle frame are in serious jeopardy of failure. Several other Chevrolet truck owners have total losses of vehicle value to to undersized structural frame and extensive corrosion. This is a manufacturer's defect, its similar to building a house on a weak foundation.
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.
Structure, Mar 4, 2024
FRAME IS SEVERELY RUSTED THROUGH. NEEDS TO REPLACED, TRUCK HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT. WITH LESS THE 100,000 MILES ON IT.
Other or unspecified, Feb 22, 2024
The frame is completely rusted on this truck it has approximately 133k miles on it. In my research on this year truck there are many complaints for the same issue some through this site and others through forums. There needs to be a frame recall issued on this truck the approximate date below is when it was noticed during an inspection
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
Suspension, Other or unspecified, Jan 13, 2024
Frame of truck rotted. Went to change shocks and it fell right off. Removed the bottom bolt on the shock and the 15 lbs shock fell to the ground with the top bolt still attached to the frame.2 years ago had to replace the the hitch due to rusted out Glad I was not pulling my 6000 lbs camper down the highway. The frame is so badly rotted it is unsafe to drive down the road. Not surface rust holes the inside of frame is rotted both sides. Unsafe to drive. Owned this truck for 9 years.
Suspension, Structure, Jan 2, 2024
This vehicle has a frame that is rusted far beyond what you would normally expect. The same problem is listed in other complaints here and elsewhere online. The passenger side running board fell off because the frame it was attached to was so badly rusted.
Other or unspecified, Dec 4, 2023
I was told when I had my oil changed that my frame is rusted and has cracks
Other or unspecified, Nov 5, 2023
TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER TO GET AN ALINGMENT, THE DEALER SAID COULD NOT DO THE ALINGMENT BECAUSE FRAME WAS BROKEN, UNDER CLOSER INSPECTION FOUND OUT THAT FRAME IS RUSTED AND DETERATING IN MANY SPOT INCLUEDING REAR LEFT SECTION AND REAR RIGHT SECTIONS, ON LEFT NEAR FUEL TANK, CROSS RAIL FOR FUEL TANK, THAT ATTACH FUEL TANK TO VEHICLE, ALSO CROSS MEMBER THAT ATTCH SHOCKS ON REAR TO TO FRAME.
Suspension, Oct 25, 2023
My 2011 Silverado has a very clean body, but the frame is completley rusted out. If you Google frame issues on these trucks you will see that many people are having the same issue and GM is doing nothing about it. I think GM should have to buy back these trucks as my truck went from being worth $12000 to being worth nothing
Engine, Oct 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a loud abnormal tapping sound at the hood of the vehicle. The contact then stated that upon inspection, she noticed that the tapping sound was coming from the lifter and lifter arm when the piston dropped down. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the pistons, rocker arm, head valve seals, and lifter arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact then stated that upon research she was informed that the engine may need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 260,000.
Other or unspecified, Sep 11, 2023
I had my truck in my shop after a lot of clunking started to come from the rear suspension. I had the truck up on the lift to check out the cause, and found very disappointing news. This truck has approximately 107,000 miles on it, and should not have this much compromised structure. The body is in near perfect condition. The vehicle has always been garage kept and clean. The entire rear frame of the truck has rust scale/perforation. Multiple areas are flaking badly and have holes that are 1/2" and larger. The rearmost cross member that attaches the upper shock is rotted out and missing. The other crossmembers are in poor condition. The areas of the frame where the leaf springs attach are thin. The only solution that seems feasible is a complete stripping, reinforcement, and/or replacement of the rear frame section. I own and operate my own shop, and have the ability to do this work for myself but there is no reason I should have to fix a truck that is 12 years old. Sadly, this is not the only GM product I have seen with this type of rot. It's just unfortunate that my personal vehicle has one of the worst frames that I have encountered.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2023
On August 24, 2023 I took my 2011 Silverado WT extended cab 4X4 to a local independent service facility for a required annual safety inspection. It has failed an annual vehicle safety inspection due to frame rust through. I am scheduled with the repair shop to repair this new rust section September 12, 2023. This is the second year in a row that it has failed due to frame rust through after having been repaired last year. The truck has 141,846 mile on it and should not be experiencing a frame issue requiring welding repairs. If I lived in a state that did not require annual safety inspections this could easily become a major safety hazard resulting in a crash with severe personal injury or death. GM should be notified and held accountable to provide necessary repairs and or compensation very similar to the Toyota Tacoma frame recall a few years back.
Structure, Sep 5, 2023
Truck has excessive rust and holes on frame, back wheel wells completely rotted out and bed is completely rusted out. Had to get covers for the wheel wells because it failed inspection due to the fact if someone bumped it they could be cut by the jagged edges. Have had over $6000 worth of frame work done in approximately 2021 and needs more. I will find receipts and send pictures. Chevy needs to be held responsible. Currently at dealer for airbag recall and inspection. There is no way it will pass. Huge safety issue and this is certainly not the only truck like this. How can Chevrolet get away with this? Toyota did right by frame issues. Why is Chevrolet not being held responsible? I've been to Mavis, Pocono Metal Craft and numerous other garages who all say the truck is so rusted it's worthless. When brought to the dealer where purchased, I was told there was nothing they could do. But when looking on line there is a recall put out in 2020 regarding Chevrolet frames and spraying the frame to prevent further damage. I was told it's due to the winters and what is sprayed on the road. That's not why this happened to thousands and thousands of people. I took great care of this truck.