YearToAvoid

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

33/100

#11 most-complained of 16 Silverado 1500 years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 638 NHTSA complaints and a complaint index of 33, ranking 11th worst of 16 model years with a "Good" verdict. Airbags are the top problem area, accounting for 50% of complaints, with 6 recalls on record.

Complaints
638
Recalls
6
Crashes / fires
29 / 6
Injuries / deaths
39 / 1
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
—

Top 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags319 (50%)
  2. Other127 (20%)
  3. Structure & Body91 (14%)
  4. Engine64 (10%)
  5. Brakes47 (7%)
  6. Electrical System34 (5%)
  7. Suspension, Wheels & Tires30 (5%)
  8. Transmission & Powertrain21 (3%)
  9. Fuel System20 (3%)
  10. Steering11 (2%)

What owners report

  • Owners report airbags failing to deploy during frontal or side-impact crashes, sometimes with seat belts also failing to restrain occupants.
  • Some describe unintended acceleration or abnormal RPM spikes of 2000 or more while the vehicle was stopped, in drive, or in reverse.
  • Drivers report brakes not fully engaging even with maximum pedal pressure, leading to low-speed collisions.
  • One owner described the steering column breaking during a side impact, resulting in complete loss of steering control.
  • A transmission shift issue was reported just after coming to a stop, where RPMs increased and the truck lurched forward and overcame brake pressure.
2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 complaints: complaints filed per quarter682011 Q12013 Q12015 Q12017 Q12019 Q12021 Q12023 Q12025 Q1
783 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2011 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q4 (68).

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V050000Feb 5, 2021Airbags2,641,272 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 21V054000Feb 5, 2021Airbags1,778,128 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 14V827000Dec 30, 2014Electrical System84,192 vehicles

    Electrical system:ignition

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.

    Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.

See all 6 recalls for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 →

2011 compared with other Silverado 1500 years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Best134233—
2011Good336386—
2012Best02844—
2013Best73655—

All Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 a good year?
NHTSA data gives the 2011 Silverado 1500 a complaint index of 33 and a "Good" verdict, ranking 11th worst out of 16 model years covered.
What is the biggest problem with the 2011 Silverado 1500?
Airbags are the top problem area, making up 50% of all complaints (319 of 638), with a median failure mileage of 68,000 for the model year overall.
Does the 2011 Silverado 1500 have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2011 Silverado 1500, covering airbags, electrical system, steering, and suspension/wheels/tires components. None are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2011 Silverado 1500 compare to other years?
With a complaint index of 33, the 2011 model performs better than years like 2014 (100), 2015 (87), and 2021 (93), which carry "Avoid" verdicts.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.