2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Airbags Problems
NHTSA lists 319 airbag complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, half of all complaints filed for the year. Two GM recalls (21V050000 and 21V054000) address faulty front passenger airbag inflators, and owners most often report airbags failing to deploy in crashes. Median mileage at failure is 70,000.
- Airbags complaints
- 319
- 50% of 638
- Crashes reported
- 20
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 33
- Median mileage
- 70,000 mi
- Related recalls
- 2
Typical airbag symptoms owners report
- Airbags fail to deploy during frontal or rear-end collisions at speeds around 35 to 45 mph.
- Airbags fail to deploy in low-speed parking-lot or garage collisions, including impacts into trees, poles, and concrete structures.
- Seat belts fail to retract or restrain occupants at the same time airbags fail to deploy, leading owners to hit the steering wheel, roof, or windshield.
- Some owners tie the non-deployment to the Takata recall (campaign 16v381000) and report delays getting replacement parts.
- In at least one case, airbags deployed unexpectedly during a low-speed parking maneuver into a building.
When 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 airbag complaints were filed
First complaint Feb 2, 2011, latest Sep 27, 2025.
Airbags recalls for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 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.
- 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.
Airbags complaints by Silverado 1500 model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How many airbag complaints does NHTSA have for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- NHTSA lists 319 airbag complaints for the 2011 Silverado 1500, which is 50% of all 638 complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there an airbag recall for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- Yes. GM recall 21V050000 covers replacement of the front passenger airbag inflator with an alternate part at no charge, and a related recall 21V054000 covers similar inflator issues on other GM trucks and SUVs.
- At what mileage do airbag problems typically show up?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this issue is 70,000 miles.
- Were there crashes or injuries linked to these airbag complaints?
- NHTSA data shows 20 crashes and 33 injuries associated with the 319 airbag complaints for the 2011 Silverado 1500, with no fires reported.
- Is the 2011 Silverado 1500 worse for airbag complaints than other model years?
- Yes. The 2011 model's 50% share of complaints tied to airbags is the highest among Silverado 1500 years listed, compared to 48% in 2010 and 26% in 2012 and 2013.