2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
GoodComplaint Index
33/100
#11 most-complained of 16 Silverado 3500 years
The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has 29 NHTSA complaints and a complaint index of 33, ranking 11th worst out of 16 model years — a Good year relative to other Silverado 3500 years. Airbags are the top problem area with 10 complaints.
- Complaints
- 29
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes / fires
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / deaths
- 1 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- —
Top 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Airbags10 (34%)
- Engine6 (21%)
- Fuel System6 (21%)
- Transmission & Powertrain5 (17%)
- Other4 (14%)
- Brakes2 (7%)
- Electrical System2 (7%)
- Seat Belts1 (3%)
- Steering1 (3%)
- Structure & Body1 (3%)
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy in a crash, tied to a Takata inflator recall.
- Diesel exhaust fluid system triggers warnings for poor fluid quality, sometimes limiting vehicle speed to 55 mph.
- Fuel gauge inaccurately shows fuel remaining, leading to unexpected stalling when the tank runs empty.
- Vehicle stalls or loses power at highway speed, with dealers pointing to the diesel injection pump or fuel transfer system.
- Strong exhaust or raw fuel smells and visible leakage from the turbocharger area during regeneration.
- Transmission unexpectedly shifts from drive into neutral while driving at highway speed.
2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- 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.
- NHTSA 18V267000Apr 26, 2018Other6,154 vehicles
Equipment
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.
2011 compared with other Silverado 3500 years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 reliable?
- NHTSA lists 29 complaints and 5 recalls for the 2011 Silverado 3500, giving it a complaint index of 33. It ranks 11th worst out of 16 model years, earning a Good verdict relative to other years.
- What are the main problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
- Airbags account for 34% of complaints (10 complaints), followed by Engine and Fuel System issues, each at 21% (6 complaints each), and Transmission & Powertrain at 17% (5 complaints).
- Does the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 have an airbag recall?
- Yes. Recall 21V050000 covers front passenger airbag inflator replacement for certain 2007-2011 GM trucks including the Silverado, and airbags are the top complaint area with a median failure mileage of 107,500 miles.
- Does the 2011 Silverado 3500 have a fuel system recall?
- Yes. Recall 17V664000 covers 2011-2015 Silverado 3500 and Sierra 3500 trucks with dual fuel tanks, where the front tank sensor could stick, causing the rear tank to overfill; fuel system complaints have a median failure mileage of 9,000 miles.
- How does the 2011 Silverado 3500 compare to other years?
- Its complaint index of 33 is lower than 2015 (73), 2016 (67), 2021 (87), 2022 (80), and 2024 (100), all of which carry Caution or Avoid verdicts, making 2011 one of the better years for this model.