YearToAvoid

2011 GMC Sierra 3500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

47/100

#9 most-complained of 16 Sierra 3500 years

The 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 has a Complaint Index of 47 and ranks 9th out of 16 model years, earning a "Good" verdict. NHTSA lists 20 complaints, 5 recalls, and 1 fire report, with Airbags making up 40% of complaints.

Complaints
20
Recalls
5
Crashes / fires
0 / 1
Injuries / deaths
0 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
—

Top 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 problems

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

  1. Airbags8 (40%)
  2. Suspension, Wheels & Tires3 (15%)
  3. Electrical System2 (10%)
  4. Fuel System2 (10%)
  5. Other2 (10%)
  6. Structure & Body2 (10%)
  7. Transmission & Powertrain2 (10%)
  8. Engine1 (5%)
  9. Seat Belts1 (5%)
  10. Visibility & Wipers1 (5%)

What owners report

  • Owners report the dashboard cracking near the airbag housing, raising concern about plastic shards during deployment.
  • Airbag warning lights for both driver and passenger sides illuminate repeatedly even after dealer repairs to the sensors.
  • Some owners describe the Bosch CP4 fuel injection pump failing suddenly, causing the engine to stall while driving and lose braking and steering assistance.
  • One owner reported the rear torsion bar adjustment bracket breaking off at very low mileage while driving over a speed bump.
  • Owners awaiting Takata airbag recall remedies asked whether the truck remained safe to drive in the meantime.
  • A tire failure was reported shortly after purchase, with the owner told the installed tire size did not match the truck's requirements.
2011 GMC Sierra 3500 complaints: complaints filed per month3Feb 2011Apr 2016Oct 2017Jan 2019Mar 2020Apr 2023
24 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2011 to Aug 2023; peak Jan 2017 (3).

2011 GMC Sierra 3500 recalls

5 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 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.

See all 5 recalls for the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 →

2011 compared with other Sierra 3500 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
2010No verdict025—
2011Good47205—
2012Best794—
2013Good27144—

All GMC Sierra 3500 years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2011 Sierra 3500 carries a Complaint Index of 47 and ranks 9th of 16 model years, giving it a "Good" verdict relative to other Sierra 3500 years.
What are the most common problems on the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500?
Airbags account for 40% of complaints (8 of 20), followed by Suspension, Wheels & Tires at 15% and several other areas each at 10%, including Electrical System, Fuel System, and Structure & Body.
Does the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 have recalls?
NHTSA lists 5 recalls for this year, covering airbags, a fire extinguisher replacement, a dual fuel tank sensor issue, and an electrical jumper harness fix. None are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2011 model compare to other Sierra 3500 years?
Its Complaint Index of 47 is higher than 2012 (7), 2014 (13), and 2018 (20), which are rated "Best," but lower than 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, which are rated "Avoid" with indexes of 87, 93, 80, and 100.
Were there any fires or crashes reported for the 2011 Sierra 3500?
NHTSA records 1 fire report and 0 crashes and 0 injuries or deaths tied to this model year's complaints.

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.