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2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
306
Latest Sep 27, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
54%
of 563 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
16
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
26

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 306 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming airbag

The 25 most recent of 306, in the owner's own words

Airbags
Filed Sep 27, 2025

[XXX] WITH ONLY 88,500 MILES no wreck or other incident service airbag light came on and dealership wants 180.00 just to check it. what creates the issue is that my other vehicle a 2010 Tahoe with 285,000 miles came on within 3 days of this one. What am i supposed to do? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11690080
Incident
Sep 26, 2025
Airbags
Filed Mar 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); the contact was informed that the SDM module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.

NHTSA ID
11651160
Incident
Mar 27, 2025
Mileage
171,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Mar 21, 2025

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, unoccupied, and turned off, the front passenger's side air bag deployed. Prior to the failure, the air bag warning light had intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that there was no impact to the vehicle that would have caused the air bag to deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID
11649794
Incident
Mar 15, 2025
Mileage
115,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 26, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID
11616592
Incident
Jan 15, 2011
Airbags
Filed Aug 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced and was causing the air bag warning light to illuminate inadvertently. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was concerned that the air bags would deploy without the vehicle being involved in a crash. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,044.

NHTSA ID
11608676
Incident
Aug 15, 2024
Mileage
168,044 mi
Airbags
Filed 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.

NHTSA ID
11575262
Incident
Dec 1, 2023
Airbags
Filed Jan 18, 2024
Crash reported

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE AIRBAG WENT OFF AND CAUSED ME TO CRASH INTO A POLE

NHTSA ID
11566213
Incident
Jan 10, 2024
AirbagsSteeringSuspension
Filed Jun 22, 2023
Crash reported

The truck brakes or something locked up and cause me to crash the truck. Police report was filed and insurance company has appraised the truck. No warning lights or anything came on.

NHTSA ID
11528430
Incident
May 26, 2023
AirbagsOther / unspecified
Filed Oct 5, 2022

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that he purchased the vehicle aware that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the front passenger’s side air bag, traction control, and stabilizer control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ID
11488036
Incident
Oct 5, 2022
Mileage
125,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Aug 27, 2022
Crash reported

Today I rear ended a car with the 2011 Silverado. The drivers airbag in the steering wheel did deploy but not fully, never made contact with me at all. I have kept the truck updated with any recalls done.

NHTSA ID
11481561
Incident
Aug 27, 2022
Airbags
Filed Dec 28, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to the recall repair was unavailable. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ID
11445221
Incident
Feb 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed Dec 17, 2021

2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PASSENGER SIDE FRONTAL AIRBAG INFLATOR SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE REMEDY WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
11444141
Incident
Dec 17, 2021
Airbags
Filed Nov 19, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving 50 - 60 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the recall but informed the contact that parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11441087
Incident
Mar 1, 2021
Mileage
134,500 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 20, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not notified of the issue. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11433605
Incident
Sep 20, 2021
Airbags
Filed Sep 8, 2021

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11432098
Incident
Mar 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed Sep 7, 2021

I received a letter in March 2021 stating my 2011 Chevy Silverado 1500 informing me of a safety recall for the passenger airbags. I called when receiving the letter and was told I was put on a waiting list. It’s been 6 months now and I haven’t heard anything. I also have a check engine light on constantly with no codes coming back after being connected to a code reader.

NHTSA ID
11432042
Incident
Mar 8, 2021
Airbags
Filed Aug 26, 2021

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11430589
Incident
Feb 5, 2021
Airbags
Filed Aug 25, 2021

I brought my truck into a certified Chevrolet repair facility for routine maintenence and to have a repair done on my gas tank. Upon pickup of my vehicle, I noticed that my airbag alert light/ indicator was illuminated on my dashboard. I quickly re-entered the repair facility, and asked them why is my airbag light now illuminated, as it was NOT illuminated prior to this visit. The service manager told me there was a recall on my passenger airbag, so they took it upon themselves to install a new one, causing me to now have a "Service Airbag System"message on my dashboard, along with the illuminated Airbag indicator. My vehicle is equipped with "Onstar", which is a very useful tool that gives me real time diagnostics on my vehicle. Through documentation, I can prove the airbag system did NOT have any issues prior to them installing the new one. They did not notify me that they were going to do this recalled airbag. They are refusing to take accountability and liability for what happened to my vehicle. Please help.

NHTSA ID
11430557
Incident
Aug 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed Aug 6, 2021

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID
11427996
Incident
Aug 6, 2021
Airbags
Filed Jun 28, 2021

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it diagnosed with the air bag module needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure was due to having NHTSA Campaign number 21V054000 (Air Bags) completed. The failure mileage was 197,271.

NHTSA ID
11422589
Incident
Jun 8, 2021
Mileage
197,271 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 21, 2021

The possible failure of a faulty passenger side airbag has put the safety of my family at risk of possible injury or death. I recieved this recall notice going on five months ago now. What is Takata doing about this? Is anything being done? I think this criminal. Who is supposed to have answers to these questions? How long does something like this usually take to get resolved? Recall notice N212328800.

NHTSA ID
11421744
Incident
Jun 21, 2021
Airbags
Filed Jun 8, 2021

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was in process of being serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (AIRBAGS)but the dealer advised the contact that the repair might cause further damage to the dashboard. The contact felt that the recall should have included a replacement dashboard for any additional damage caused by the replacement of passenger-side air bag inflator. The recall was not completed in order to avoid damages. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID
11420102
Incident
Jun 8, 2021
Airbags
Filed Jun 2, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11419302
Incident
Feb 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed May 24, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11418362
Incident
Mar 1, 2021
Airbags
Filed May 18, 2021

2011 Chevrolet Silverado. Consumer writes in regard to Takata Airbag Safety Recall. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DEALER ADVISED THE DASHBOARD COULD BE DAMAGED DURING THE SAFETY RECALL REPAIR PROCESS. THE CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO INCUR THE COST FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE DASHBOARD SHOULD IT BECOME DAMAGED. THE CONSUMER DECLINED TO HAVE THE RECALL COMPLETED.

NHTSA ID
11417674
Incident
May 18, 2021

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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