Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. 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. 72 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.
The 25 most recent of 72, in the owner's own words
Was sold with a warranty and was not fulfilled, and on top of that we found out they rolled the odometer back over 50k , then found out it has a spilt frame
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that there was rust on the frame of the vehicle. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change at an independent mechanic, it was determined that the subframe was extremely rusted. The mechanic was unable to put the vehicle on the lift. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
This vehicle is an immaculate condition and the frame is completely rusted out of this. How can they not be a recall?
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the driver’s side rear sub frame was rusted and had collapsed, and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that sub the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 144,230.
Unknown. I doubt this will qualify but it seems to be a very common issue so I feel it is worth bringing attention to. I recently bought a truck from a state action that was a prior police vehicle as stated by the title. Once I purchased it and drove it home I was inspecting it and found a rust spot on the frame. As I cleaned dirt and debris off of it I discovered that the frame from just before the drivers side door all the way to where it bends up at the gas tank was completely rotted out. Specifically the bottom of the frame is fully gone. Doing research into repairs it seems that this generation and brand of vehicle had this problem seemingly universally. Which leads me to think it may have been a defect in manufacturing. Due to the bottom rusting out it’s hard to spot unless you crawl underneath. I’m sure I don’t have to go into detail as to why a compromised frame that people could be unaware of could be dangerous.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the vehicle, he observed excessive frame corrosion under the driver’s side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 97,000.
This is the 3rd year in a row that i have to have the frame welded due to corrosion. I finally did an internet search and found this to be a severe problem for owners of Chevy Silverados. In my opinion, a truck frame should last longer than 100K miles. Why did the U.S. hold Toyota accountable when their truck frames rotted out a few years ago, but won't hold GM to the same standard? The dealership said there is nothing they can do about it, i'm hoping out government can. There are too many of these trucks driving around with frames on the verge of cracking or rear shocks falling off. Thank you
This GM vehicle presents a safety risk to the public. The frame of the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has prematutely rusted and corroded. GM fully understands and acknowledges this public safety risk only through a "Technical Service Bullitin" (service bulletin number 19-NA-255) which states that GM is aware of the lack of application of protective coating on this year and model. This "technical" concern urgently must be upgraded to a recall. The truck in its entirety and the public are at risk. The premature frame corrosion caused by the failure to apply protective coating which GM acknowledges, can, and presumably has, result in DEATH. The structural integrity of the entire vehicle should not be categorized as a safety bulletin. An incident due to faulty manufacturing resulting in death, is by definition a recall. Above mentioned vehicle does not meet minimum safety standards or poses an unreasonable safety risk due to defects that could harm consumers, hinder performance, or cause legal issues for the manufacturer.
The frame is rusted and flaking to pieces. Have replaced tailgate latches twice due to rust.
FRAME IS SEVERELY RUSTED THROUGH. NEEDS TO REPLACED, TRUCK HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT. WITH LESS THE 100,000 MILES ON IT.
This vehicle has a frame that is rusted far beyond what you would normally expect. The same problem is listed in other complaints here and elsewhere online. The passenger side running board fell off because the frame it was attached to was so badly rusted.
On August 24, 2023 I took my 2011 Silverado WT extended cab 4X4 to a local independent service facility for a required annual safety inspection. It has failed an annual vehicle safety inspection due to frame rust through. I am scheduled with the repair shop to repair this new rust section September 12, 2023. This is the second year in a row that it has failed due to frame rust through after having been repaired last year. The truck has 141,846 mile on it and should not be experiencing a frame issue requiring welding repairs. If I lived in a state that did not require annual safety inspections this could easily become a major safety hazard resulting in a crash with severe personal injury or death. GM should be notified and held accountable to provide necessary repairs and or compensation very similar to the Toyota Tacoma frame recall a few years back.
Truck has excessive rust and holes on frame, back wheel wells completely rotted out and bed is completely rusted out. Had to get covers for the wheel wells because it failed inspection due to the fact if someone bumped it they could be cut by the jagged edges. Have had over $6000 worth of frame work done in approximately 2021 and needs more. I will find receipts and send pictures. Chevy needs to be held responsible. Currently at dealer for airbag recall and inspection. There is no way it will pass. Huge safety issue and this is certainly not the only truck like this. How can Chevrolet get away with this? Toyota did right by frame issues. Why is Chevrolet not being held responsible? I've been to Mavis, Pocono Metal Craft and numerous other garages who all say the truck is so rusted it's worthless. When brought to the dealer where purchased, I was told there was nothing they could do. But when looking on line there is a recall put out in 2020 regarding Chevrolet frames and spraying the frame to prevent further damage. I was told it's due to the winters and what is sprayed on the road. That's not why this happened to thousands and thousands of people. I took great care of this truck.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to a transmission specialist to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, the contact was informed by the technician that the vehicle could not be repaired due to a rusted subframe that needed to first be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided information on how to independently repair a subframe, but no further assistance was provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact's father owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to emission inspection, but the vehicle failed the examination due to extended corrosion on the subframe. The vehicle was deemed not safe to drive by the mechanic. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
GM has a defective wax coating on the vehicle frames of nearly a dozen models of their vehicles, spanning at least 2011-19, which they knew can lead to premature rust and corrosion, causing the frames to fail much earlier than expected. The evidence I have gathered includes the detailed internal service bulletin where GM describes the defect, as well as texts and e-mails with GM, and a transcript of my conversation with the Chevrolet dealership. All of which suggests GM knew about this defect and is actively working to keep it from being communicated to owners, some of which would still be covered by the six-year frame warranty. All that evidence is included as part of the attached pdf document. In it's bulletin GM instructs dealers to fix this issue under warranty only if customers brought it up to the dealer, and then, only if it was brought up during the vehicle frame warranty period. However, for those customers that trusted their dealership to take care of their vehicle and to notify them of any major safety issues like premature corrosion or rust on the frames likely to cause failure, those dealerships remained silent, despite being aware this was an issue with these models and model years. I suspect those dealerships remained silent because GM’s internal service bulletin clearly states that the bulletin only applies to customers who comment about rust or corrosion on their frame. I fortunately found out about this issue from a third party before my frame failed on the road. I've reached out to GM expressing my concerns I continue to get bounced between the dealer and GM, each saying the other is responsible. GM also failed to even acknowledge my greater concerns about the safety risk this creates. I've written a more detailed account of this story and have shared it out with several national news outlets in hope that someone will investigate further and determine if this issue has merit. Just hoping I can start sleeping again at night.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for State Inspection, the vehicle fell off the lift due to frame corrosion. There were no injuries due to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Rear fenders completely rotted through. Was told by certified auto technician that the amount of corrosion will not pass Massachusetts Vehicle Inspection. This is a massive problem for 2011 Chevrolet Silverado. The manufacturer used poor quality material in the rear quarter panels and should be held responsible.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that following a state safety inspection, the vehicle was failed due to the frame being severely rusted. The contact stated that there was a hole on the subframe on the driver’s side large enough for a hand to go through the hole. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,482. The contact stated that they welded up the frame of the vehicle themselves and had the vehicle inspected.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for servicing, he was informed that the subframe was severely corroded. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the brakes. The contact stated that the dashboard was also cracked. There was a dollar-sized hole in the dashboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where they informed the contact there was a hairline fracture on the dashboard. The vehicle was not repaired. The air bag was previously replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was being inspected, he was notified that the subframe was fractured. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the subframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Can poke through frame with a screw driver- frame is severely compromised. Afraid truck will buckle or if hit lightly will collapse. Truck has been well maintained with only 100,000 miles. Power train and parts all in excellent condition.
Rust through the frame. It appears that this is directly related to TSB PI0564K. The rust proofing failure of the vehicle has lead to rust causing holes in the frame of the truck. I have followed the Owners Manuel regarding cleaning of the frame during winter time. There is additional rust on the body rocker panels that are not structural. Repairs will be extensive in scope and cost.
Frame is rusted out with only 102,000 original miles. Drivers side frame- can poke holes with a hand held screw driver going completely through frame. Frame is compromised. Personal note- mechanic by profession (18 years experience) in household has NEVER seen 10 year old vehicle no matter the care with rust this bad. This is a safety risk if an accident were to happen.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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