RoadVitals

2011 GMC Sierra Denali 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.
10
Latest Nov 23, 2020
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.
36%
of 28 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.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

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 GMC Sierra Denali submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 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

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Airbags
Filed Nov 23, 2020

HIT A DEER WHILE DRIVING, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY BUT MADE A NOISE AND SOUNDS LIKED GAS WAS RELEASED. LIKE THE AIRBAGS TRIED TO DEPLOY BUT DIDN'T. NOW MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND SAYS TO CHECK AIRBAG SYSTEM OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT.

NHTSA ID
11375913
Incident
Nov 23, 2017
Mileage
55,250 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 1, 2019

TAKATA RECALL MY VEHICLE IS AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL I HAVE CALLED NUMEROUS DEALERSHIPS AND THEY ALL TELL ME GM DON'T HAVE A FIX YET SO BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE DOES THIS MEAN MY VEHICLE FALLS UNDER LEMON LAW SINCE IT'S 8 YEARS OLD AND THE PROBLEM CAN'T BE FIXED THANKS TAKATA I LOVE MY DENALI

NHTSA ID
11217303
Incident
Jun 21, 2016
Mileage
40,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Mar 12, 2019

DASHBOARD CRACKED AT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND AT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BROKEN PLASTIC PIECES WILL BECOME SHRAPNEL DURING AN ACCIDENT AND AIR BAG INFLATION

NHTSA ID
11186090
Incident
Oct 9, 2015
Mileage
60,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 28, 2018

THE DASHBOARD IN MY 2011 GMC SIERRA DENALI 1500 HAS MULTIPLE CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD, THEY HAVE APPEARED SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN IN THE LAST YEAR AND GOTTEN MUCH LARGER TO THE POINT WHERE A "HOLE" HAS OPENED UP DUE TO A PIECE OF THE DASHBOARD BREAKING LOOSE AND FALLING INSIDE OF THE DASH CONSOLE. THE CRACKS AND LOOSE DEBRIS HAVE CAUSED ME CONCERN BECAUSE IF THE AIRBAGS WERE TO DEPLOY DURING A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE WOULD BE SUBJECTED TO FLYING DEBRIS/ SHRAPNEL FROM THE DASHBOARD. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT IT IS AN AESTHETIC ISSUE WHICH WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER ANY KIND OF WARRANTY. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH ITS OWN FACEBOOK PAGE AND PLENTY OF DOCUMENTED CASES ONLINE. GM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE SOME DASH BOARDS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS AT A REDUCED COST. HOWEVER, THIS STILL SEEMS TO BE UNACCEPTABLE DUE TO THE FACT THAT PERSONAL INJURY INCLUDING AND UP TO LOSS OF LIFE COULD BE A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT.

NHTSA ID
11132067
Incident
Sep 26, 2018
Mileage
97,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Jun 11, 2018

TAKATA RECALL , DASH IS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES, CONCERNED IF AIRBAGS WOULD DEPLOY THE BROKEN DASH COULD BECOME FLYING PROJECTILES. MAJOR SAFERY ISSUE THAT G MC WILL NOT FIX.

NHTSA ID
11101279
Incident
Jan 25, 2013
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Apr 8, 2018

DASHBOARD ON MY GMC SIERRA DENALI HAS 2 MAJOR CRACKS. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THESE VEHICLES DASHBOARDS. FIRST CRACK IS OVER THE GAUGES ON THE DASH, AND THE SECOND IS RIGHT OVER TOP OF THE AIR BAG. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH NO RECALLS OR ASSISTANCE FROM VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS. THE CRACKS ARE EITHER STARTED VIA DRIVING AND CRACKING DUE TO VIBRATION OF THE ROAD, OR THEY CRACK FROM PREMATURE WEAR VIA THE SUN FADING THE MATERIALS. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN, SEEING HOW IF THE AIR BAG WERE TO DEPLOY IT WILL SEND MANY SHARP PIECES OF DASHBOARD PLASTIC INTO THE PASSENGER OR MYSELF THE DRIVER. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE FIX, AND A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS AN IMMEDIATE RECALL OR ADDRESS.

NHTSA ID
11083845
Incident
Mar 23, 2018
Mileage
51,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 7, 2017

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH GETTING MY AIRBAG FIXED?

NHTSA ID
11044349
Incident
Aug 15, 2014
Airbags
Filed Oct 1, 2017

THE DASH CRACKED NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS AND SAID IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE. FEARING PLASTIC PIECES FLYING IN THE EVENT OF AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, I PAID TO HAVE THE DASH REPLACED. LATER, I DROVE INTO A POTHOLE AT A VERY LOW RATE OF SPEED. THE SECOND DASH CRACKED IN THE SAME SPOT. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS MY FAULT AND THAT THERE ARE NO SAFETY CONCERNS. GM IS AWARE OF THIS AND IS UNWILLING TO PAY FOR A NEW DASH. THEY ARE JEOPARDIZING THE LIVES OF MY PASSENGERS SO THAT THEY DO NOT LOSE PROFITS. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY GM SO THAT LIVES ARE NOT UNNECESSARY LOST.

NHTSA ID
11030752
Incident
Feb 17, 2017
Mileage
120,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Mar 24, 2017

MY DASH HAS TWO CRACKS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED ONE IS AT THE TOP OF THE AIR BAG AND MAY SPLINTER OR BREAK APART WHEN AIR BAG IS DEPLOYED.

NHTSA ID
10968239
Incident
Jan 1, 2016
Airbags
Filed Jan 8, 2016

CRACKED DASHBOARD STARTED AT LEFT CORNER OF PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG THEN CRACKED ABOVE INSTRUMENT PANEL AFRAID OF FLYING DEBRIS AND PUNCTURE OF AIRBAG. CONSTANTLY HEAR POPPING IN THE DASH MY P/U HAD APPROX 57000 MI AT TIME OF INCIDENT

NHTSA ID
10818852
Incident
May 11, 2015

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .