2021 GMC Yukon Airbags Problems

The driver's seat inboard airbag assembly and internal structural wiring harness failed due to a direct short circuit, completely deactivating the vehicle's supplemental restraint system. General Motors has a known engineering bulletin for this issue (#23-NA-085), noting that sharp internal seat frame components slice the airbag wiring harness. Rather than permanently fixing this structural design flaw while under warranty, dealership technicians repeatedly executed temporary, non-compliant field patches, including plastic zip-ties and Velcro tape inside the cushion. These temporary patches continuously failed, leaving the airbags disabled. Furthermore, the vehicle was sold under "Certified Pre-Owned" designation with an active, uncompleted 2020 manufacturer Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign (#N202310850-02) for this exact airbag circuit defect. Component failed & available for inspection: The driver's seat inboard airbag assembly and internal structural wiring harness failed due to a direct short circuit. The components are available for inspection inside the vehicle at the servicing dealership. Safety risk: Safety was put at extreme risk because active Diagnostic Trouble Code B14DC completely deactivates the airbags. This means the airbags may fail to deploy in a collision, leaving the driver completely unprotected in an accident. Confirmed by dealer: The problem has been explicitly reproduced and confirmed by an authorized franchise dealership across seven separate service visits spanning from August 2025 to June 2026. Inspected by manufacturer/others: The components have been physically inspected multiple times by authorized franchise dealership technicians acting on behalf of the manufacturer. Warning lamps & symptoms: The vehicle displays "Service Safety Restraint System" warning message on the dashboard. The warning lamp first appeared on August 26, 2025, at 78,472 miles while the vehicle was strictly within its CPO warranty

NHTSA ID

11746089

Incident

Aug 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. The message "Restraint Safety System" was displayed, and the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA ID

11744561

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

Mileage

138,000 mi

1. Component / System Failed: The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) / Driver’s Inboard Seat Airbag circuit has chronically failed, leaving the vehicle's primary safety restraint systems disabled. The faulty components and the physical service records documenting the failure are fully available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: The driver's safety and the safety of passengers are put at extreme, immediate risk. Whenever this failure occurs, the "Service Safety Restraint System" warning illuminates, which completely disables the airbag deployment system. Driving a heavy passenger vehicle (2021 GMC Yukon) without active driver-side airbag protection leaves the operator exposed to severe injury or fatality in the event of a collision. 3. Dealer Confirmation / Reproduction: The problem has been reproduced, diagnosed, and confirmed by an authorized dealership (Quirk GMC in Manchester, NH) on five separate occasions spanning from August 2025 to June 2026. 4. Inspections: The component has been repeatedly inspected by the manufacturer’s authorized dealer technicians at Quirk GMC. It has not yet been inspected by police or insurance representatives, as no crash has occurred. 5. Warning Lamps / Symptoms: The failure is preceded by the "Service Safety Restraint System" dashboard warning lamp and message illuminating. This symptom first appeared in August 2025 at 78,472 miles and has continuously reappeared shortly after every subsequent repair attempt made by the dealership, indicating a continuous, unresolved defect in the vehicle's safety manufacturing or a severe failure in the manufacturer's diagnostic repair procedures.

NHTSA ID

11744515

Incident

Aug 22, 2025

Vehicle: 2021 GMC Denali Mileage: ~48,000 miles Purchase Price: $62,000 Issue: Airbags & crash sensors failed to deploy Complaint Text: I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2021 GMC Denali. I was involved in a rear-end collision at approximately 45 mph, where I struck another vehicle straight on from behind. The impact was severe enough to total my vehicle, yet no airbags deployed, and no forward collision warning or crash sensor systems activated. This is especially concerning because this vehicle was previously involved in a front-end collision (not my fault) and underwent extensive repairs. I was assured all systems were repaired and functioning properly. Additionally, my vehicle had completed recall work related to safety systems prior to this crash. This is the second front-end crash involving this vehicle where airbags failed to deploy. Given the speed and severity of the impact, airbags should have deployed. The failure of these systems placed my life at serious risk. The vehicle has since been totaled and taken by insurance, but I am requesting that this failure be formally investigated as a potential safety defect in the airbag and sensor systems. I am extremely concerned that the vehicle’s safety systems were either defective or not properly restored following repairs and recalls.

NHTSA ID

11706440

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

“Service safety restraint” light comes on and the dealership cannot pin point exactly what the issue is without taking the entire seat and air bag out. It’s come on 3 times. First time was linked to the overhead console needing replaced. Months later the light came on again and a seat harness connection was bad. It was replaced and light was off. 8 months later the light is back on again and they replaced the connection again and the light is off for now. This is a safety issue and should be a recall!

NHTSA ID

11691222

Incident

Oct 3, 2025

I was read ended at a stop light. The other drive fell asleep. She was in a 3.25 ton dodge ram going 45-55 mph. She never touched her brakes. She pushed me into the car in front of me. Air bags never deployed . My car is totaled. The driver’s car hit so hard the front of her car was in my third row of seats. I was taken to the hospital for chest pains since the seatbelt was the only thing that saved me .

NHTSA ID

11683727

Incident

Aug 22, 2025

The contact owned a 2021 GMC Denali. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering. The vehicle failed to turn and crashed into a tree. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V455000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to his residence. There was no police report filed, airbag deployment, or fire. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company deemed the vehicle to be a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

NHTSA ID

11657167

Incident

Feb 27, 2025

My vehicle showing service safety restraint system and airbag light . When check with dealer code b14dc has appeared ( Driver inboard seat side air bag high control).

NHTSA ID

11651383

Incident

Mar 26, 2025

There are apparently a couple of faults affecting the SRS and leading to a periodic airbag light and "Service SRS" warning. GM has issued/revised a few Service Bulletins related to this warning. Some are related to software, some are related to overhead wiring, some are related to the clock spring in the steering wheel, and some are related to the driver's side airbag module. My understanding is that when the SRS warning appears, all airbags are disabled and GM says we drive our vehicles at our own risk. To my knowledge this has affected several models of approximately 2021-2023 GMC (Yukon and Sierra) and Chevrolet (Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado) SUVs and trucks.

NHTSA ID

11596378

Incident

Jun 24, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and completing a turn, the forward warning collision system alarm sounded, but the vehicle failed to activate automatic emergency braking. As a result, the vehicle collided with another vehicle ahead. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ABS. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11586839

Incident

Oct 13, 2022

Service safety restraint system came on my vehicle and I just purchased this vehicle 3 weeks ago.

NHTSA ID

11544427

Incident

Sep 12, 2023

My transmission had to be replaced back in December of 2021, and now I have taken my truck back to the dealership for transmission problems again, the transmission is slipping again, driving rough and now im getting a safety restraints message and the airbag picture is coming on

NHTSA ID

11521401

Incident

Dec 9, 2021

Service Safety Restrain System message keeps appearing after taking to dealer a few times. It will go off and on intermittantly and not sure the airbags are actually functional. This seems to be a common issue based on an internet search across multiple GM products that does not have a known fix. Also, the driver seat shifts slightly when making turns.

NHTSA ID

11493107

Incident

Nov 10, 2022

I was involved in a vehicle accident on 10/6/2021 where my vehicle was stuck by an uninsured motorist driving recklessly on the interstate causing a total of 4 car collision. My vehicle was a a 2021 GMC YUKON SLT SUV, in which I was struck on rear drivers side quarter panel and again by another vehicle in the front bumper by another vehicle that struck in the rear bumper by the reckless driver. With my vehicle being struck by two vehicles I was shocked to learn the Onstar safety security features did not detect or contact me regarding the accident. It wasn’t until the wrecker driver arrived to pull my vehicle onto the tow truck that I received a diagnosis notification email from o star about my antilock braking system. Although I was wearing my seat belt, the impact of the collision was very shocking, my chest and neck struck the steering wheel, my glasses were knocked completely off my face on to the passenger side floor board, my personal belongings in the passenger seat, were thrown and scattered over the passenger floor area. Once the emergency authorities were on the scene everything was about over I contacted Onstar via phone, and asked why wasn’t I contacted or my accident detected, and the call taker/on star representative advised me because my airbags wasn’t deployed, they did not receive a notification or alert regarding my emergency. I have attempted to make contact with Onstar several times since the accident and as of today I have yet to get an answer of why my air bags did deploy and why the emergency sensors did detect the impact notify emergency services as this is a feature that i was charged for monthly and added protection that I counted on to assist me but very much failed me at my time of need.

NHTSA ID

11485786

Incident

Oct 6, 2021

The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated while stopped on the highway a Crown Victoria crashed into the rear driver's quarter panel and a Honda Civic crashed into the front bumper of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. There was a police report filed. There was no reported fire. The contact sustained pain and medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified but, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. The contact stated there was visible damage to the rear axle and fuel tank.

NHTSA ID

11436452

Incident

Oct 6, 2021

Mileage

7,000 mi

The contact rented a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact was driving at 75mph, the contact stated they felt the steering wheel was moving independently causing the vehicle to veer in the opposite direction. Both hands were required in order to control the steering wheel. The contact attempted to avoid a large puddle, the vehicle independently veered to the right causing a crash with a curb and crossed an exit ramp which caused the vehicle to crash then into an embankment and into a ditch. This caused damage to the front passenger side tire of the vehicle. The side air bags did deploy but not the front driver or passenger side airbag did not deploy. No warning lights illuminated from the vehicle. The medical treatment was at the scene in which they checked the contact father in- law and their baby and took them to the hospital by ambulance with the contact's wife who was also in the vehicle. The contact also sustained a cut from the airbag being deployed, the contact wife also had bruises to their upper chest and leg, The contact father-in-law was also injured with his upper body and also a small rash on their face when the side airbag was deployed, as well the contact mother-in-law has complained of a headache. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an impound lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 16,000.

NHTSA ID

11430208

Incident

Aug 18, 2021

Mileage

16,000 mi

Once again, the car has been repaired under the recall for the airbags, but once again the cars lights have turned on to state service safety restraint system. I am unable to trust the airbags will deploy with the system being that this issue has been appearing multiple times and reappeared after the recall was complete.

NHTSA ID

11423440

Incident

Jul 4, 2021

I RECEIVED THE CAR ON 9/8/2020, I STARTED NOTICED A ERROR MESSAGE ON 19SEP2020, THAT STATED SERVICE SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM WITH THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMING ON. THIS LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF SO THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL FOR SURE IF THE AIRBAG IS WORKING APPROPRIATELY. THE MESSAGE COMES ON BOTH IF YOU ARE IN MOTION OR STATIONARY.

NHTSA ID

11362218

Incident

Sep 19, 2020

Mileage

662 mi