VehicleVerdict

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 carries two red flags at once: 697 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture). It is one of the Silverado 1500 years to avoid. Reports tied to this model year include 2 deaths and 51 injuries, per the complaint records themselves.

The trouble concentrates in one system: airbags issues account for 44% of all reports (307 of 697), far ahead of other at 115. In government crash testing it earned 4 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

697

NHTSA complaints

4

Recalls

2

Investigations · 1 open

32

Crash-involved

6

Fires reported

51

Injuries

2

Deaths

4

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2011 compare to other Silverado 1500 years?

Silverado 1500 NHTSA complaints by model year, 2011 highlighted2,194 complaints1994: 10 complaints1995: 6 complaints1996: 10 complaints1997: 693 complaints1998: 452 complaints1999: 711 complaints2000: 731 complaints2001: 627 complaints2002: 620 complaints2003: 960 complaints2004: 951 complaints2005: 643 complaints2006: 462 complaints2007: 1,055 complaints2008: 1,091 complaints2009: 553 complaints2010: 451 complaints2011: 697 complaints2012: 276 complaints2013: 390 complaints2014: 2,194 complaints2015: 1,415 complaints2016: 1,041 complaints2017: 950 complaints2018: 735 complaints2019: 1,512 complaints2020: 1,008 complaints2021: 1,019 complaints2022: 801 complaints2023: 496 complaints2024: 383 complaints2025: 126 complaints2026: 70 complaints
Silverado 1500 NHTSA complaints by model year, 2011 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Silverado 1500 years to avoid →

What are the most common 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Airbags30744%
Other11516%
Body & Structure7210%
Electrical System477%
Engine426%
Suspension193%
Brakes172%
Transmission172%
Fuel System112%
Speed Control112%
Seat Belts81%
Steering81%
Lighting71%
Tires & Wheels71%
Visibility & Wipers51%
Driver Assistance20%
Latches & Locks10%
Seats10%

Does the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have recalls?

4 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

21V050000AirbagsFebruary 5, 2021 · 2,641,272 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

21V054000AirbagsFebruary 5, 2021 · 1,778,128 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

11V007000SuspensionJanuary 6, 2011 · 30,566 units

Defect

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, COLORADO, EXPRESS, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; AND GMC CANYON, SIERRA, SAVANA, YUKON AND YUKON XL VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK.

Consequence

THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

10V643000SuspensionDecember 17, 2010 · 1,262 units

Defect

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 CADILLAC ESCALADE EXT, CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO LD AND GMC SIERRA LD VEHICLES. THE REAR AXLE CROSS PINS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND COULD FRACTURE AND BECOME DISPLACED WITHIN THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THE PIN SHIFT OUT OF POSITION, IT COULD CREATE AN INTERFERENCE CONDITION AND CAUSE THE REAR AXLE TO LOCK.

Consequence

THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW REAR AXLE CROSS PIN FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA21002

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE VEHICLE WAS…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Airbags · February 25, 2017 · crash

“MY TRUCK IS IN GREAT CONDITION AND IS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE OR WORKS COVERED GARAGE 90% OF THE TIME. SO WAY HAS THE DASH CRACKED EVERYWHERE? I SEE ON LINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN BLAMED ON LEAVING IN THE SUN BUT MY TRUCK ISN'T IN THAT CATEGORY. I WOULD SEND PICTURES IF I THOUGHT…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · April 1, 2020

“WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE ROAD AT ~45 MPH,I STRUCK A DEER ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT COME OUT OF THE CENTER STEERING. AIR BAG DUST WAS COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE STEERING WHEEL, NO AIR BAG. I WAS VERY CONFUSED. THE FRONT BUMPER WAS PUSHED IN ~2.5…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Body & Structure · July 13, 2019 · crash

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE DEFROSTER BECAME INOPERATIVE. GOODYEAR PERFORMED AN ASSESSMENT OF THE VEHICLE DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND STATED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WITHIN THE DEFROSTER HOUSING HAD MELTED. BOB VALENTI CHEVROLET…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · November 3, 2018 · fire

“THE FUSE RELAY BLOCK ON MY 2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 WITH ONLY 56,000 MILES NEARLY CAUGHT FIRE WHEN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER AND HEATED MIRRORS WOULD NOT TURN OFF EVEN WITH THE KEY REMOVED. THE PROBLEM WAS TRACED TO A BAD GROUND ON CIRCUIT G200, THIS IS PART OF THE SWITCH CIRCUIT THAT CONTROLS…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · March 19, 2016 · fire

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 — common questions

Is the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 697 complaints put the 2011 model at #16 of 33 Silverado 1500 years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Silverado 1500 years to avoid.

What are the most common 2011 Silverado 1500 problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are airbags (307 complaints), other (115 complaints), body & structure (72 complaints).

Does the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns affecting the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Silverado 1500 years to avoid are 2014, 2019, 2015, 2008, 2007, 2016, 2021, 2020, 2022, 2011, 2009, 2023, 2010, 2013, 2024, 2012. The cleanest record among Silverado 1500 years belongs to 1995.

How safe is the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 earned an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.