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2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, most often about the air bags (39% of complaints, typically around 82,000 miles). It is 14th of 27 Silverado 2500 model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems
Air bags
40 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles.
The dash has began to crack around the passenger side airbag. I am affraid if an accident was to happen and that airbag had to deploy it would send broken plastic in my family or myself face or could tare the airbag. I realize this is a well known and documented problem and there has been countless people who have…
Takata recall, recall is almost a year old and no solution yet, no one else makes airbags? Now the senate is proposing a bill to force repairs or not be able to register the vehicle. Too much regulation already that doesn't work.
Fuel system
12 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Exhaust manifold bolts are breaking despite regular non commercial use and proper maintenance. This causes an exhaust leak and I am not comfortable driving my infant in the truck now. Dealer says 4 how odd labor plus parts so approx $1000 fix? That's unreasonable for any motor but especially under 120000km.
While driving in excess of 55 MPH on I 95, my 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 stalled without warning while I was in the far left passing lane. No power steering or power brakes made it extremely difficult to control while moving through 4 lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder. I was unable to restart the vehicle and…
Other or unspecified
11 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles.
On saturday, november 16, 2019, I was attempting to exit my vehicle when I pulled the door handle only to have it break off in my hand. I went to reach to see if there was anything left to pull to open the door only to find the handle had broken off cleanly from the mechanism, leaving no other way to exit the vehicle…
I started my 2011 chevy Silverado 2500 6.6l diesel and my DEF and check engine light came on the dash telling me to check owners manual now. I plugged in my code reader to the vehicle and it gave me a code reading 'p20b9 reductant heater a control circuit open'. From what I could research online this seems to be a…
Transmission
10 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she made a mid-left turn and heard a low sound coming from the engine. The contact then stated that as his wife depressed the accelerator pedal, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. While the vehicle was idling at a red light, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact had to place the gear shifter in park to restart the vehicle on several occasions. The stabilitrak and traction control…
Engine
10 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
Exhaust manifold bolts are breaking despite regular non commercial use and proper maintenance. This causes an exhaust leak and I am not comfortable driving my infant in the truck now. Dealer says 4 how odd labor plus parts so approx $1000 fix? That's unreasonable for any motor but especially under 120000km.
P140a-exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler bypass position sensor exceeded learning limit there is a special coverage on the EGR bypass valve for 10 years or 120,000 miles condition- on some 2011 model year Chevrolet silverado 3500 hd or 2011 gmc sierra hd vehicles, the service engine soon light may illuminate due…
Electrical
9 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 50,500 miles.
Transmission control module (TCM) has failed slamming the moving truck into 1st gear while driving on the highway putting the truck into "limp mode" it has also violently shift into reverse while in the parked position.
Upon the start up, the instrument cluster will begin to shut gauges down, turn on all warning light, tach and speedometer go to 0. Then the tach/speedo will come back with all gauges off and all warning lights on. Then the gauges come on and the warning light will turn off. This can continue up to 15-20 minutes while…
Wheels and tires
7 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 5,500 miles.
While towing a 5th wheel trailer at 60 MPH, the right rear (passenger) wheel came off the truck. Five of the eight wheel studs sheared off, three others lost their lug nuts. The trailer weight did not exceed the axle, wheel or tire weight ratings.
This is an rv trailer tire. Sidewall has separated from the tread. Sidewall is torn along what appears to be polyester cord along entire circumference of the tire about 2 inches from the tread. The tire is a goodyear marathon st235/80r 16 load range e. Blowout occurred at 45 MPH on blacktop. Tire pressure carefully…
Body and structure
6 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
On saturday, november 16, 2019, I was attempting to exit my vehicle when I pulled the door handle only to have it break off in my hand. I went to reach to see if there was anything left to pull to open the door only to find the handle had broken off cleanly from the mechanism, leaving no other way to exit the vehicle…
The dash has cracked at the top right corner of the airbag on the passenger airbag. Nothing was done to cause the crack. It wasn't there one day and then it was there the next day.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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, missou
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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'
Full defect summary
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, sub
Equipment
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, instructing them to contact kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began june 11, 2018. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. Gm's number for this recall is 18146.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009-2014 chevrolet silverado hd and gmc sierra hd, 2009 gmc topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series and isuzu f series, and 2009-2018 chevrolet express, and gmc savana vehicles, equipped with certain plastic-handle fire extinguishers or push button 'pindicator' fire extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17e062-5427.pdf
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: If the fusible link melts it may come into contact with adjacent components, damage the electrical center cover, the nearby wiring harness conduit and other vehicle components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Gm will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental owner manual information, free of charge. The recall began on august 29, 2014. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 14260.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 chevrolet silverado hd 2500/3500 trucks manufactured january 18, 2007, to june 22, 2011, and gmc sierra hd 2500/3500 trucks manufactured january 22, 2007, to june 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery. Owners may unknowingly draw too much current through the vehicle's trailer harness resulting in the melting of fusible link for the auxiliary battery.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
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 substa
Questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (40 complaints, typically around 82,000 miles); fuel system (12 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); other or unspecified (11 complaints, typically around 83,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
- It is 14th of 27 Silverado 2500 model years by number of complaints, with 104 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.