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2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 284 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500, most often about the air bags (40% of complaints, typically around 61,500 miles). It is 13th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Air bags
113 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 61,500 miles. Parts named most often: srs malfunction warning lamp/light.
The dashboard has major cracks around the airbag and the cluster areas. When you spend 45,000 or more on a vehicle you expect a quality product. I sold my bmw 750 li and purchased this GMC Sierra 1500 denali 2011. I have viewed multiple videos of people having the same concerns and/or issues after I purchased this…
My sierra has two cracks in the dash, one in the middle and the other from the airbag to the vent. This is very common in gm trucks from 2007-2013, with the crack from the airbag to the vent being the most common. There is a facebook page dedicated to this defect with thousands of examples. I believe this could be a…
Other or unspecified
72 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles.
Cracks on both the corner of the passenger air bag and on the driver's side above the instrument cluster. One on driver's side is about 6 inches long.
Noticed cracks in two places on the dash. The airbag cover is also popping up a little. Just noticed when getting in vehicle in the morning. Vehicle was parked.
Body and structure
45 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
A crack has appeared on the top left corner of where the airbag is. Failure in this area should be a cause for concern and during airbag deployment, this weak point could be an area of projectile. A number of other vehicle owners of the same vehicle have the same issue, and this should be considered for a recall due…
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the dashboard began to crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Transmission
24 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 32,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
I was driving my 2011 GMC on a highway in massachusetts when the transmission decided to fail. My rear wheels locked up and was caused to turn sideways on a highway. My truck was hit by four other vechicles. Well the truck got fixed. The transmission was replaced 3 times! With all the same failures. Gm needs to check…
Started truck up and let idle for two minutes. Upon take off, the traction control light came on and was immediately followed by the check engine light with a message stating engine reduced power. The truck then begins to run very rough and when the brakes where applied it violently and uncontrollably lunged forward.…
Engine
18 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 40,500 miles.
Truck will come up with AC turned off. The fan will just run but truck doesn't seem to start running hot. It will come on and within a few days it will go off. This has happened a minimum of three times. This has happened when just starting, or driving on a regular road.
Pulling out of a snow covered parking lot the engine light came on dic then the message, reduced engine power, the engine began to run very rough at a lower idle speed, as began to happen the truck lurched forward and I had to press hard on the brakes very hard like I was fighting the engine speed to slow, then the…
Electrical
17 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 124,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500. When attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would momentarily get stuck in the start position. The failure was intermittent. The contact was made aware of the NHTSA campaign number: 14v827000 (electrical system) by a independent mechanic. The vehicle was taken to the…
Odometer fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 119,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered…
Fuel system
12 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 64,000 miles.
The throttle body and pedal chip went bad causing a rough running engine, loss of power, check engine light, and loss of traction control. Mechanic stated he's been replacing 5-12 a month on the same engine (5.3 liter v8). Other models are supposedly under recall. Repairs cost in excess of $500.
Went about a mile was getting ready to make a left across md rt 4 when I lost power and reduced engine power light came, had a close call, on did some research and found a technical notice about throttle body and injector sensors they need a recall.
Steering
10 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 15,000 miles.
While driving around a highway bend in the road the steering wheel locked up and would not move going 60 miles per hour. I'm a big guy and really used all my force to turn the wheel and final got to break free with a loud pop from the steering colum area. This has happened about six time since and I now have only…
Accelerating up on ramp to ma pike with wheel turned. While merging with traffic at speed wheel locked in turned position. Forced wheel back straight with much force and a loud pop sound from steering. Due to the amount of force required, many people would not be able to unlock wheel and may crash. This has happened…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 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
Suspension: spindle
Risk: The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Suspension: spindle
Risk: The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
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
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
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 GMC Sierra 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (113 complaints, typically around 61,500 miles); other or unspecified (72 complaints, typically around 56,000 miles); body and structure (45 complaints, typically around 49,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
- 5 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 GMC Sierra 1500?
- It is 13th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 284 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.