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2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 104 owner complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 4 safety recalls, and for recall 18V-267 the manufacturer reports only 14% of affected cars repaired.

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
59
CarFlaw IndexSolid year29% below the Silverado 2500 median · #18 of 28 years by complaints
Safety recalls4Lowest repair rate 14%Owner complaints1046 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage82kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through May 8, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has problems

104 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags401
Power train100
Engine91
Electrical system92
Fuel/propulsion system80
Structure60
Wheels51
Vehicle speed control50
Steering40
11 other systems211

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

4 recalls

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

28%repaired · 2023 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 21V-050 · Feb 5, 2021 · 2,641,272 vehicles · 734,119 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

51%repaired · 2023 Q4

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 21V-054 · Feb 5, 2021 · 1,778,128 vehicles · 900,275 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

14%repaired · 2019 Q3

Equipment

Recall 18V-267 · Apr 26, 2018 · 6,154 vehicles · 844 repaired

Risk. In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

33%repaired · 2015 Q4

Electrical system

Recall 14V-407 · Jul 2, 2014 · 9,371 vehicles · 3,088 repaired

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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Chevrolet.

Best & worst years

2011 vs. every other Silverado 2500 year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Silverado 2500 median. How we score

'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 safety ratings

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 PU/RC 4WD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 4 stars (19.1% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
In owners' words

What Silverado 2500 owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

as mentioned by many customers the dash on the vehicles crack and GM refuses to pay for repairs. Now there is a Airbag recall that needs to be completed and I am told by dealer that the dash will crack more and get worse during the repair and they are not responsible for the damage. This is…
Complaint 11659794 · May 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall…
Complaint 11604511 · Jul 25, 2024
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for recall repair. However, after damaging the passenger's side dashboard where the front passenger's side air…
Complaint 11481261 · Aug 25, 2022 · 161,000 miles

Own a 2011 Silverado 2500?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.