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2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 29 owner complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 18V-267 the manufacturer reports only 14% of affected cars repaired.

65
CarFlaw IndexSolid year47% below the Silverado 3500 median · #20 of 27 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 14%Owner complaints292 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage108kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through January 9, 2024. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has problems

29 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 bags101
Power train50
Engine40
Fuel/propulsion system40
Engine and engine cooling20
Electrical system20
Structure10
Tires10
Vehicle speed control10
6 other systems60

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

5 recalls

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 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 →

53%repaired · 2019 Q2

Storage: auxillary tank

Recall 17V-664 · Oct 19, 2017 · 35,292 vehicles · 18,701 repaired

Risk. If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
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 3500 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 3500 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 3500 safety ratings

2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 PU/RC 4WD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and the recalls they led to.

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

What Silverado 3500 owners report

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

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The…
Complaint 11427687 · Aug 4, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the contact was informed by the dealer that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the…
Complaint 11423955 · Jul 8, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V381000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF…
Complaint 11255125 · Sep 12, 2019

Own a 2011 Silverado 3500?

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