2011 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 has 364 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (31%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (12%) and drivetrain & axles (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 364 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 56,000 miles 201 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 35 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 33 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 42 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 34 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 17 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 20 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 201 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 56,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 62,000 miles (33 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (182 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC sierra 1500. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag failed to deploy after a tractor trailer crashed into the vehicle. The service air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. A police report was filed. The driver and passenger sustained injuries to the knee, neck, back and shoulder. The driver had to undergo knee and shoulder surgery. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure.
I was going 40MPH when I went to stop quick to avoid an accident. I pressed on brakes truck did not slow down then all of a sudden it did down shift but at that the truck lunged forward causing me to clip the truck in front of me.
The contact owns a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 equipped with Goodyear Tires, Tire Line: Wrangler 12th Grade Pro, Tire Size: 265/70/R17, DOT Number: PJAH35HV3518. The contact stated while her friend was driving approximately 40-45 MPH with her seated in the passenger’s side seat, the passenger's side front tire experienced tread separation. The passenger's side curtain airbags, the driver's side curtain airbags, and the airbag located at the edge of the driver's seat deployed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 GMC sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 43 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward and exhibited an abnormal noise. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure and stated that the abnormal noise was expected with the type of power train in the vehicle. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 400. The current mileage was 11,728.
Takata recall. The vehicle was built with defective air bag safety devices. To date (12/15/2017) there is still no remedy to fix/replace/repair the air bag system on the vehicle per dealership or manufacturer.