2011 GMC Sierra Denali problems
The 2011 GMC Sierra Denali has 40 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (25%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (22%) and drivetrain & axles (5%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 40 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 63,000 miles 28 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 | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 28 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 62,000 miles.
None of these complaints report a crash, fire, injury or death. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 100% 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 4th most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the GMC Sierra Denali with enough data (22 complaints in that window).
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.
On july 29, 2015, while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly downshifted itself into first gear causing the vehicle to slow down suddenly with no notice. I was able to get the vehicle off the road and into a gas station. After the fact the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. I was told the TCM (transmission control module) needed replacing and that there is a known issue with this year truck.
Dashboard crack above steering column and above passenger side airbag. This issue poses safety concerns regarding whether the airbag will be punctured or otherwise ineffective during deployment due to the sharp cracked edges of the dash as well as the potential for shards of cracked dash becoming projectiles causing injury to occupants during a collision. Nothing happened to the vehicle. We were driving down the freeway and noticed the crack. The cracks become larger everyday.
Dashboard is cracked around speaker and passenger side airbag. Noticed it around 75k miles and has spread significantly over the year
Dash board is cracking in three places . The most concerning one is around the passengers air bag. My passenger could be impaled with pieces of the dash if the airbag were to deploy.