2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 4,470,217 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 42 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

AIR BAGS 21V050000 2021-02-05 2,641,272 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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

Remedy

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…

AIR BAGS 21V054000 2021-02-05 1,778,128 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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

Remedy

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…

EQUIPMENT 18V267000 2018-04-26 6,154 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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

Remedy

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…

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 17V664000 2017-10-19 35,292 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and GMC Sierra 3500 trucks equipped with dual fuel tanks. The low fuel level sensor for the front tank may stick causing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.

Consequence

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. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear tank fuel pump or update the fuel-level sensor software, as well as inspect the front tank, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service for Chevrolet 1-800-222-1020 or for GMC customer…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14V407000 2014-07-02 9,371 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2007, to June 22, 2011, and GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery. Owners may unknowingly draw too much…

Consequence

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 vehicle components, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental Owner Manual information, free of charge. The recall began on August 29, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service…

Complaints by component

AIR BAGS
10
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
5
ENGINE
4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
1
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
1
Total complaints42

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Transmission control module (tcm). Failure of this part leaves the vehicle inoperable and unable to drive. Being stranded, or in traffic can cause injury to myself or any other driver that may encounter me disabled unknown, major problem with this make and model of vehicle. Dealer inventory of the…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2023-08-01

“The contact owns a 2011 chevrolet silverado 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph and slowing for a traffic signal, the vehicle downshifted very hard. The contact stated that there was an audible clunking sound while the transmission was downshifting. The contact stated that…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2023-06-10

“Complete collapse of tire (blowout) on highway that caused damage too wheel well of vehicle and outside body panel damages of vehicle including driver side mirror due to tire explosion of rubber coming apart on tire. The tire is the original tire that came with the vehicle green dot is still on…”

TIRES:TREAD/BELT · reported 2022-07-12

“Complete collapse of tire (blowout) on highway that caused damage too wheel well of vehicle and outside body panel damages of vehicle including driver side mirror due to tire explosion of rubber coming apart on tire. The tire is the original tire that came with the vehicle green dot is still on…”

TIRES:SIDEWALL · reported 2022-07-12

“Complete collapse of tire (blowout) on highway that caused damage too wheel well of vehicle and outside body panel damages of vehicle including driver side mirror due to tire explosion of rubber coming apart on tire. The tire is the original tire that came with the vehicle green dot is still on…”

TIRES:BEAD · reported 2022-07-12

“The def system on this vehicle has failed three times since we bought it in 2021. The weather was not pleasant and in one case it was extremely dangerous. The def system froze up and fortunately I was able to limp it into a dealer who managed to get it working again but not after losing half a day…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2022-05-13

“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…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-07-08

“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…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-06-01

Defect investigations

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

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…

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

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…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.