2011 Chevrolet Silverado problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (9) · Air Bags (8) · Fuel/Propulsion System (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Silverado model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
62 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Electrical System:ignition 2014-12-30 · campaign 14V827000 · 84,192 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Steering:linkages 2011-06-28 · campaign 11V339000 · 739 vehicles
Defect: GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV; CHEVROLET SILVERADO HD, SILVERADO LD, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; AND GMC SIERRA HD, SIERRA LD, YUKON, AND YUKON XL VEHICLES. THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT ATTACHING BOLTS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION.
Risk: THIS COULD ALLOW THE JOINTS TO SEPARATE, AND THE DRIVER COULD EXPERIENCE LOSS OF STEERING INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: GM DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT BOLTS ARE TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JULY 13, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
Service bulletins (274)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Suspension:rear:springs:leaf Spring Assembly 2017-07-17 · 06-03-09-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this technical bulletin provides a procedure to lube the rear leaf springs on vehicles with the condition of a squeak noise originating from the rear of the vehicle.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage 2017-02-08 · PIT5161E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a bump feel or clunk noise at a stop or on launch. dealer should communicate to the customer this condition is a normal operating characteristic of their vehicle. the bump clunk issue may b
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2017-01-31 · PIT3665E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication advises the technician that the hydro-boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
Equipment:electrical:radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc. 2017-01-12 · PIT5124B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that within 10 seconds after startup the radio will mute and phone icon displays on the radio for up to 15 seconds and then returns back to normal operation. technician will need to use the onstar system
Equipment 2016-03-01 · PIT4989B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides the technician with a list of modules to check for communication with the scan tool, if the navigation radio does not display the current hybrid mode. dealer will use a scan tool to check communication with accessory direct current power control mo
Engine 2016-03-01 · PIP5276F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides steps the technician will uses to diagnose and repair vehicles that have low oil pressure after an oil change with the engine regular production option code l20, l77, l94, l96, l99, l9h, lc8, lc9, lh9, lmf, lmg, ly6, or lz1. vehicle may have servic
Showing the 6 most recent of 274 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-08-20 · Air Bags“see attached document for complaint. …”
2023-10-10 · Engine · 260,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet silverado. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a loud abnormal tapping sound at the hood of the vehicle. the contact then stated that upon inspection, she noticed that the tapping sound was coming from the lifter and lifter arm when the piston dropped down. the traction control …”
2016-04-20 · Unknown Or Other · 64,000 mi“the dashboard cracked on the passenger side of vehicle near the top left corner of the passenger side air bag. dealership would fix the issue but only at full cost to me, even though i expressed the concern i have how if the airbag were to deploy the sharp edges of the cracked area may not allow the air bag to work properly. i.e. could puncture the…”
2016-04-04 · Air Bags“the dashboard is broken at the upper left corner of the air bag housing on the passenger side.…”
2016-03-01 · Unknown Or Other · 50,000 mi“i have a 2011 silverado 1500 and about 6 months ago my dash around the passenger air bag started to crack. i now have 2 cracks and the area feels loose which worries me that in case of a accident with airbag deployment on the passanger side, that this could impair the safety and design for its purpose.…”
2016-02-13 · Unknown Or Other · 50,000 mi“the truck had less than 50,000 miles when we noticed a crack in the dash running from the upper left corner of the air bag cover and the defroster vent. i know several other trucks with this same issue. it appears to be a design flaw. i went to the local dealer and he estimated it would take nearly $1,000 to fix. i wonder if this crack would be neg…”
2016-02-11 · Structure:body · 43,000 mi“i have a 2011 chevrolet silverado 1500 that has approximately 44,000 miles on it and is garage kept. i have several cracks around my passenger side airbag which could pose a safety issue even though gm said the cracks will not.…”
2016-02-10 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 76,000 mi“we have had a recurring issue with the traction control feature on this vehicle since buying it. randomly and out of nowhere it will show stabilitrak off on the instrument panel. the engine becomes sluggish when this happens. this, to me, is a safety hazard when driving. there is also an issue with the ignition getting stuck when starting where it …”
2016-01-23 · Air Bags · 52,000 mi“dash is cracking around airbag and instrument panel causing serious concern about projectiles if airbag were to deploy.…”
2016-01-17 · Unknown Or Other“the dash bord in my truck has a crack next to the air bag which am scare is going to be a safe issue and this i noticed when the truck had about 45000 miles…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.