RecallRepo

2011 GMC Sierra 3500 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2011 GMC Sierra 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 24 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
8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
1fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN
2
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
WHEELS
2
ENGINE
1
SEAT BELTS
1
SUSPENSION:FRONT
1
Total complaints24

What owners report

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

“My 2011 fmc sierra 3500 drw denali suffered a failure of the transmission control module (tcm). I could barely move the vehicle and almost got into an accident merging into traffic. Forward and reverse was affected. The transmission reverts to top gear after the failure, and makes driving very…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2023-07-05

“My 2011 fmc sierra 3500 drw denali suffered a failure of the transmission control module (tcm). I could barely move the vehicle and almost got into an accident merging into traffic. Forward and reverse was affected. The transmission reverts to top gear after the failure, and makes driving very…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2023-07-05

“Apparently a common issue. The tcm (transmission control module) failed and the vehicle will not start or shift. Vehicle went into limp mode on highway while towing a trailer. Part availability unknown and on backorder for a year.”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2023-02-22

“The contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to accelerate, lost braking functionality and was difficult to steer before the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The…”

ENGINE · reported 2021-10-18

“Safety factor dash is cracking manly. Around air bag on passenger side. Across dash behind instrument panel. If air bag deploys it would send plastic before air bag, destroying your face even eyes. The gmc dealer said cracking happens on all chevy and gmc trucks.”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2020-10-16

“I bought this truck in the dealer they put tires smaller than what it requires and a tire exploded in the freeway, those who help the traffic explained to me that the tire was small for the size of the truck, the same thing they told me in the tire places (clegg auto sale - 1485 n main st spanish…”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2020-03-03

“I bought this truck in the dealer they put tires smaller than what it requires and a tire exploded in the freeway, those who help the traffic explained to me that the tire was small for the size of the truck, the same thing they told me in the tire places (clegg auto sale - 1485 n main st spanish…”

WHEELS · reported 2020-03-03

“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 3500. The contact stated that the recall notice for nhtsa campaign number:16v381000(air bag) was received. After contacting both the local dealer hohen carlsbad gmc located at (5334 taseo del norte, carlsbad, ca) and the manufacturer, the…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2020-02-04

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 GMC Sierra 3500 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.