Problems · by component

2011 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 air bags problems

70 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 cite air bags, 45% of all 155 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
70
45% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the air bags

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“This is not connected with a specific crash in this vehicle. It is a defect with all vehicles with this seat. There is known common defect with the stitching on the side of the front seats covering the airbag. The stitching is designed to come apart if an airbag is deployed. The defective stitching deteriorates and falls apart. This exposes the airbag system in the seat. This occurs on all GM vehicles with the same leather seats. Models include Suburbans, Yukons, and pickup trucks. In this Suburban the stiching started to come apart about 6 years ago with a few loose threads. The entire side of the seat has now come apart. The rest of the seat is in relatively good repair without any holes, rips or torn stitching. GM claims this is cosmetic and not covered. The safety issues caused by this includes the potential deterioration of the airbag system interfering with deployment in a crash. Another safety issue is the potential for foreign objects to get lodged in this space and injuring someone if the airbag goes off. The third safety issue is the potential of a person, or child, to access the airbag and cause it to go off without warning.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 1, 2025Air bagsODI 11645734
“The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact later received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) which she associated to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, upon picking up the vehicle, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who provided the contact with a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 24, 2022Air bagsODI 11458139
“Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 22, 2022Air bagsODI 11453455
“Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who stated the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to NHTSA. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 20, 2021Air bagsODI 11444447
“THIS IS A FLORIDA VEHICLE WHERE HEAT AND HUMIDITY (THE MAJOR FACTORS IDENTIFIED WITH FAILURES OF THESE AIRBAGS/INFLATORS) CAN CAUSE MY SUBURBAN TO BE A HIGH RISK TO ME AND MY FAMILY. WE SUBMITTED FOR THIS RECALL IN 2016 AND HAVE YET TO BE CONTACTED ON STATUS OR ESTIMATED TIME FOR THE PARTS/PROCEDURES TO BE READY TO COMPLETE THIS REPAIR. AS GM DISAGREES WITH THIS RECALL, THEY APPEAR TO BE STALLING IN HOPES THAT THE VEHICLES WILL JUST BE RETIRED BEFORE THEY HAVE TO REPAIR THEM. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL PEOPLE DIE FOR THE NHTSA TO FORCE THE HAND ON GM TO IMPLEMENT THIS RECALL.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 22, 2020Air bagsODI 11384623
“I'M WRITING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE GM HAS YET TO ISSUE A SOLUTION FOR THE RECALL ON THE AIRBAGS. WHEN WILL GM ISSUE THE FIX, WITH ALL THESE NEW RECALLS COMING OUT ON THE TAKATA AIR BAGS I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED WITH WHY THIS ISSUE HASN'T BEEN ADDRESSED WITH MY VEHICLE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 14, 2020Air bagsODI 11364306

Showing 6 of 70 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2011 Suburban 2500 problem areas