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GMC Sierra 2500Model year report

2011 GMC Sierra 2500 Problems

Compared with other GMC Sierra 2500 years

Fewer complaints than typical for this model

34/100 0.7× a typical year · 50 = typical

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
63filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
55,400miles, 34 complaints with mileage
Recalls
4campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write in about the Takata airbag recall repair not being available, dashboard cracks forming near the passenger airbag, and transmission control module failures that leave the truck unable to shift. Tire sidewall and wheel problems and diesel emissions faults (EGR, DEF, fuel contamination) also appear repeatedly in the sample. Many complaints are about recall parts being backordered rather than a crash or injury.

  1. Air bags

    Takata airbag recall parts unavailable

    • 11 complaints (17%)
    • median 56,050 mi at 6.6 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2017–2021

    Owners describe receiving a Takata airbag recall notice but being told by dealers that replacement parts were still not in stock, in some cases a year or more later. Most state they had not experienced an airbag failure and were simply waiting for a remedy. A few of these owners separately mention a cracked dashboard near the passenger airbag. Most complaints list no mileage because they describe recall status rather than a failure; where mileage is given it ranges from near new to over 100,000 miles.

    Recall 21V050000Recall 21V054000

    What to check: Check with a dealer or the NHTSA recall lookup whether the Takata airbag recall has been completed on this VIN, since parts shortages delayed repairs for years on some trucks.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Takata recall, I have a letter from GM. Concerning the air bag recall dated 07/2016 informing me of said recall and stating that I would be notified when parts are available for repairs. That has been over a year ago and now I have a crack in the corner of the dash panel where the air-bag is located. After doing some research it appears that GM. Has issues with GM trucks, SUV's etc. From year 2007 until at least 2013 concerning this issue. I have contacted GM. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11005530, filed 2017-07, 100 miles

    “No dealer can repair my takata air bag due to GM not having a replacement part available. I am concerned that NHTSA and GM are not concerned for my life by having this issue open for so long and answer to the mandated repairs. I will follow up with my congressman and senators. I am afraid when I have to drive and don't have other options for work.”

    NHTSA complaint #11413377, filed 2021-04
  2. Body and structure

    Dashboard cracking near passenger airbag

    • 14 complaints (22%)
    • median 63,500 mi at 5.5 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2016–2025

    Owners report cracks forming in the dashboard, often starting near the passenger-side airbag cover or above the gauge cluster, sometimes appearing suddenly and sometimes spreading over months. Several raise concern about how the cracked panel might behave if the airbag deploys. According to the complaints, dealers generally did not cover these cracks as warranty repairs. Reported from under 30,000 miles to over 100,000 miles, suggesting time and heat exposure matter as much as mileage.

    What to check: Inspect the dashboard closely around the passenger airbag cover and above the gauges for existing cracks, and ask whether any repair was attempted.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I got in my truck yesterday and noticed a crack in the dash at the passenger side air bag. The crack was not there before. I am concerned that if the bag deploys, the crack in the dash could become a projectile or cut the air bag resulting in a serious or fatal injury. My truck is garage kept and is not exposed to extreme temperatures.”

    NHTSA complaint #10894866, filed 2016-08, 91,000 miles

    “My dashboard cracked by the passenger side airbag about a year ago and now it is cracking above the gauge panel. It cracked the first time when I got in it and started home from work.the second crack above the gauge panel I had just noticed a week ago.”

    NHTSA complaint #11337209, filed 2020-07, 45,987 miles
  3. Body and structure

    Tire sidewall bulging, separation and wheel cracking

    • 5 complaints (8%)
    • median 44,400 mi at 5.5 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2015–2021

    Owners report tire sidewall bulges, tread separation at highway speed, and cracks developing in the factory 20-inch aluminum wheels. Complaints describe repeated failures across more than one tire or wheel. Dealers in the complaints generally attributed tire damage to road impact rather than offering a wear adjustment. Reported from a few thousand miles up to well over 100,000 miles, with several failures occurring at highway speeds.

    What to check: Check all four tires for sidewall bulges or uneven wear and inspect the wheels for hairline cracks, especially on 20-inch factory wheels.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “All four wheels have developed cracks over the course of my six year ownership of the vehicle. I have spoken with the service director at simpson Gmc of buena park, ca, numerous technicians at simpson Gmc, service managers at america's tire of victorville, hesperia, and fullerton, ca and have hired an outside engineer that all agree that there is a defect in design and manufacturing on the 20' denali hd wheels (rpo: pys). …”

    NHTSA complaint #10926574, filed 2016-11, 32,000 miles

    “I have a 2011 Gmc sierra 2500hd denali diesel 4x4 pickup truck. At 60,000 miles one of the 20 aluminum wheels failed with a large crack on the backside of the wheel. I purchased a new wheel and had america's tire remount my tire. At 95,000 miles the same failure happened, but on a different wheel. This time there were two cracks in the wheel several inches long. On this failure I notified my Gmc dealer, simpson Gmc in buena park of the issue. I replaced this wheel again with a new wheel. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10764030, filed 2015-09, 60,000 miles
  4. Transmission and drivetrain

    Transmission control module failure / truck will not shift

    • 5 complaints (8%)
    • median 148,095 mi at 8.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2016–2023

    Owners describe the truck failing to go into any gear after a warm restart, with no warning lamps, and independent shops identifying a failed transmission control module. Complaints also mention harsh or abrupt shifting before the failure. Owners report trouble obtaining replacement parts and long waits for repairs. Reported mostly at higher mileage, from roughly 100,000 to 300,000 miles, and often after the truck is warm and restarted.

    What to check: Ask whether the transmission control module or transmission wiring has been replaced or repaired, and test a warm restart to confirm the truck engages drive and reverse normally.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “TCM failed. Couldn’t find the parts required. Truck sat 700 miles away from me for four weeks. Had to have part repaired in hopes it worked. As of now I still have some issues but would not have the truck at all if I had to wait for a part”

    NHTSA complaint #11542474, filed 2023-09

    “Vehicle was exhibiting harsh shifting; upshifts/downshifts. Pulling into driveway from rural highway vehicle downshifted and passenger was thrown forward and almost hit the dash with her head, felt like it was shifting into park. Had vehicle towed to dealership. Vehicle would not shift into any gear for mechanic. Transmission repaired along with a wiring harness that prevented the main computer to communicate with the transmission. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10916670, filed 2016-10, 106,191 miles
  5. Engine

    Diesel emissions and fuel system faults

    • 6 complaints (10%)
    • median 118,500 mi at 7.2 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2012–2022

    Owners of diesel trucks describe the service exhaust fluid or check engine light coming on, reduced speed limits, and stored codes pointing to the DEF heater, NOx sensor or EGR cooler bypass valve. Some report stalling or accelerator response dropping out while towing. Complaints mention quotes for repairs and uncertainty about whether the fix would last. Reported from about 28,000 miles to over 200,000 miles, often during towing or highway driving.

    What to check: Ask for any recent emissions-related repairs and scan for stored codes before buying a diesel example; confirm whether the EGR and DEF systems have been serviced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Def light came on and the display saying service exhaust fuel system and refer to manual. That gave me nothing. The codes that came up is p2209 and p20b9. So the heater in the def tank is broken and the nox reading is wrong or has gone out. Then my speed was reduced to max 55 MPH. Dealer said it would be $1500 to fix but after reading forums on-line there have been a lot is issues with the def system, fixing it, and then still displays issue. Am I going to get this repaired and still have an issue like others?”

    NHTSA complaint #11099219, filed 2018-06, 155,000 miles

    “On 4/12/22, we were towing our 32ft trailer with putt 2011 diesel GMC Sierra truck to Big Bear Lake which is in the San Bernardino Mountains in a two way winding highway. Upon making a somewhat sharp turn up a steep uphill, our accelerator went out. We had my mother in law, our two kids and dog in the vehicle at the time. We were able to get a speed of about 5-10mph to get a turn out and turn back around. We had no reception to call for help. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11462106, filed 2022-04

Buying note. On a used example, verify recall completion first and inspect the dashboard and wheels closely, since those items appear repeatedly in owner complaints. For diesel trucks, ask about recent emissions and fuel system repairs and check for stored fault codes.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 52 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 63 consumer complaints for the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500. 34 of the complaints include a mileage, and 47% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 55,400 miles. Of all complaints, 1 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns and 1,575 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 14 GMC Sierra 2500 model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 34 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (fewer complaints than typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Wheels (3), Brakes (1), Engine cooling (1), Exterior lighting (1), Seat belts (1), Suspension (1), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (1).

Example complaints

Air bags: “To avoid a head on collision I had to move to the right of my lane and I hit a mountain head on and neither the driver or passengers airbag deployed. The vehicle over turned on its left driver side after skidding along pavement for a few yards it finally came to a stop. There were no passengers. I was the driver and sustained lacerations to my head bruising in chest area and a punctured left lung. The vehicle was in motion going 35 MPH”

NHTSA complaint #11377984, filed 2020-12, 54,000 miles

Body and structure: “The dash is cracked around the passenger side airbag which could be a safety concern during airbag deployment with sharp pieces of broken dash being propelled towards occupants.”

NHTSA complaint #10876683, filed 2016-06, 62,000 miles

Electrical system: “We purchased 24 2011 Gmc 2500 trucks with omaha utility bodies. About 1 month after putting the units in service we had a failure of the module that operates the rear brake/tail/turn lights. It had no left turn light,and the right turn operated with the turn switch set to left or right. We removed the module (installed by palfleet) from another vehicle and installed it on the one with the problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10416481, filed 2011-08, 2,000 miles

Other or unknown: “The vehicles dashboard is beginning to crack in multiple locations. This truck has less than 30,000 miles on it and it's only used as a leisure vehicle. One of the areas of major concern is, the crack that leads directly to the airbag. If the airbag were to deploy, I believe that shards of plastic would be thrown all over the interior of the vehicle. There's no reason for this dashboard to crack and the repair would be close to $1,000 dollars. In my opinion this is a manufacture defect, and a huge oversight on quality control.”

NHTSA complaint #10939955, filed 2017-01, 26,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

47% of the 34 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 26,000 and 91,000 miles.

21%0–103%10–2524%25–5018%50–7512%75–1009%100–15015%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (34 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 55,400 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’12’15’1716’19’21’23’25
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Sierra 2500 · regular cab 4WDnot rated———4 · 19.1% risk
Sierra 2500 · extended cab 4WDnot rated———4 · 19.1% risk
Sierra 2500 · crew cab 4WDnot rated———4 · 19.1% risk
Sierra 2500 · crew cab RWDnot rated———3 · 20.4% risk
Sierra 2500 · regular cab RWDnot rated———3 · 20.4% risk
Sierra 2500 · extended cab RWDnot rated———3 · 20.4% risk

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 1,575 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 1,575 bulletins →

Other model years of the GMC Sierra 2500

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2026139,0001———Too new
2025281,3001——Too new to compareToo new
20241079,9044——Too new to compareToo new
20233334,0001——40 · TypicalToo new
20224515,1673——65 · MoreRising
20215253,0006——69 · MoreRising
20207931,8009——98 · MoreRising
20193228,72974—50 · TypicalRising
20183510,00054—52 · TypicalFalling
20173722,06064—53 · TypicalFalling
20165929,50064—64 · TypicalStable
20158937,02363–4—93 · MoreFalling
20143039,00022–4—10 · FewerFalling
20134660,00032–4—0 · FewerStable
20123168,50033–4—2 · FewerRising
20116355,4004——34 · FewerFalling
20101077,0005———Not enough data
20093139,6005——39 · TypicalFalling
20086367,5003——17 · FewerFalling
20078370,0003——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
20066643,5001——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200511560,0001—11Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200414360,0001——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200316073,0000——Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200213485,5001——Not compared (before 2008)Rising
200113465,0002——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
20004891,0001—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199936100,0000—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19981547,0001—15—Stable
199714100,0002—15—Not enough data

All GMC Sierra 2500 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500?

Owners of this model year most often write in about the Takata airbag recall repair not being available, dashboard cracks forming near the passenger airbag, and transmission control module failures that leave the truck unable to shift. The issues reported most often: Takata airbag recall parts unavailable; Dashboard cracking near passenger airbag; Tire sidewall bulging, separation and wheel cracking.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 have?

NHTSA recorded 63 consumer complaints for the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 as of Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 is reported most often?

Air bags is named most often, in 20 complaints (32% of the total), followed by body and structure with 11.

Has the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

At what mileage are problems with the 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 reported?

Among the 34 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 55,400 miles and the middle half falls between 26,000 and 91,000 miles; 47% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program.

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.