2011 Gmc SIERRA 1500 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, which indicates above-average safety features. In specific crash scenarios, it received a 4-star rating for both front crashes, a perfect 5-star rating for overall side crashes, and a 4-star rating for rollover safety. Additionally, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control, but does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of reliability, there have been 351 complaints reported for this model, as well as 7 recalls. These numbers suggest that while the safety features of the GMC Sierra 1500 are commendable, there may be some issues in terms of reliability that potential buyers should be aware of. It is always recommended to stay up to date with any recalls and to address any reported complaints promptly to ensure the continued safety and performance of the vehicle.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

351

Recall Count

7

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2011 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2011 Gmc SIERRA 1500

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v054000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-05-02

Complaint:
"no airbags"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-06-07

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. the contact later received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v054000 (air bags). the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the front passenger's side air bag was replaced; however, the air bag warning light remained illuminated. the dealer informed the contact that the failure could be associated with the front driver's side air bag; however, there was no recall for the front driver's side air bag. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 72,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-12-03

Complaint:
"2011 gmc sierra. consumer writes in regards to passenger side frontal airbag safety recall. the consumer stated the dealer has not been provided the necessary parts to repair the vehicle. *js"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-11-03

Complaint:
"takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 21v054000 (air bags) however, 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 dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts are not available."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-05-10

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the driver’s side air bag needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 112,000."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-03-05

Complaint:
"three of the vehicles airbags went off during last night while parked in driveway. shattered windshield, ripped head liner, tore up interior courtesy light. nothing had touched the vehicle when this happened."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2023-02-09

Complaint:
"takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v050000 (air bags) however, 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 made aware of the issue. the contact was currently stationed in st. croix and was unable to find a local dealer to perform the recall repair. the contact was awaiting assistance from the manufacturer but had not yet received a response. the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. a failure mileage was not provided. parts distribution disconnect"
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2022-08-04

Complaint:
"this recall was issued 6 months ago yet there is still no remedy for this issue which seems to be a safety hazard. this issue is not being corrected in a timely manner."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-09-08

Complaint:
"takata recall. the contact owns a 2011 gmc sierra 1500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v054000 (air bags) however, 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 contact contacted the local dealer and was informed that the recall remedy was still pending. the contact had not experienced a failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: AIR BAGS
Date of incident: 2021-01-03

Recalls for the 2011 Gmc SIERRA 1500

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." these vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal..."
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 mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2021-02-05

Recall:
"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 or "zone a." additionally gm is recalling certain 2011-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, yukon xl and 2011-2013 cadillac escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, and gmc sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of az, ar, de, dc, il, in, ks, ky, md, mo, ne, nv, nj, nm, nc, oh, ok, pa, tn, va, and wv or "zone b." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2010-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500,..."
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 mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL > PASSENGER SIDE > INFLATOR MODULE
Date of incident: 2021-02-05

GMC Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

GMC ranks 8 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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