Chevrolet Corvette Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 194 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Corvette across 21 model years. The 2005 model year has the most (44). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (53% of reports).
- 194air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 26mention a crash
- 19mention an injury
- 7related recalls
- 31%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 102 of 194 complaints (53%)
- Drivers seat: mentioned in 18 of 194 complaints (9%)
- Airbag comes: mentioned in 13 of 194 complaints (7%)
- Off intermittently: mentioned in 13 of 194 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 155 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 194 complaints, 26 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 19 an injury.
Chevrolet Corvette air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Corvette | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2021 Corvette | 1 | 8% | 35,000 |
| 2017 Corvette | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2016 Corvette | 2 | 2% | 4,432 |
| 2015 Corvette | 4 | 6% | 7,000 |
| 2014 Corvette | 1 | 2% | 9,000 |
| 2013 Corvette | 10 | 12% | 11,440 |
| 2012 Corvette | 10 | 18% | 12,000 |
| 2011 Corvette | 10 | 12% | 13,773 |
| 2010 Corvette | 14 | 17% | 30,000 |
| 2009 Corvette | 15 | 10% | 23,000 |
| 2008 Corvette | 24 | 4% | 37,045 |
| 2007 Corvette | 26 | 8% | 36,000 |
| 2006 Corvette | 14 | 4% | 34,830 |
| 2005 Corvette | 44 | 8% | 35,513 |
| 2004 Corvette | 4 | 2% | 71,505 |
| 2003 Corvette | 3 | 4% | 35,000 |
| 2001 Corvette | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2000 Corvette | 4 | 1% | 46,000 |
| 1998 Corvette | 3 | 1% | — |
| 1996 Corvette | 1 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (7)
Air bags:srs malfunction warning lamp/light; electrical system:software
Model years: 2021
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.
Risk: The air bag malfunction indicator light may fail to warn the driver of a problem with the air bag, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Model years: 2019
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vehicles. Hard braking or acceleration may cause the sensing diagnostic module (SDM) to enter a fault state. As a result, the SDM will not provide crash sensing or deploy the necessary air bags in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bags do not deploy as designed, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18195.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Air bags
Model years: 2015
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles manufactured August 20, 2014, to August 27, 2014. In the event of a driver frontal air bag deployment, the driver air bag module back plate may fracture, allowing the driver air bag to separate from the steering wheel.
Risk: An air bag that separates from the steering wheel may increase the risk of injury to the driver in the event of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag, free of charge. The recall began on October 29, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14594.
Air bags
Model years: 2014
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles manufactured November 20, 2013, to March 25, 2014, and equipped with optional sport seats. The seats do not meet internal specifications for injury protection in relation to an unbelted young child.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating side impact air bag deployment, an unbelted young child may be at an increased risk of neck injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's side impact air bag, free of charge. The recall is began in early August 2014. Owners should not allow small children to ride in vehicles unbelted or in the front passenger seat. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14240.
Seat belts; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Model years: 2014
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles manufactured April 23, 2014 to April 25, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) may experience an internal short circuit, resulting in the deactivation of the air bags and seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: If the SDM short circuits, the air bags may not deploy and the seat belt pretensioners may not activate in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM), free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14219.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Description: On June 23, 2025, I was involved in a traffic collision in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the police report, another driver failed to yield while exiting a private driveway and struck the front of my vehicle while I was stopped in the center turn lane preparing to turn left. As the…
Air bag display is on and apparently there is a leak in the accelerant on the passenger side of the car.
The contact's daughter owned a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed on a rainy night, there was another unoccupied vehicle stopped side ways in the middle of the highway with no hazards lights activated. The contact stated that the front…
Vehicle was hit on driver side/a column. Head hit window. No side air bag deployed. Vehicle is getting repaired at body shop. My son received a concussion; neck pain; numbness in hand. Vehicle inspected by insurance company. Police report available; other driver cited for careless driving. Vehicle…
This lead to an injury accident which totaled the car. I have documentation stating that the recall was fixed, but after I moved to Germany with the Army, the recall regularly activated the active handling when not needed (e.g parking) but then when we started slipping, the active handling did not…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Corvettes have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 194 owner complaints about air bags for the Chevrolet Corvette. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Corvette air bags?
Yes: 7 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Corvette?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 102 of 194 complaints, followed by “drivers seat” (18).
Other Chevrolet Corvette problems
See all Chevrolet Corvette problems.