2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 594 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 65% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,216 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (29% of reports).
- 594air bags complaints
- 80,216median miles at failure
- 27mention a crash
- 28mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- $630typical repair cost reported by owners
- 26%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.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 172 of 594 complaints (29%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 31 of 594 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 at $630, and half of them between $520 and $690.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2018), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 179 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 594 complaints, 27 mention a crash, 28 an injury.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Silverado 1500 | 1 | 1% | 2,300 |
| 2024 Silverado 1500 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Silverado 1500 | 1 | 0% | 11,000 |
| 2022 Silverado 1500 | 8 | 1% | 6,550 |
| 2021 Silverado 1500 | 20 | 2% | 6,937 |
| 2020 Silverado 1500 | 11 | 1% | 15,055 |
| 2019 Silverado 1500 | 12 | 1% | 22,520 |
| 2018 Silverado 1500 | 15 | 3% | 65,778 |
| 2017 Silverado 1500 | 30 | 4% | 47,650 |
| 2016 Silverado 1500 | 18 | 2% | 29,598 |
| 2015 Silverado 1500 | 66 | 6% | 44,000 |
| 2014 Silverado 1500 | 47 | 3% | 46,927 |
| 2013 Silverado 1500 | 83 | 28% | 60,000 |
| 2012 Silverado 1500 | 59 | 27% | 68,000 |
| 2011 Silverado 1500 | 306 | 54% | 70,000 |
| 2010 Silverado 1500 | 197 | 54% | 90,000 |
| 2009 Silverado 1500 | 230 | 52% | 74,000 |
| 2008 Silverado 1500 | 594 | 65% | 80,216 |
| 2007 Silverado 1500 | 479 | 56% | 95,500 |
| 2006 Silverado 1500 | 24 | 7% | 98,500 |
| 2005 Silverado 1500 | 51 | 10% | 85,191 |
| 2004 Silverado 1500 | 34 | 4% | 91,700 |
| 2003 Silverado 1500 | 21 | 3% | 90,100 |
| 2002 Silverado 1500 | 14 | 3% | 91,000 |
| 2001 Silverado 1500 | 12 | 3% | 194,000 |
| 2000 Silverado 1500 | 31 | 5% | 138,000 |
| 1999 Silverado 1500 | 19 | 3% | 109,072 |
| 1998 Silverado 1500 | 7 | 2% | 121,200 |
| 1997 Silverado 1500 | 16 | 3% | 95,725 |
| 1995 Silverado 1500 | 1 | 33% | 124,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and 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." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 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 N212328780.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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 inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The truck was parked in the driveway not running. My husband took his lunch box out of the front seat,closed the door and the airbag deployed. He then went to the driver's side to see if it would still start so he could drive it to work the next day and be able to schedule repairs the drivers side…
I had the recall #09184 regarding the faulty air bag for my Chevy Silverado. I took my truck to Chevy dealership in Marshfield mo. They were supposed to fix the airbags and bc the air bags deployed without an accident the seat belts locked up. They did not fix the seat belts. Making my Trunk unable…
At a stop avoided hitting a truck pulling trailer I may have hit trailer not sure but I hit a pole . I was on my way to national guard ema took me hit the steering wheel needed stitches below my lip and glue above my lip my feet are lose and my knees crack bottom dash and my wrist is injured. Not…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 594 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (65% of the 914 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 80,216 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
Owners report a typical cost of $630 (half paid between $520 and $690), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 172 of 594 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (31).
Other 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
See all 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems or air bags problems across all Silverado 1500 years.