2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 243 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 GMC Sierra 1500, 64% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,735 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (29% of reports).
- 243air bags complaints
- 85,735median miles at failure
- 9mention a crash
- 9mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 42%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 71 of 243 complaints (29%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 83 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 243 complaints, 9 mention a crash, 9 an injury.
GMC Sierra 1500 air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2022 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 1% | 3,400 |
| 2020 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 1% | 34,800 |
| 2019 Sierra 1500 | 7 | 1% | 11,000 |
| 2018 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 3% | 25,000 |
| 2017 Sierra 1500 | 4 | 1% | 1,700 |
| 2016 Sierra 1500 | 12 | 3% | 35,310 |
| 2015 Sierra 1500 | 37 | 5% | 34,000 |
| 2014 Sierra 1500 | 25 | 3% | 52,000 |
| 2013 Sierra 1500 | 36 | 31% | 60,000 |
| 2012 Sierra 1500 | 42 | 39% | 73,000 |
| 2011 Sierra 1500 | 113 | 40% | 61,500 |
| 2010 Sierra 1500 | 77 | 46% | 65,000 |
| 2009 Sierra 1500 | 122 | 52% | 101,000 |
| 2008 Sierra 1500 | 243 | 64% | 85,735 |
| 2007 Sierra 1500 | 146 | 56% | 100,032 |
| 2006 Sierra 1500 | 9 | 6% | 103,485 |
| 2005 Sierra 1500 | 14 | 8% | 63,510 |
| 2004 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 4% | 56,000 |
| 2003 Sierra 1500 | 7 | 4% | 100,500 |
| 2002 Sierra 1500 | 5 | 3% | 130,000 |
| 2001 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 2% | 186,400 |
| 2000 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 3% | 119,500 |
| 1999 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 1% | 114,878 |
| 1998 Sierra 1500 | 4 | 7% | 163,495 |
| 1997 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 2% | — |
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 contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact about the disclaimer about the dashboard possibly being damaged. The dealer informed the contact that there were no…
The contact owns a 2008 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of…
I have contacted Blaise Alexander in muncy pa 17756 in 2020 or 2021 and they told me that the part was on back order they would contact me when the part has come in 5 years later they still have not contacted me I have reached out by phone through email and Facebook messenger to set up a time to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 GMC Sierra 1500s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 243 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 (64% of the 381 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 GMC Sierra 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 85,735 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 GMC Sierra 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 71 of 243 complaints.
See all 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 problems or air bags problems across all Sierra 1500 years.