2009 GMC Sierra 1500 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 122 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500, 52% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 101,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (34% of reports).
- 122air bags complaints
- 101,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 3related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 42 of 122 complaints (34%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 8 of 122 complaints (7%)
- Buick located: mentioned in 7 of 122 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 32 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 122 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 3 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 (3)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL 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 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, 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 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, 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."
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 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
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.
Early October my passenger side airbag deployed and I was sitting in the drivers seat and had just put the key into the key hole but did not turn the key to start the vehicle. 3 weeks later I was going into the passenger side of the vehicle and the key was in my pocket and the drivers side airbag…
General Published an article about the Takata Airbag recall stating that the dashboard would be inspected prior to doing the recall work and if already cracked or damaged the dashboard would not be replaced. My dash board is like new with no damage or cracks. The dealer told me (contrary to this…
The contact's father owns a 2009 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while his father was making a left turn at 20 MPH, another vehicle from the opposite direction ran the red light and struck the contact's father's driver's side front end. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. None of the air…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 GMC Sierra 1500s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 122 owner complaints about air bags for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 (52% of the 234 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 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 air bags?
Yes: 3 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 101,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 42 of 122 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (8).
See all 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems or air bags problems across all Sierra 1500 years.