2009 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems: Airbags (234 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 is Airbags (47% of 234 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 234 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?

111 of 234 filings named Airbags (47% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Body / frame (16 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 4 campaigns on file below.
  2. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  3. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Airbags. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Airbags 111 complaints · 47.4% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
All GMC Sierra 1500 years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Airbags (AIR BAGS) appears in 111 of 234 owner complaints (47.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. Airbags (AIR BAGS): 111 complaints, 47.4% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 111 · 47.4% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 16 complaints, 6.8% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 16 · 6.8% Engine (ENGINE): 13 complaints, 5.6% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 fire reports 13 · 5.6% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 10 complaints, 4.3% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 10 · 4.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 9 complaints, 3.9% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 9 · 3.9% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 9 complaints, 3.9% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 9 · 3.9% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 9 complaints, 3.9% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 crash reports 9 · 3.9% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 4 complaints, 1.7% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 · 1.7% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 3 complaints, 1.3% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 3 · 1.3% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 63 complaints, 26.9% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 3 fire reports 63 · 26.9% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 111 47.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 16 6.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 13 5.6% 0 crashes · 2 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 10 4.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 9 3.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 9 3.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 9 3.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 1.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 3 1.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 63 26.9% 1 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2009; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2018. 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2016-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q4: 31 owner reports 31 2018-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2018-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2009 Jan 2026 Recall campaign 18V267000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V267000 Recall campaign 21V050000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V050000 Recall campaign 21V052000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V052000 Recall campaign 21V053000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V053000 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 21V050000 was reported 3,538 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V052000 was reported 3,538 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V053000 was reported 3,538 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 4
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 5
2016-Q2 Owner reports 6
2016-Q3 Owner reports 14
2016-Q4 Owner reports 12
2017-Q1 Owner reports 10
2017-Q2 Owner reports 10
2017-Q3 Owner reports 13
2017-Q4 Owner reports 31
2018-Q1 Owner reports 16
2018-Q2 Owner reports 8
2018-Q3 Owner reports 5
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 5
2019-Q2 Owner reports 3
2019-Q3 Owner reports 4
2019-Q4 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 5
2020-Q2 Owner reports 6
2020-Q3 Owner reports 4
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 6
2021-Q2 Owner reports 4
2021-Q3 Owner reports 4
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 2
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 18V267000
Recall campaign 1 21V050000
Recall campaign 1 21V052000
Recall campaign 1 21V053000
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.

  1. Recall campaign 18V267000

    Safety recall 18V267000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 21V050000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 21V052000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    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 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Recall campaign 21V053000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    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 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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 3 of 234 complaints · page 1 of 10
2026-02-11STEERING
NHTSA ODI 11717359
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This letter serves as a formal notice of concern and demand for accountability regarding the 2009 GMC Sierra LD, VIN [XXX] , owned by [XXX] . There are numerous documented complaints and safety investigations concerning premature tie rod failure in 2009 GMC Sierra models. While the 2009 model year may not have been subject to a sweeping, industry-wide recall specific to tie rods in the 1500 series, it is undeniably and consistently associated with premature steering component failure — including both inner and outer tie rods. The refusal to proactively address this defect, assign a broader recall, or take ownership of the recurring issue reflects a troubling disregard for consumer safety. Documented and Reported Issues Include: • Premature Wear: Tie rods becoming loose or failing between 50,000–100,000 miles, resulting in steering wander and excessive play in the steering wheel. • Clunking/Knocking Noises: Audible front-end knocking at low speeds, a well-known symptom of failing tie rod joints. • Severe Safety Risk: Instances where tie rods have separated or become dangerously compromised, directly affecting steering control. • Uneven Tire Wear: Excessive inner or outer tire edge wear caused by steering instability. • Recall 14V-246000: A related recall acknowledging improper tightening of tie rods where they thread into the steering gear rack — a defect that could cause separation and loss of steering control. The common symptoms — steering vibration, looseness, clunking when turning, and vehicle pulling due to misalignment — are not minor inconveniences. They represent serious safety hazards that endanger drivers, passengers, and the public. It is unacceptable for GMAC and General Motors to minimize or compartmentalize this issue when patterns clearly demonstrate a systemic steering component weakness in this model year. The presence of Recall 14V-246000 further demonstrates that the manufacturer was aware of tie rod-related risks ! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5
2025-11-04Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11697435
CrashFireInjuryDeath
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 deployed. Both times the vehicle was not started and the airbags deployed I called GMC and they had the vehicle towed to a dealer to investigate why the airbags deployed. They said it was a sensor that was corroded and that’s why the airbags deployed. I asked GMC, why didn’t the sensor left the driver know that it was going bad, just like it notifies the driver if you have low tire pressure or needs an oil change. I had no notifications that the airbags were going to deploy. I’m so grateful that no one was driving the vehicle when they deployed. GMC said the vehicle is not safe to drive so they had it towed from my house to the dealership and then back to my house however they said they are not taking responsibility for the deployment and said it’s my responsibility to get the airbags fixed. I told GMC that I was filing a complaint with you all. Thank you for looking into this matter.
2025-08-18Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11681424
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The traction control and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact used a code reader and discovered a misfire in cylinder #4, and performed a compression test, which verified that cylinder #4 was failing to maintain compression. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that there was a failure with the lifter in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer for additional diagnostic tests. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?

Owners named Airbags most often — 111 of 234 reports (47%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources