2010 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems: Airbags (168 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2010 GMC Sierra 1500 is Airbags (36% of 168 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 2026-09-07 168 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2010 GMC Sierra 1500?

60 of 168 filings named Airbags (36% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Body / frame (26 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 2009 has 234 reports on file; this year has 168. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2010 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 60 complaints · 35.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 4
  • 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 60 of 168 owner complaints (35.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Airbags (AIR BAGS): 60 complaints, 35.7% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 1 fire reports 60 · 35.7% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 26 complaints, 15.5% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 26 · 15.5% Engine (ENGINE): 11 complaints, 6.6% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 11 · 6.6% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 5 complaints, 3.0% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 · 3.0% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 · 1.8% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 3 · 1.8% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 3 complaints, 1.8% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 3 · 1.8% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 2 complaints, 1.2% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 2 · 1.2% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 1.2% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 fire reports 2 · 1.2% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 72 complaints, 42.9% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 72 · 42.9% 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) 60 35.7% 2 crashes · 1 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 26 15.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 11 6.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 3 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 2 1.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 1.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 72 42.9% 0 crashes · 0 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 Jul 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2018. 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2017-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2017-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2018-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2010 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 18V267000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V267000 Recall campaign 21V050000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V050000 Recall campaign 21V053000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V053000 Recall campaign 21V054000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V054000 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 21V050000 was reported 2,149 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V053000 was reported 2,149 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V054000 was reported 2,149 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 8
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 7
2016-Q2 Owner reports 8
2016-Q3 Owner reports 10
2016-Q4 Owner reports 13
2017-Q1 Owner reports 7
2017-Q2 Owner reports 7
2017-Q3 Owner reports 9
2017-Q4 Owner reports 18
2018-Q1 Owner reports 9
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 8
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 4
2019-Q2 Owner reports 5
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 2
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q2 Owner reports 4
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 2
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 18V267000
Recall campaign 1 21V050000
Recall campaign 1 21V053000
Recall campaign 1 21V054000
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 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 →

  4. Recall campaign 21V054000

    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 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. 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 N212328800.
    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 7 of 168 complaints · page 1 of 7
2026-08-21Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11758457
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2010 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V053000 (Air Bag). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he became aware that there was a crack on the top of the infotainment system on the dashboard. The contact stated that a month later, the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the recall repair. The vehicle was repaired, but there was a large hole approximately one to two inches in size on the driver's side dashboard near the defroster vent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,928.
2026-04-06Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 11729458
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact is an attorney who was representing a client who owns a 2010 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven at an intersection, the front end of the vehicle crashed into the side of another vehicle, where it came to a stop. The contact stated that the passenger side dash air bag ruptured, related to a Takata Inflator. The driver's side air bag deployed as well. The vehicle speed was undisclosed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. A police report was filed. Both the driver and passenger were injured in the accident. The injuries sustained were lacerations to the passenger's leg and hearing trauma to both the driver and passenger. It was unknown if the occupants of the other vehicle were injured. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
2025-12-11Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
NHTSA ODI 11704537
CrashFireInjuryDeath
With no warning truck just started jumping in neutral after take off from red light litterly almost getting hit from behind and on coming traffic and than I let off the gas pedal than it jerks back in gear and doesn’t want to stop and wants to jerk to keep moving like transmission won’t stop pulling had to turn truck off it is something electrical in transmission I can pull fuse and it resets than it’s normal till it decides to do it again I’ve got on line and notice there is a lot more of the same truck and year having same issue and people have complained also mechanical at dealer says they have had many complaints on same issue I need my truck fixed it gave no warning and is to dangerous to drive like it is
2025-10-23Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11695162
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Took truck in to have brake light checked to prepare for a trip. Got a call the next day from auto service center that the frame off the truck is completely rusted and that it was unable to be lifted up for service. They stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and that any hard bump, speed bump or over correction could cause the frame to fall out.
2024-07-30Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11605495
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Extreme frame rust and rot issues with this truck and many around this year they’re rotting away excessively
2023-09-07Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11543308
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Over the last 3 years we have had ongoing issues with our truck going into limp mode. We have spent thousands of dollars at dealerships and mechanics trying to troubleshoot the issue. Several occasions while trying to merge onto the freeway the truck would slip into limp mode causing us to have other drivers slam on their breaks almost hitting us. We had 2 cars in January of 2023 veer off the side of the road. We pulled over and thankfully they missed hitting one another. We just couldn't speed up to get out of their way. We cant believe their hasnt been a safety recall on the TCM for these trucks. GMC started doing Service bulletins in 2013 about the TCM causing the limp mode issues. There are dedicated facebook groups with over a 1,000 followers who are experiencing the same issues with these TCM's. Someone is going to die if they havent already. Several collisions, involving the years affected, are being re-investigated to determine why the vehicle slowed abruptly causing a fatal accident. A class action lawsuit is gaining momentum because GM will not do anything about the TCM.
2023-08-23Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11540416
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TCM. Yes it's available for inspection. It failed causing my truck to just lock the brakes up in the middle of the road almost causing an accident. Causing driver and passenger risk of Injury

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2010 GMC Sierra 1500?

Owners named Airbags most often — 60 of 168 reports (36%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2010 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 2010 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