Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chevrolet Camaro owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving home and a truck overpassed me on a loose sand area causing me to have to make a sudden brake and my car due to the loose sand and rocks sing around and hit a power pole and the impact to the power pole that was on the corner bounced me car back and my car did a flip and it landed on its front bumper and ultimately rolled over 4 times down a hill and landed on all four tires during the impact front airbags did not deploy my whole entire front dash board exploded and fragments flew everywhere once my car festered to roll the side airbags dropped but did not inflate, at the moment that my car hit the pole my driver seat physically came out of place and and even with my seat belt on it throw me to my backseat and caused the seat belt to me twisted around me, this same issue was allegedly fixed by three way Chevy I had made a report during the time frame of June2023 when three …
When someone sits in the passenger seat the airbag light/alarm goes on and off. My mechanic said I would need to take it to the dealer. I called dealer and they would need to diagnose if it is the seat belt or the seat weight sensor. Can cost upwards of $900. I just can't afford that. They should recall since I've researched so many complaints on this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. While the contact was driving 35-40 MPH, the rear passenger side quarter panel of his vehicle was struck by a heavy truck. The contact's vehicle spun out of control, struck and ricocheted off a pickup truck, struck and ricocheted off a guardrail, and stopped in the middle of the road. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact stated that his lower back was sore; however, medical attention was not sought. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the insurance company had not determined if the vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. While driving 50 MPH, the front driver and passenger and side air bags deployed. The service air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
The passenger curtain side and driver side airbags deployed after making a sharp left hand turn out of a turnout upon trying to reenter the roadway. The tires lost traction for a brief moment and the airbags were deployed over my head on both the right and left side of the vehicle. The seatbelt pretensioners also actuated and tightened very hard. The cab was filled with white smoke and my vision was lost momentarily. I was traveling to words the roadway but managed to stop previous to entering the road. There was oncoming traffic and I was also burned and my neck very severely injured due to the nature of the violent explosion right next to my head. My left eardrum is also permanently ruptured due to this event. My vehicle was located on a mountan road in southern california highway 2. Had this happened in a corner on the actual roadway the consiquences May have been much more severe. …
Driving along 45 miles an hour with passenger ,when air bag chime started dinging.air bag light & chime would come on & off , with or without a passenger .requested an appointment with antelope valley Chevrolet ,explaining issue of air bag chime & light & also requested to have 50,000 service since my mileage was 48,296 & requested that brakes be inspected .since I live over 45 miles away I try to combine my services.was told at that time it would be an estimated 2 to 3 hour appointment.arrived at dealership 9a.m.on June 17th 2016.explained to service technician my issues with vehicle , was told it would take around 6 hours.was called by tech.at 10 a.m. …
On August 18th 2020. I was interested in buying this 2011 Camaro from ts auto sales in orlando florida. The salesman name is [redacted]. I asked him if there was any extensive damage to the vehicle? He said the driver side was hit and it was replaced. I asked him if there was anything else? He said no. After I purchased the vehicle. I later found out, that he was not being truthful with me. I looked the vehicle up, and found that the air bags had been deployed. Which is a major safety violation. I also asked him why the battery was being drained. He said it just need to be charged. I took the car to a steve's auto electric in clermont florida. The technician told me that the air bags needed to be replaced. At the cost of $3,500. This is a rebuild able title. …
Air bag sensor is always coming on and dings every few minutes....whether or not there is someone in the passenger seat or not, whether its in drive or in park, when it goes off, I turn the switch to disregard the notification and it comes on every few minutes....also, the evaporator core kit needs replaced, which is about $2000 and 20 hours of labor due to having to remove windsheild. Heater and defrost work fine but ac will not cool, smells funny inside the car and makes noise when you try to turn on A/C. Thankfully its fall.. No recalls but found lots of complaints on the A/C and 2011 Chevrolet camaros. The A/C started slowly getting less and less cool each day then the last day before it quit, the driver side wouldnt cool at all but the passenger side would. Put in refrigerant and it cooled for a couple more days then just quit cooling. …
Approaching a three-way intersection with a stop sign with intent to stop and turn right. Vehicle suddenly accelerated without accelerator input from driver. Driver was unable to brake/stop vehicle or effectively control steering/path of travel. Vehicle, according to state patrol, gains an estimated speed of 65 MPH through intersection and collides with embankment/mountain hillside. At this time, car became airborne to an estimated height of 28' and landed on front driver side of vehicle first. Front airbags failed to deploy upon impact. Driver sustained a serious tbi(traumatic brain injury) & concussion due to blunt force trauma to the head due to lack of airbag deployment. Owner still continues to suffer from side effects of the tbi injury and wants to notify the public that life-threatening issues exist with this vehicle. …
Around 60,000 miles, the "service airbag" warning was displayed alongside the airbag light on my vehicle. The warning is displaying at all speeds and whenever the vehicle is turned on. I am trying to sell the vehicle to purchase another vehicle but was told today at a local dealership that the value of my trade-in would be decreased by $2,000 due to this warning which would hamper me from being able to afford another vehicle. I am not able to afford this $2,000, so it seems as though I am driving around with a vehicle of which its airbags are not functioning. I am unsure what more I can do given there seems to be many others with unresolved concerns similar to this.
Airbag complaints in other Camaro years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro?
NHTSA has 69 complaints about the air bags of the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, 36% of the model year's 194 complaints. The component named most often is frontal › sensor/control module (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Camaro airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Chevrolet Camaro airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.