Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 6% | 6,000 miles |
| 2024 | 1 | 1% | 14,000 miles |
| 2022 | 1 | 2% | 8,000 miles |
| 2021 | 6 | 8% | 90,000 miles |
| 2020 | 1 | 1% | 26,000 miles |
| 2019 | 3 | 2% | 2,000 miles |
| 2018 | 7 | 4% | 4,000 miles |
| 2017 | 9 | 4% | 32,000 miles |
| 2016 | 10 | 1% | 40,000 miles |
| 2015 | 12 | 2% | 48,000 miles |
| 2012 | 9 | 21% | 76,000 miles |
| 2011 | 10 | 24% | 52,000 miles |
| 2010 | 4 | 14% | 90,000 miles |
| 2009 | 6 | 9% | 54,000 miles |
| 2008 | 14 | 17% | 59,000 miles |
| 2007 | 12 | 9% | 90,000 miles |
| 2006 | 17 | 7% | 65,000 miles |
| 2005 | 33 | 9% | 98,000 miles |
| 2004 | 29 | 8% | 97,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact's son owned a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while her son was driving on a county road at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently crashed into a tree 4-6 feet away from the road, and caught fire. No further information was available on the occurrence of the crash. The contact stated that the air bags may have failed to deploy. The fire was extinguished with the assistance of the fire department. The contact's son may have been pronounced dead at the scene. The contact's son was transported out of the vehicle with the assistance of emergency units and was airdropped to the hospital, where it was diagnosed that he sustained brain hemorrhage and third-degree burn on 65% of his body. The contact was unsure whether a fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop where it was totaled. …
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a crash after the contact fell asleep while driving 15 MPH. The vehicle came to a complete stop after crashing into a tree. The front of the vehicle was damaged. The contact stated that the air bags had not deployed. The contact sustained a fractured wrist and hand, burns to the neck from the seat belt and burns to the elbow from impact with the steering wheel. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000.
I was travelling at approximately 32 miles per hour when I rear ended a vehicle that was in front of me, the vehicle in front of me was stopped. The airbags did not deploy in my vehicle. Damage to the vehicle was substantial enough to declare the vehicle a total loss.
I had a car accident head on and my air bag did not go off I'm at the hospital but wonder why they did not go off vehicle was in motion going forty miles a hour rear end truck and air bag did not go off m59 and airport rd waterford mi
All the sensors seem to not be functioning correctly. Doesn't tell me the right measurements for the wheels, gas, over heating. Right front passenger door locks/unlocks when it wants. It chokes up when trying to accelerate. Theres a rattling noise that comes from under the car. First time I took it to the dealership, they stated it was a bolt that had come loose on the exhaust pipe. They placed a new one which lasted a year and a half and now its back to making the noise. I took it again to the dealership, this time they claimed they couldn't find anything. My airbag sensor keeps coming on constantly. My fuel sensor claims 116 miles one moments and 5 or 6 minutes later, it says I have 50 miles. My car was over heating and low on Anti-freeze, the car never notified it was over heating.
Key can't be removed when the truck is in park. Locks go up and down when vehicle is moving. Transmission stuck in 3rd gear. Stabilitrack and traction control indicator lights appear on dashboard. Exhaust brake and traction control switches don't work.
Performed a full pre-repair scan Health Check with the GM GDS2 scan tool. Fifty-three fault codes were reported through 11 modules via "Automotive electronics is one of the major problems in this areas. Understanding the control buses that have replaced wiring looms in vehicles. CAN bus is the most important of these - but many vehicles now use both CAN and LIN buses for cost reasons. Solutions for both areas. at this time-recommendations and fault codes are listed below. At the time of scan National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website was unavailable, and a recall search was unable to be performed. Per GM ADAS calibration recommendations, if an ADAS feature is affected by the collision repair, GM may recommend calibration of affected components after repairs are complete. Please refer to GM document 5577683. …
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light illuminated while the seat was not occupied. While driving at various speeds, the engine overheated. The coolant reservoir was empty, but there was no indication of a leak. The fan was operational, but the vehicle continued to overheat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about the operation of the fan. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Related recalls (4)
Air bags › Frontal
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017.
Air bags › Frontal
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured September 15, 2014, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured October 3, 2014, to December 9, 2014.
Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the driver air bag module inflator for proper alignment, replacing the air bag, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2015.
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 1, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver air bag connections may have been wired incorrectly.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (SDM), free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2014.
NHTSA investigations
Inadvertent front airbag deployment
All reports indicate inadvertent deployment during ignition start-up (key-on) and with the vehicle not in motion.reported injuries were minor and consist of skin abrasion and bruises.the incident dates ranged from July through November 2004.odi has received no additional reports since opening this investigation.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Colorado years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (33), 2004 (29), 2006 (17), 2008 (14) and 2007 (12) model years. Airbag complaints make up 9% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Colorado airbag problems?
Yes — 4 recalls, including 17V-621 (frontal, Oct 5, 2017); 16V-125 (frontal, Mar 2, 2016); 15V-157 (inflator module, Mar 18, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Colorado airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles; 39% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (10 mentions), followed by the frontal › sensor/control module (4).
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.