Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 8% | 35,000 miles |
| 2017 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2016 | 2 | 2% | 6,000 miles |
| 2015 | 4 | 6% | 11,000 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 2% | 9,000 miles |
| 2013 | 10 | 12% | 11,000 miles |
| 2012 | 10 | 18% | 12,000 miles |
| 2011 | 10 | 12% | 15,000 miles |
| 2010 | 14 | 17% | 30,000 miles |
| 2009 | 15 | 10% | 24,000 miles |
| 2008 | 24 | 4% | 37,000 miles |
| 2007 | 26 | 8% | 36,000 miles |
| 2006 | 14 | 4% | 35,000 miles |
| 2005 | 44 | 8% | 36,000 miles |
| 2004 | 4 | 2% | 88,000 miles |
| 2003 | 3 | 4% | 35,000 miles |
| 2001 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2000 | 4 | 1% | 46,000 miles |
| 1998 | 3 | 1% | — |
| 1996 | 1 | 2% | — |
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 computer isn't allowing me to check off the other issues. The brakes were the other thing that couldn't be checked off. The vehicle went off the road and the brakes locked and now the vehicle is totaled. Had I been notified about these recalls this would not have happened.
Previous claim w/NHTSA was filed on wrong vehicle. I am filing this complaint so that it can be associated to the correct vehicle. I was in a passenger side and rear collision resulting in serious injury and permanent impairment which resulted in a total loss of the vehicle and multiple surgeries as well as prolonged and continued impairments and care. I was struck in the passenger side door by a truck crossing 3 lanes into my 4th lane as i sat idol at a stop light, the extreme impact blew holes in the side walls of my tires. i was pushed me into the median in which i ricocheted off of and was hit a second time by the same truck tearing into the hatch and bending the frame of the vehicle declared a total loss. not one of the airbags deployed and the seat belt failed to restrain me. …
Passenger side air bag module will not arm the air bag system when any person sits in the seat. Have made multiple attempts to purchase the air bag presence module since June of 2022. Once with dealer, could not get the part, and two more times online. Each time I am told the part is on back order and they have no timeline as to when the part will become available. So I have a $86,000 Corvette that my wife or son cannot ride in because the air bag sensor is faulty.
1. Strong fuel smell when the car is parked in garage. Believe it is coming from top of driver's side fuel tank. Vapor is so strong I'm afraid it will explode. Doesn't matter if tank is full or empty. 2. Seat belt air bag warning light is on in the driver's cluster unit. Car only has 35,000 miles. Don't think this is safe. Will need it checked out ASAP at dealer.
The air bag warning light comes on and off at various times. Sometimes it stays on and other times it goes out after a while. If i shut the car off and wait a few then when restarted it goes out Sometimes it stays off other times it comes back on. This appears to be a common problem on this generation Corvette from what I have been reading
Airbag light intermittently comes on and goes off whilst driving. Per GM, they will not say whether the airbag will or will NOT deploy while the light is on. There is a TSB for the issue, but it only last 10 years past the in-service date. When safety is affected, there should be no limit on time to have remedied.
Air bag light in dashboard seemingly randomly turns on and off while driving and is usually on indicating an issue with the air bag system. To begin with the light was only intermittently on but over time it has reversed and now the light only turns off intermittently.
The air bag light on the dashboard appears during vehicle acceleration, while in motion, indicating that the air bag system is no longer functioning. To add insult to injury, I brought the vehicle to gordon Chevrolet (address below) for service. The dealer changed the front impact sensors of the vehicle at my cost. Upon receiving the vehicle back, it immediately reported that the airbag system was still not functioning correctly (air bag light). To this date the dealer refuses to acknowledge the issue, would not refund me for misdiagnoses and will not return my phone calls regarding a remedy to the issue. Gordon Chevrolet [phone] 1166 blanding blvd, orange park, fl 32065
Related recalls (5)
Air bags › SRS malfunction warning lamp/light
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag…
Remedy: The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021.
Air bags › Air bag/restraint control module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vehicles. Hard braking or acceleration may cause the sensing diagnostic module (SDM) to enter a fault state. As a result, the SDM will not provide crash sensing or deploy the necessary air bags in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles manufactured August 20, 2014, to August 27, 2014. In the event of a driver frontal air bag deployment, the driver air bag module back plate may fracture, allowing the driver air bag to separate from the steering wheel.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag, free of charge. The recall began on October 29, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Air bags
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles manufactured November 20, 2013, to March 25, 2014, and equipped with optional sport seats. The seats do not meet internal specifications for injury protection in relation to an unbelted young child.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's side impact air bag, free of charge. The recall is began in early August 2014.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Corvette years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (44), 2007 (26), 2008 (24), 2009 (15) and 2006 (14) model years. Airbag complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Corvette airbag problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 21V-421 (srs malfunction warning lamp/light, Jun 10, 2021); 18V-360 (air bag/restraint control module, May 31, 2018); 17V-437 (sensor/control module-inactive, Jul 10, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Corvette airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 32,000 miles; 79% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (7 mentions), followed by the on-off switch assembly (1).
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.