Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Chevrolet Silverado owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated her son was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle went off the roadway and hit a tree on the front end on the passenger side. The driver's side airbag deployed, however, the passenger side air bag did not. The contact recently received a recall letter from the manufacturer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that her son did not remember any warning lights being illuminated. The contact's son sustained back injuries and neck injuries as well as lacerations to his brows and forehead and eyes. The police arrived on the scene and wrote an incident report. The contact's son was driven to seek medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and declared a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. …
The contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, when he fell asleep and crashed into a pillar. The contact stated the air bag did not deploy. The contact sustained neck injuries but did not seek medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repairs. A dealer was not contacted. The VIN was associated to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (AIR BAG). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's and passenger's air bags deployed without warning, causing the front windshield to explode and damage the passenger's side dashboard. There was no impact to the vehicle that could have caused the air bags to deploy. The contact was not injured; however, his fianc e, who was a passenger, had bruises on her knees, legs, and arms, as well as burns and cuts on her legs. No medical attention was received. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V746000 (Air Bags) associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown rate, he fell asleep behind the wheel and hit a tree. The passenger-side air bag did not deploy upon impact; the contact stated that was uncertain if any other airbags were deployed in the crash. The police were called and a police report was filed. The contact's son was not injured and did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was towed from the scene by her insurance provider to an independent mechanic. The contact recently received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (AIRBAGS) which she linked to the failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had been destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the service air bag light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the service air bag warning light was not related to the recall and the dealer informed the contact that he would need to pay for the air bag repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. While at a stop light, another vehicle traveling approximately 50 MPH crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The dashboard was cracked approximately two to three inches in length. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V324000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy after being involved in a crash. The specifics of the crash were not available. A police report was filed and the driver sustained injuries to the head, the neck, and the back that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,687.
I was on my way home from work after working a very long day and I fell asleep at the wheel and went off the side of 225. All I remember was waking up in between trees about two feet away from sims bayou. My vehicle was totaled. No air bags deployed.
7:10 a.m. Tuesday morning, I hit black ice and lost control of my vehicle. I proceeded to slide uncontrollably across the road. I then hit a cliff with the front end of my vehicle, once I hit the the cliff my vehicle then flipped in the air and landed on the driver side of the vehicle. Once I had landed on the pavement, another vehicle came along proceeding at around 45 MPH. The vehicle proceeded to hit the hood of my vehicle. The driver hit my hood directly with the front end of his vehicle. During the whole incident, I had my seatbelt on. Also it was indicated that my air bags were one and functioning correctly. The vehicle itself was totaled and I sustained whiplash, a slight concussion, severe bruises and cuts, and also received a chipped tooth from hitting the steering wheel with my face.
Takata recall..I can't believe it's over a year and still no fix for my truck. Are you really serious. Someone died tonite on the news. What the hell is going on with your auto industry. A year, a year later and nothing.. Hope no one in my family is hurt or worse before you get off your butts and deal with this. What a disgrace to this country, an American car, yeah right. I want a fix and I want to know when this is going to happen. The service department says they can't do anything about the neglect on your part of this problem and say they're sorry. I want an answer to when this is going to be remedied. Please contact me soon!!
Airbag complaints in other Silverado years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the air bags of the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, 38% of the model year's 162 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Chevrolet Silverado airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado, though it has 1 recall 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 2008 Chevrolet Silverado airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 14 injuries and 1 death 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.