Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chevrolet Traverse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This vehicle is notorious for multiple electrical failures. The alternator fried the battery fried, both of which were replaced. This vehicle still wouldn't start. The wiring harness to the PCM is notorious for having shorts. The pcm itself is notorious for going out really early. This vehicle is almost undrivable and it dies while you're in the middle of driving where you can't stop. I do not know how this vehicle has been kept on the market without being recalled. I do not know how more people haven't been in accidents because of it. And even worse, it's notorious for the airbags messing up. I think I would be more understanding if it weren't for the fact that this vehicle has been well maintained. It has regular maintenance. It's never overdue for an oil change or a fluid top up. I have children that ride in this vehicle and now I have to worry about their safety.
side curtain airbags deployed driving 70 mph on I94 outside of Monticello, MN after drifting onto the rumble strip. Upon turning back there was a loud bang from the side airbags deploying. The drivers side came down and hit my daughter in the side of the head, the passenger side didn't come down all the way missing my 86 year old Mom as she is 5 ft tall. My daugther by some miracle didn't panic and veer into other traffic lanes with other vehicles driving 70 mph. GM is denying a problem and insinuating that something other than defect caused the airbags to deploy, even though there is nothing but rumble strips on the section of road. They are blaming some minor scraps on the side of the vehicle that were existing on a 2011 Traverse.
Service air bag comes on as well as it won't detect if someone is in the passenger seat. I had this issue serviced at the dealership twice. The issue has returned both times. My vehicle is continuing to have this problem. Service for airbag repair on 12/18/2020 and on 12/10/2021. Problem returned and continues to this day.
I was turning on a green arrow from an on ramp. A woman in an large Ford van hit the rear door and quarter of my vehicle on the driver side sending us up and in a circle. We came down hard after a complete circle. The airbags did not deploy. OnStar did not work. My husband went to the hospital via ambulance and my mother and I received significant bruising. I hit my head so hard on the driver side window it threw my glasses into the passenger floor. I could not believe there was no airbag system as this was the reason I bought the vehicle for my family of 7. I called Chevrolet and was given all kinds of excuses. I argued several times with them. Later - we receive massive recalls on failed airbags! Thank you Chevy! Thanks a lot for a vehicle that has let us down over and over. I would never recommend a Chevy! …
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving 65 MPH on the highway, the driver fell asleep, veered off the road, and crashed into a tree. The side air bags deployed, but the driver's side and front passenger side air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver and front passenger sustained whiplash. Two child passengers experienced whiplash, bruises, and cuts. Another child passenger was shaken up and experienced low blood pressure. Another adult passenger sustained a fractured back and extensive medical treatment. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V118000 (air bags). The failure mileage was not available. ...updated 12/14/16
Service air bag message in display, codes u0170 lost communication with restraints system sensor a and b0081 passenger presence system erratic. This vehicle ran out of manufacture warranty 2-28-15. I diagnosed and repaired because of the car being out of warranty and the dealership wanting 140 some dollars just to get started. Safety recall campaign #14030 had been done on this vehicle by a Chevrolet dealer on 8-22-14. The front seats have to be loosened and raised up to perform the campaign. When this campaign was performed the locking tab for the wiring connector under the rf seat had been broken off and not secured in some way or replaced. This broken lock allowed the connector housings to slip apart gradually over time causing the wire terminal dis-connection un-safe condition I drove around with for about 9 months and 5000 miles. …
Several months ago OnStar notified me that I needed to take my vehicle in for service due to a warning that stated there was a problem with the airbag, I did take the car to the dealer and they did not find anything. During the last few days I keep getting a warning that says "service airbag." I went online to see if anyone else was having the same problem. Sure enough, over 30 people, and there could be a lot more, had reported the same type of problem that I am having. The "service airbag" warning light comes on while I am driving and stays on for hours, then it will go off, but come back on again. Sometimes it comes on and stays on before I leave the driveway. In some cases other owners stated that they had to pay more than $1,200 to have a repair done and then the problem appeared again. I bought the vehicle brand new and only have 45,000 miles on it. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while waiting at a traffic light, a vehicle crashed into the rear end and pushed the vehicle into an intersection. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain her. The contact sustained injuries to the chest, knee and a fractured hand. The police report was filed. The contact also stated that the air bag light illuminated three times prior to the failure however, the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure and as a temporary remedy reset the light. The contact also later received notification of NHTSA campaign id number 14V118000 (air bag). The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure was 45,000.
In late April of this year, driver and front seat passenger in 2011 Traverse were hit head on by another driver. The front impact was distributed relatively evenly to the front end of the vehicle, with the passenger side sustaining slightly greater damage. Both front-side airbags deployed. The driver side front airbag deployed. The passenger side front airbag did not deploy. Although two individuals were injured in the crash, the passenger sustained significantly more injures, was life flighted to hospital where she ultimately had to have her speen removed, among sustaining other injuries. I suspect this to be an issue with the airbag sensor, mechanism of airbag deployment, or other currently unknown defect.
While sitting at a stop sign my Traverse was hit on the driver's side by the tire and fender. The side air bag or front airbags didn't deploy. The vehicle that hit my Traverse had airbags that deployed. My wife was 4 months pregnant and didn't have proper protection of the multiple airbags this vehicle has. She injured her knee from banging into the dash board and caused great concern about the health of our unborn child. The sad part is now we receive a letter that our car is part of the recent side impact air bag recall on the Chevrolet Traverse. The reason why it didn't deploy in the accident is because of wire issues on the airbag system. Unsafe at any speed.
Related recalls
Air bags › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021.
Air bags › Side/window
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014.
Airbag complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the air bags of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, 7% of the model year's 608 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Traverse airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-246 (critical fasteners, Apr 8, 2021); NHTSA recall 14V-118 (side/window, Mar 17, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Chevrolet Traverse airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 32% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 21 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.