Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I was involved in a head on collision in which my vehicle struck two vehicles. The first vehicle made an illegal left hand turn in front of my vehicle at a lighted intersection. I was traveling at an approximate speed of 50mph on a highway intersection (posted speed limit 55mph). The front driver's side of my vehicle struck the front driver's side of the first vehicle (black sedan pictured). My vehicle continued to strike a second vehicle (pickup in picture) that was stopped at the red light of the cross street. My side airbags deployed while the front airbag did not deploy. Should the front airbag have deployed? There were no serious injuries, which I am grateful for, but I want to make sure this doesn't happen to someone else. Crash report number 87-0070-87 in wood county ohio.
The service air bag light is always on. When it was purchased the light was off. It was taken in for service back to the dealer before the 30 day warranty was up due to radio issues (buzz) they worked under the back seat on a device and under the dash below the steering column to resolve. The sound returned and they replaced a part under the back seat. A few months later these new issues started. The service air bag light is always on recently the service stability control light has started. This is intermittent. Please advise. Fyi: there is a few bulletin boards where a lot of other people are experiencing the same issues.
I hit a guard rail at 67 MPH...spike with GMC and she notify me that my threshold (speed and impact) were not enough to set airbags off..really. .67 MPH..I was on a highway sweated to miss semi ..kicked it and it flew me in a circle and hit gaurdrail. .impact hit hard that they had to pry bumper off rail and car..frame went through radiator but no airbags deploeyed??? Trying to find lawyer no one will take xase????
The vehicle struck a pothole wile driving straight on a city street. The road was dry. The side impact airbags deployed on both the driver and passenger side with only the driver in the car. This has been reported to GM.
The contact owns a 2006 GMC Envoy. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
As I was driving down I-75 at 10:30 pm my headlights just randomly went off! I was driving approximately 70 MPH and I was in an area that had no lights alongside the road. I slammed on my brakes to attempt to move to the side of the road. After I slowed enough to move over, my headlights went back on. I was so shook up, I'm not sure if my rear lights went off as well. This type of incident happened again this past weekend and I had to pull to the side of the road and actually shut off the engine and re-start my car twice before my lights went back on.today, on my way to work, in the dark, just before I was pulling into our parking lot, they went off again. I also have noticed that when I press on the automatic window buttons, my lights dim and then brighten. Another issue is the dash light for the gas cap turns on and off randomly while driving the car. …
The contact owned a 2005 GMC Envoy. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, another vehicle driven by a drunk driver swerved into the front of the vehicle, causing a front collision. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact hit his face again on the steering wheel, but did not seek medical assistance. The contact's wife, who was occupying the front passenger seat and wearing a seat belt, was severely injured and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact's wife was diagnosed by a trauma surgeon. The contact's wife was diagnosed with a fractured right knee cap, right ankle bone chips and ligament damage, damaged left toes, a double bone bruise in the left knee, bruised seat belt mark. The contact's wife was hospitalized for 6 days and was admitted to a rehabilitation facility for 11 days. …
I purchased my envoy from a used car lot with no warning lights and no apparent safety concerns about 2 yrs ago other then what appeared to be a replaced front bumper cover and the vehicle was repainted the same color white, since then the brakes have intermittently not disengaged on one side or the other I believe it's the front brakes and seems to be worse after a longer drives and after bleeding the system the pedal would be firm and next day spongy feeling and going down rather far. Air bags did not deploy apon impact. It is available for inspiration although I am attempting to repair it after my accident the brakes are still as they were. I have tried both on as well as performance pads and rotors booster check valve and fluid replacement with no change. …
Related recalls (3)
Air bags › Frontal
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Remedy: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (GM) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in GM's letter to…
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
On certain Mini vans, passenger and sport utility vehicles, some of these vehicles have a driver's side air bag that May not deploy as designed. In addition, the air bag inflator could rupture.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, install a new driver's air bag. Owner notification began on March 11, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
Air bags › Frontal
Certain passenger, Mini vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace, if necessary, the air bag module assembly on the driver's side. Owner notification began August 15, 2002.
Frequently asked questions
Which GMC Envoy years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (41), 2003 (37), 2004 (30), 2005 (28) and 2006 (11) model years. Airbag complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for GMC Envoy airbag problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 06V-417 (frontal, Oct 31, 2006); 03V-051 (inflator module, Feb 14, 2003); 02V-222 (frontal, Aug 9, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do GMC Envoy airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 76,000 miles; 38% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (28 mentions), followed by the side/window (8).
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.