GM Recalls Two Popular Pickup Trucks Over Dangerous Airbag Flaw

GM has recalled thousands of units of its most popular pickup trucks for a serious defect in the roof rail airbag system. The issue impacts two of its most popular trucks, namely the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, from the 2018 and 2019 model years. In these specific trucks, the airbag inflator end caps can detach and release compressed air, potentially causing metal components to shoot into the cabin at high speed. GM says it can't rule out a sidewall rupture in the inflator, either, which only raises more safety concerns.

The recall came after a consumer complaint filed on February 10, 2026. That complaint was tied to a 2018 Silverado 1500 and described a rupture in the right-side roof rail airbag that happened while the vehicle was parked. An inspection confirmed that the inflator end cap had indeed separated. No additional incidents from the same production lot have been reported, but the company has moved forward with a broader recall to be safe. In total, approximately 2,819 vehicles in the United States are believed to be affected.

This latest recall is just another in a series of airbag-related issues for GM. GM recalled nearly 1 million vehicles for faulty airbags in 2023, and it also had to recall millions of vehicles due to Takata airbag issues in 2020. GM has not had a good few years, then, at least as far as these vital components are concerned. The vehicles involved in this March 2026 recall were produced between mid-October and late November 2018 at several GM manufacturing plants in Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. The automaker has traced the defect to the roof rail airbag modules it acquired from Joyson Safety Systems. These inflators sit along the left and right roof rails for both front and rear roof rail units.

What should you do if your vehicle has been recalled? In this case, GM is telling dealerships to replace both left and right roof rail airbag inflators in your Silverado or Sierra at no cost. The replacement parts will come from outside the faulty production lot and should effectively eliminate all the risks associated with the recall. Owner notification letters with more instructions should be mailed out by May 4.