Just 1,559 trucks are covered, and the part in question is specific: the roof-rail air bag inflators in certain 2016 and 2017 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. General Motors told federal regulators on Sept. 24, 2026, that the end cap on the left- or right-side inflator may detach, or the inflator sidewall may rupture. The fix is new air bag modules on both sides of the cab, at no charge.
The recall does not tell owners to stop driving or to park outside. It does require a dealer visit: the repair is a parts replacement, not an over-the-air software update, and owner letters are not due until November.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall record for campaign 26V611 lists a report-received date of Sept. 24, 2026, and 1,559 potential units affected. It states the consequence plainly: “A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.” NHTSA files the component under side and window curtain air bag inflators.
Which Silverado and Sierra trucks are in campaign 26V611
The NHTSA record breaks the recall into eight model entries:
- 2016 and 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- 2016 and 2017 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500
- 2016 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500
Every entry shares the same summary, consequence and remedy text. NHTSA’s record flags this campaign as carrying no “park it” or “park outside” advisory and no over-the-air remedy.
What owners get, and when
The remedy language in the NHTSA record is direct: “Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge.” RRAB stands for roof-rail air bag. Owner notification letters “are expected to be mailed November 9, 2026,” per the same record. GM’s internal number for the recall is N262569920.
Owners do not have to wait for the letter to check a truck. The record says the vehicle identification numbers involved became searchable on NHTSA.gov on Sept. 24, 2026, through the agency’s recall lookup by VIN. The record lists GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
The 2021 recall on the same part
This is not the first time GM has recalled roof-rail air bag inflators on these trucks. NHTSA’s record for campaign 21V504 covers 410,019 potential units of 2015 and 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups. Its summary uses nearly the same language: “The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.” That remedy also replaced the left and right modules at no charge, with owner notification handled in phases in August 2021 and May 2022.
GM’s dealer bulletin for that earlier campaign, safety recall N202324251 on file with NHTSA, describes the problem as a possible “manufacturing defect that may result in inflator end cap separation or inflator sidewall split.” The new campaign reaches into the 2017 model year for Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 trucks, which the 2021 recall did not cover. NHTSA’s 26V611 record does not say whether any of the 1,559 trucks were also part of the earlier campaign.
The two records describe the same failure in the same words: an end cap that can separate, or a sidewall that can split, letting compressed gas escape and propel parts into the cab. What differs is scale. The 2021 campaign covered more than 410,000 trucks; the 2026 campaign covers 1,559.
The next fixed date is the one in the federal record: GM’s owner letters for campaign 26V611 are scheduled to go out on Nov. 9, 2026.
Top image: A 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, one of the model years covered by recall 26V611. Not a recalled vehicle. Image Credit: Kevauto — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.