GM recalls 2,819 Silverado and Sierra trucks due to airbag inflator issue

General Motors has announced a recall of 2,819 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks from the 2018-2019 model years in the United States. The campaign is registered with NHTSA under number 26V166 and has the manufacturer's internal code N262549710.

As experts at 32CARS discovered, the recall is related to a defect in the roof rail airbag inflator. In some cases, the inflator's end cap can detach or its housing can rupture, releasing compressed gas and fragments into the vehicle's interior.

This malfunction can increase the risk of injury to passengers, especially when the safety system deploys.

The recall affects Crew Cab versions of the following models: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500, as well as GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500. These vehicles were manufactured between October and November 2018 and are equipped with airbags from a single production batch supplied by Joyson Safety Systems.

The investigation was prompted by a report from an owner in February 2026 about a spontaneous rupture of the side airbag in an unoccupied, parked 2018 Chevrolet Silverado. After analysis, GM launched an internal investigation and decided to issue a recall for all vehicles with inflators from the same batch.

Dealers will replace the side airbag modules on both sides of the vehicle at no cost. Owner notifications will begin mailing out on May 4, 2026, and VIN numbers are available for checking starting March 19.