2016-2017 Chevrolet and GMC Recall: Air Bag Inflator Endcap May Detach

A customer called General Motors on July 20, 2026 to report that the left-side roof-rail airbag in a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 had apparently ruptured shortly after the truck was driven off. GM inspected the pickup on August 28 and found the inflator's sidewall split, with damage to the headliner and the roof. The occupants reported ringing in their ears.

GM filed campaign 26V611 with NHTSA on September 24, 2026. It covers 1,559 crew-cab Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups whose roof-rail airbags contain inflators from the same supplier production lot as the one that split.

The Issue

The roof-rail airbag is the curtain that drops along the side windows. Its inflator is a canister of compressed gas mounted on the roof rail above the headliner, one on each side of the cab.

On the recalled trucks, the end cap may separate from the inflator or the canister's sidewall may split. The gas then escapes, and the end cap or other components can be propelled into the cabin. GM's report on the Silverado mentions no crash.

GM believes the root cause relates to two potential supplier manufacturing defects occurring together: a small crack in the canister introduced during manufacturing, and a small amount of water left inside after the washing process. GM says the water allows stress corrosion cracking over time, which weakens the pressurized canister.

The filing lists Joyson Safety Systems of Valle Hermoso, Mexico as the component manufacturer. It gives roof rail airbag part numbers 23366022 and 23366021, and the recall takes in inflators from supplier lot B116B.

Affected Models

Model	Model year	Production dates	Units
Chevrolet Silverado 1500	2016	Apr 30 - May 11, 2016	723
Chevrolet Silverado 1500	2017	May 2, 2016	2
Chevrolet Silverado 2500	2016	May 4 - May 10, 2016	292
Chevrolet Silverado 3500	2016	May 4 - May 10, 2016	33
GMC Sierra 1500	2016	Apr 30 - May 4, 2016	329
GMC Sierra 1500	2017	May 2, 2016	2
GMC Sierra 2500	2016	May 4 - May 10, 2016	145
GMC Sierra 3500	2016	May 4 - May 10, 2016	33

The recall involves crew cabs only. GM's filing excludes regular cab and double cab trucks, along with trucks built with airbag modules from outside the supplier's suspect production window. GM used part traceability data to identify the 1,559.

Light-duty 1500 models account for 1,056 of them and the 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty trucks for 503. All were built within 12 days in the spring of 2016.

GM entered 1% as the estimated share of the population with the defect.

Chronology and Investigation

A GM investigator filed a report with the company's Speak Up For Safety program on July 21, 2026, the day after the customer's call. The initial inspection of the truck followed on August 28.

GM's Safety Field Action Decision Authority decided on September 17 to recall roof-rail airbags containing inflators from the same lot as the Silverado's. Dealers were notified on September 24.

The field for a related NHTSA recall number is blank in the report. NHTSA's records show an earlier GM recall of roof-rail airbag inflators in these trucks. 20V736, filed in November 2020 for 9,279 pickups from model years 2015 and 2016, was superseded in July 2021 by 21V504, which covered 410,019 trucks from the same two model years. The 2021 summary uses the same wording as this one, that the end cap may detach or the sidewall may rupture.

Reported Incidents

The Silverado is the only rupture GM knows of from this inflator lot. Its occupants reported ringing in their ears and no other injuries.

Remedy and Notification

Dealers will replace the roof-rail airbag modules on both sides of the truck at no charge. The replacement parts were produced outside the supplier's suspect window, and GM's bulletin lists them as one kit, part number 87838202.

Owner letters are expected to mail on November 9, 2026. VINs became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 24. GM's number for the recall is N262569920. Chevrolet customer service is at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC is at 1-888-988-7267.

The dealer bulletin tells dealers that initial parts availability is limited and that the repair is free regardless of the truck's mileage, age or ownership. Owners who already paid for a repair of this condition can request reimbursement through a dealer.

NHTSA's record carries neither a do-not-drive nor a park-outside advisory. GM's dealer notice says its records show none of these trucks in new inventory or in transit.

Symptoms to Watch For

The warning field of GM's filing is blank.

A loud bang from the roof with no crash. The one failure GM knows of from this lot happened shortly after the owner began driving.

Damage along the roof rail. GM found a damaged headliner and a damaged roof on the Silverado it inspected. A headliner that is torn or pushed out of place above the doors of a 2016 or 2017 crew cab is a reason to call a dealer before the letter arrives.

How Long Will the Recall Repair Take?

GM allows dealers 3.1 hours of labor to replace both modules. The bulletin also requires the cabin to be at 75 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler for 20 minutes before the work starts and for the whole repair, and it allows up to 0.3 hour more to cool a truck that arrives hot.

U.S. dealers are told not to deploy the removed airbags. Each one goes back to Joyson in Auburn Hills, Michigan in its own dedicated container.

Bottom Line

GM's 1% estimate works out to roughly 16 trucks, and the filing gives an owner no way to tell whether a given truck is one of them. The recalled trucks are 10 years old, and many have changed hands, so the November letter may go to an address the truck left years ago. The VIN lookup on NHTSA.gov has carried these trucks since September 24.

Find your Chevrolet Silverado recall information: https://www.chevrolet.com/ownercenter/recalls

Find your GMC Sierra recall information: https://www.gmc.com/ownercenter/recalls

One roof-rail airbag inflator split in a 2016 Silverado 1500 in July 2026, shortly after the owner began driving. GM recalled the 1,559 crew-cab trucks built with inflators from the same Joyson Safety Systems lot, B116B. The occupants reported ringing in their ears and no other injuries.

GM recalled roof-rail airbag inflators in 2015-2016 Silverado and Sierra trucks in November 2020 (20V736, 9,279 trucks) and superseded that campaign in July 2021 with 21V504 (410,019 trucks). GM's Part 573 for 26V611 lists no related recall number.