Airbag TroubleGeneral Motors has issued a recall over a familiar roof-rail airbag defect. Similar issues were addressed earlier this year under NHTSA 26V166 and its expansion, 26V325, but another batch of trucks is being pulled back. This time, 1,559 units of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Silverado HD, GMC Sierra 1500, and Sierra HD from model years 2016 and 2017 are involved.According to NHTSA 26V611, the involved trucks may have roof-rail airbag inflators with manufacturing defects, including a small crack in the inflator canister and a small amount of water remaining inside after washing. GM believes these defects could occur together, allowing stress-corrosion cracking to weaken the canister over time. If the inflator ruptures, compressed gas can escape and the end cap or other components can become projectiles inside the vehicle, potentially causing injury.GMCA Bang That Got AttentionThe issue was flagged after a 2016 Silverado 1500 owner called GM on July 20, 2026, describing a potential rupture of the left-side roof-rail airbag shortly after beginning to drive. Occupants reported ringing in their ears. On August 28, an inspection found an inflator sidewall split and damage to the headliner and vehicle roof. The automaker is not aware of any other inflator ruptures associated with the same inflator lot, and no other injuries were reported.As part of the remedy, affected owners will be asked to bring their trucks to dealers to have the left- and right-side roof-rail airbag modules replaced free of charge.For reference, the involved examples include two 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s, 292 2016 Silverado 2500s, 723 2016 Silverado 1500s, 33 2016 Silverado 3500s, two 2017 GMC Sierra 1500s, 33 2016 Sierra 3500s, 329 2016 Sierra 1500s, and 145 2016 Sierra 2500s. These trucks were produced between April 30 and May 11, 2016, with NHTSA estimating that 1% of the recall population has the defect.ChevroletThe Fix Is ComingGM expects to start notifying affected owners on November 9, 2026. In the meantime, owners can already look up their VINs to see whether their trucks are affected.Based on previous filings, this roof-rail airbag inflator defect has repeatedly affected third-generation Silverado/Sierra trucks. The fourth-gen Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 arrived for the 2019 model year, before the next-gen models were unveiled earlier this year. The MY2027 trucks are expected to reach dealers later this year, with GM reportedly taking extra steps to improve powertrain quality and durability following scrutiny over the outgoing 6.2-liter L87 V8.GMC