Three problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2008 GMC Sierra. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Driver side air bag exploded. The bag itself did not deploy. Just a loud explosion filling the cab with black smoke. Violent blast of air/smoke against the driver. Would have been very serious if not driving at low speed on a side road at the time.
The safety during a collision or airbag deployment from sharp plastic exposed due to the cracks in the dash cutting the airbag or shards of plastic becoming projectiles potentially causing injury to occupants. I just had a phone conversation with someone over at gm and they are going to contact the dealership regarding this issue. I explained to them this is a major safety concern. The cracks in the dashboard around the passenger side airbag compartment could compromise the integrity and deployment of the airbag and potentiality, cause greater injury to the passenger(s) in the event of an accident. I also noted to gm that my case is not an isolated incident, and that there are numerous forums and this facebook page where gm vehicle owners have posted pictures of defective dashboards all with similarities, showing cracks in the same general areas,many of whom have been expressing safety concerns regarding this dashboard design flaw.
My 2008 GMC dash is cracked in two places above the passenger side air bag. After searching on the internet this crack(s) are a chronic defect in the 07/08 general motors trucks and SUV's. No reason for these cracks, no impact, etc. . . There is a common concern the owners share that this defect could impact the deployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.