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2012 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 107 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500, most often about the air bags (39% of complaints, typically around 73,000 miles). It is 27th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Air bags
42 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 73,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
There is a crack on the dashboard right beside the passenger airbag on the inboard side. As the driver, I am worried that a shard of plastic could explosively tear through my skull, killing me, in the event of airbag deployment. GMC needs to fix this potentially dangerous problem before someone gets killed!!!!
Dashboard is cracking around passenger-side airbag. The plastic is sharp and brittle, and I'm concerned that sharp shards of plastic would go everywhere if the airbag deployed. This is an extremely well-cared for vehicle that could pass for 'new condition' other than this dashboard issue.
Other or unspecified
36 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles.
Takata recall: a crack has appeared on the dash leading to the air bag on passenger side! My concern is that this may affect deployment of the air bag, and or cause pieces of dash to become shrapnel!
Got in the truck a year ago and noticed a crack in my dash above the instrument cluster, after further inspection I notice 2 more cracks both by the passenger airbag. This happened at around 55,000 miles. This vehicle was stationary at the time I noticed the cracks
Body and structure
21 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members, interior panels.
During normal vehicle operation (while driving on a state highway) the dashboard adjacent to the passenger air bag cracked. It is on the back left corner of the framework around the air bag cover on the windshield side. I do not store anything on top of the dashboard and always use an aluminized sunscreen protector in…
The dashboard is cracking. These cracks have happened when the vehicle has been parked. One is by the airbag cover, the other is on the instrument panel hood.
Electrical
8 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 141,000 miles. Parts named most often: propulsion system, instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the RPM increased while attempting to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm. The gear shifter was shifted to neutral to slow the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the…
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 70-75 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost electrical power for 30 seconds. The traction warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The dealer and…
Engine
7 complaints · 7%The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer thinking that it needed a tune up. The dealer diagnosed that the camshaft and uplifters needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the…
On 26mar2017 I noticed a ticking noise coming from my vehicle. I took it to the dealership 27mar2017 and was told that I needed a new flywheel. I wanted a second opinion because I have never heard of a flywheel going bad in my life. After speaking with a few mechanics we all agreed that it was not the flywheel. On…
Transmission
6 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 44,000 miles.
When vehicle starts moving foreward from a dead stop and when automatic transmission shifts from 1st gear to second gear there is a hard clunk.this has been happening since 15000 miles.when I bring to dealer ,they want to keep truck ,leaving me without vehicle.wife and I were on major hwy and had to shut vehicle down…
Transmission surges when gas pedal is pushed hard as in trying to engage kickdown or "passing gear". Speed is not a factor, it happens at low speed and higher speeds. Depending on speed, truck jerks suddenly and almost stalls out. Sometimes rear tires chirp.seems similar to the 8 speed transmission problems later…
Brakes
5 complaints · 5%On cold morning starts, front brake pads will engage rotor, and release very slowly. Then on a turn, front pads will engage, lock for a short time, and then slowly release. Seems like engine has to warm up before brakes act normal. After cold morning startup, before moving vehicle, if brake pedal is pumped repeatedly…
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the brakes functioned independently even when the accelerator pedal was applied. Also, the traction control warning indicator illuminated. The failure occurred approximately five times. The vehicle was taken to bill marsh automotive group (1621 s…
Suspension
4 complaints · 4%Parts named most often: rear.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the rear of the vehicle was tilting to one side. The contact stated that one of the rear springs detached from the vehicle. The dealer (baglier buick GMC, 248 pittsburgh rd, butler, pa 16001) stated that the vehicle did not have a recall. The dealer did…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 GMC Sierra 1500 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on may 11, 2021. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328770.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2012 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, silverado 2500/3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, sierra 2500/3500, yukon, and yukon xl originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." these vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (psan) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on may 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on january 24, 2022. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm'
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of al, ca, fl, ga, hi, la, ms, sc, tx, pr, as, gu, the mp, and vi or "zone a." additionally gm is recalling certain 2011-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, yukon xl and 2011-2013 cadillac escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, and gmc sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of az, ar, de, dc, il, in, ks, ky, md, mo, ne, nv, nj, nm, nc, oh, ok, pa, tn, va, and wv or "zone b." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2010-2014 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, sub
Equipment
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, instructing them to contact kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began june 11, 2018. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. Gm's number for this recall is 18146.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009-2014 chevrolet silverado hd and gmc sierra hd, 2009 gmc topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series and isuzu f series, and 2009-2018 chevrolet express, and gmc savana vehicles, equipped with certain plastic-handle fire extinguishers or push button 'pindicator' fire extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17e062-5427.pdf
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (42 complaints, typically around 73,000 miles); other or unspecified (36 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles); body and structure (21 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2012 a bad year for the GMC Sierra 1500?
- It is 27th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 107 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.