2012 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems and Recalls (107 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 is Airbags (22% of 107 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 107 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500?

24 of 107 filings named Airbags (22% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Body / frame (15 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2011 has 281 reports on file; this year has 107. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  3. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  4. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Airbags. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Airbags 24 complaints · 22.4% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
All GMC Sierra 1500 years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Airbags (AIR BAGS) appears in 24 of 107 owner complaints (22.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. Airbags (AIR BAGS): 24 complaints, 22.4% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 24 · 22.4% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 15 complaints, 14.0% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 15 · 14.0% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 6 complaints, 5.6% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 6 · 5.6% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 5 complaints, 4.7% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 5 · 4.7% Engine (ENGINE): 4 complaints, 3.7% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 4 · 3.7% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 · 2.8% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 1.9% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 · 1.9% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 2 complaints, 1.9% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 · 1.9% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 2 complaints, 1.9% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 · 1.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 56 complaints, 52.3% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 56 · 52.3% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 24 22.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 15 14.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 6 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 5 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 4 3.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 2 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 56 52.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 2016; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2018. 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2016 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 18V267000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V267000 Recall campaign 21V051000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V051000 Recall campaign 21V054000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V054000 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 21V051000 was reported 1,653 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V054000 was reported 1,653 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 11
2016-Q4 Owner reports 5
2017-Q1 Owner reports 8
2017-Q2 Owner reports 4
2017-Q3 Owner reports 5
2017-Q4 Owner reports 6
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 5
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 2
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q2 Owner reports 5
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 5
2022-Q1 Owner reports 4
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 4
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 18V267000
Recall campaign 1 21V051000
Recall campaign 1 21V054000
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.

  1. Recall campaign 18V267000

    Safety recall 18V267000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 21V051000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 21V054000

    Airbags

    Report date
    Component:
    Airbags (AIR BAGS)
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    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's number for this recall is N212328800.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 5 of 107 complaints · page 1 of 5
2026-08-11FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEUnclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11756257
CrashFireInjuryDeath
June 29, 2025, Driving on the St. Francis loop in Amarillo, TX, brake lights start flashing, the warning sounds happening, no brakes. I had already slowed down to 35-45 mph due to road construction ahead. I weaved through the cones and as soon as possible, hit the ditch and then coasted to a stop. (I didn’t think about the emergency brake, in my panic.) I turned the vehicle off and called my husband. I decided that I wasn’t pulled over far enough over in the ditch, so I started the pickup again. The lights and warning signals for the brakes were gone and when I pressed on the brake pedal, there were brakes again. I drove home at 35 mph, knowing I could use the emergency brake at that speed, if needed, and had brakes all the way home. GMC Bender repaired truck. After driving approximately 3 miles since repaired, our daughter took the truck to Grease Monkey. She was at the garage door; employee said the pickup didn't need an oil change. She backed out and didn’t have brakes (no warning lights or sounds) and as the truck continued backing, it hit the Grease Monkey sign at the east end of their lot and broke it, knocked the sign over. An employee walked over to see what happened, she told him that she didn’t have brakes. He sat in the pickup seat and pushed on the brakes and said, yes, you don’t have brakes! The police were called, and the officer who showed up took pictures, gave us his card, talked with my husband and talked to the Grease Monkey boss. August 6, 2025, I called GMC Bender Service Department (11 mins. 8 secs.) I told them what had happened. They sent a tow truck to bring the pickup back to their shop. September 16, 2025, my husband texted me saying GMC Bender said that the pickup shows another EBS Modulator Fault. No new parts… used one would be $1293 installed. A week to get it here, no guarantees. There's more details, but the vehicle cannot be repaired to guarantee brakes will work properly. Please help us know what to do next.
2026-05-22Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11739589
CrashFireInjuryDeath
They should be responsible for repairs or replacement of the cheap made frames that rust away so fast so u ain’t gotta worry about your truck fallling apart going down the rd and the lower control arms made of cast that rust from inside out and you don’t know until breaks while driving along with camber adjustments where they can throw alignment out with a single bump. Mostly the frame replacement is major always having to plate frame or check to make sure it will be able travel long trips or haul stuff in bed or a trailer with breaking or falling off truck causing wreck frame repair is major and time consuming if you don’t have proper stuff and definitely expensive and lower control arms that’ll make a wheel come real fast and it’s time consuming and expensive too but very dangerous and breaks and causes damage right then and there at high or low speed on highways or interstates
2026-01-15Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11711216
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, especially between second and third gears. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine felt as though the engine mounts were inoperable. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the vehicle resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
2025-08-21Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11682085
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 111,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 243,000. The Carfax Report indicated that the vehicle was serviced at 149,000 and 179,000 miles, then registered at 149,000 and 179,000 miles on August 8, 2024. The contact had filed a police report with the Dillon Police Department -Special Ops Police Department.
2025-04-03Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11652682
CrashFireInjuryDeath
P0521 has been addressed/replaced almost nine (9) times. “Low Oil Pressure-Stop Engine” is another one that is not completely functional. The truck is using oil but we cant find evidence of leakage. Services performed at dealership or certified shop. Troubleshooting was performed, Im told. I cant vouch for the quality of the workmanship. This should not be an issue at this mileage 100,100 ohe hundred thousand miles and oil components going bad is not good. GMC has sold me a truck that needs a new engine component. Please help. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500?

Owners named Airbags most often — 24 of 107 reports (22%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources