CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2012 GMC Sierra 2500

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

30

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

5

Injuries

1

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 have filed 30 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2013 and February 2025. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 8 of them (27%). The typical failure was reported at 67,000 miles, the median across the 21 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle. A further 1 defect investigation is open and unresolved.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

21V054000 · February 5, 2021

The defect
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, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." 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.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 1,778,128 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

21V051000 · February 5, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 284,645 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT

18V267000 · April 26, 2018

The defect
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
The risk
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The 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.

General Motors LLC · up to 6,154 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

EA21002

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021

the air bags

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 substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 30.

AIR BAGS 8 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 23%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 17%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 13%
POWER TRAIN 4 13%
STRUCTURE 4 13%
ENGINE 3 10%
SUSPENSION 1 3%
TIRES 1 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 3%
WHEELS 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 6.

2013 2017 2025
2013 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 death · 4 injured · crash · 33,000 miles

A MULTI-CAR COLLISION HAD OCCURRED AT A CONSIDERABLE SPEED. (SADLY A DRIVER HAD LOST A LIFE IN THIS ACCIDENT) THIS COLLISION ENTAILED A VERY LARGE COMMERCIAL TRUCK BEING HIT HEAD ON, BY A VEHICLE TRAVELING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.( THIS 2ND VEHICLE BEING A VAN) AFTER THIS SEVERE IMPACT WITH THE LARGE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE, (WHICH CREATED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THIS VEHICLE, REMOVING THE FRONT AXLE) THE VAN PROCEEDED BEING RICOCHET OFF THE LARGE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE, AROUND IT, BACK INTO MY ONCOMING LANE. THIS RESULTED IN A FRONTAL DRIVER IMPACT HEAD ON WITH THE OUT OF CONTROL VAN. UPON IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG OF MY VEHICLE PARTIALLY INFLATED, THEN RAPIDLY DEFLATED. THUS THE AIRBAG NEVER

NHTSA complaint 10640981, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · 30,000 miles

CHROME INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. CHROME PLATING IS COMING OFF AND IS SHARP. CUT MY FINGER OPENING THE DOOR. RESEMBLES A PAPER CUT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY ARE REPLACING HANDLE. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10558434. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I'm following up on tracking number 11642264 that was submitted on Feb 12th for my 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD ignition lock issue that fits the profile for a current recall . I haven't heard anything and am checking on the current status. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11644587. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2012 GMC Sierra falls under recall number 14V827000 Ignition lock activator by year, make and model, but not by the VIN number. I called the GMC 800 number and they indicated that the NHTSA issues the recalls not the manufacturer. I then called the NHTSA and they indicated that the manufacturer issues the recalls. I just need to have VIN number [XXX] added to recall number 14V827000. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11642264. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V051000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. .

NHTSA complaint 11624777. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

126,393 miles

Driving on the expressway around 60 mph when the truck went into limp mode slowing me down to 40 and then would not shift gears Tcm went out gm told me that there is a big problem

NHTSA complaint 11542551. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Truck is a diesel. Fuel pump blew up and died in the middle of the street. Now I'm being told the Fuel system needs completely re done and will cost me 10g. I also found a lawsuit for this issue as well.

NHTSA complaint 11541273. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Failed TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (24256861). While driving in the early morning hours (darkness) taking my child to school, I was navigating through a busy intersection when the vehicle surged and then made a loud metal on metal sound, feeling as if someone had struck me from behind. At that point the power train became inoperable, stranding us and coming very close to being first, struck from behind and then from cross traffic. The vehicle was/has been inspected by a GM technician at Starling Chevrolet, St Cloud, FL and the TCM was found to have failed (trouble code U0101, lost communication with TCM). It has been at the dealership for going on four months awaiting the production of a

NHTSA complaint 11536038, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Sierra 2500

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 9 1
2024 98 3
2023 31 1
2022 42 3
2021 51 6
2020 73 9
2019 32 7
2018 35 5
2017 37 6
2016 59 5
2015 89 6
2014 30 2
2013 46 3
2011 63 4
2010 10 5

Other 2012 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 144 vehicles, 425 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst