2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 216 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Silverado 1500 years
Far fewer complaints than other years 28th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
4 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 216 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. That ranks 28th out of 32 Silverado 1500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (73 complaints, 34%), typically at around 64,500 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 1 fire, 6 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Unknown or Other73 · ~64,500 mi
Air Bags59 · ~68,000 mi
Structure35 · ~50,493 mi
Engine25 · ~93,353 mi
Electrical System21 · ~92,500 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)10 · ~69,000 mi
Power Train10 · ~119,000 mi
Suspension9 · ~112,800 mi
Service Brakes7 · ~87,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion System6 · ~140,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Unknown or Other7334%64,500——
Air Bags problems5927%68,000“takata air bags” (19%)—
Structure3516%50,493——
Engine2512%93,353——
Electrical System2110%92,500——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)105%69,000——
Power Train105%119,000——
Suspension94%112,800——
Service Brakes73%87,000——
Fuel/propulsion System63%140,000——
Exterior Lighting52%100,000——
Steering42%80,000——
Vehicle Speed Control31%146,000——
Seat Belts21%51,257——
Tires21%———
Visibility/wiper21%56,686——
Child Seat10%———
Seats10%31,213——
Service Brakes, Air10%125,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic10%42,000——
Wheels10%70,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 38 complaints
2016: 382016382017: 222017222018: 292018292019: 192019192020: 202020202021: 312021312022: 132022132023: 152023152024: 162024162025: 7202572026: 620266

n = 216 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls (2)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V051000 · 284,645 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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's number for this recall is N212328800.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
  • Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

My husband picked me up from work in [XXX] we went over a very icy bridge the truck spun around and hit the guard rail on the bridge the airbags popped and broke two of my ribs I went to the hospital it was very painful I had to lose out on several days of work. I have pictures of the airbag the…

Air Bags · received Aug 28, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11760233

Severe frame rot on driver side beneath the cab. Just noticed it today July 13, 2026.

Unknown or Other · received Jul 13, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11750169

I noticed the gas tank was listing to one end and not level. I noticed one of the tank straps had rusted away and I took the truck to a mechanic to replace the strap. The mechanic showed me that practically the majority of the frame was rusted away. There was nothing substantial enough for the…

Unknown or Other · received Jul 2, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11747867

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and stopping at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the accelerator pedal became stuck, and the engine unexpectedly revved to 5,000 RPM. The contact stated that the…

Vehicle Speed Control · received Apr 22, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11733013

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While the vehicle was being registered with the Department of Motor Vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was approximately 141,000…

Electrical System · received Feb 9, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11716826

Other Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years

← 2011 Silverado 1500 · 2013 Silverado 1500 →

See all Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

Owners most often report unknown or other, air bags, structure problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 73 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Silverado 1500 model years, the 2012 has far fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.