2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Tahoe years
- Fewer complaints than other years 23rd of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 178 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. That ranks 23rd out of 32 Tahoe model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (100 complaints, 56%), typically at around 69,000 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 1 fire, 10 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

- 178owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 8complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 100 | 56% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags problems | 61 | 34% | 74,000 | “passenger side” (30%) | — |
| Structure | 37 | 21% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 13 | 7% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 9 | 5% | 81,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 4% | 54,991 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 3% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 5 | 3% | 95,616 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 2% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 2% | 102,683 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 87,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 8,510 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 82,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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 module
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.
Electrical system:ignition
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the rear driverâs side and passengerâs side doors failed to open manually or while using the power door lock button. The contact was concerned because rear-seat occupants could be trapped and injured during a crash or a vehicle…
The AC in the front stopped working on and off but the AC in the back continues to work that's one warning a situation. The second is the oil light constantly shows low oil even when you get an oil change. The park tire pressure always moves back and forth to 40% to all the way down to 30.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be…
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to slow for a traffic light and the vehicle jerked while shifting into low gear. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal when the traffic light had…
My 2012 Chevy Tahoe Dashboard is completely cracked up. This seems to be a very common issue as I read online. I am very concerned about the Safety with the Dashboard being cracked in multiple areas. What do I need to do to get Chevy to replace this at no cost to me?
Other Chevrolet Tahoe years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tahoe | 27 | 3 |
| 2025 Tahoe | 49 | 1 |
| 2024 Tahoe | 68 | 3 |
| 2023 Tahoe | 228 | 5 |
| 2022 Tahoe | 192 | 4 |
| 2021 Tahoe | 456 | 16 |
| 2020 Tahoe | 57 | 3 |
| 2019 Tahoe | 107 | 2 |
| 2018 Tahoe | 105 | 3 |
| 2017 Tahoe | 174 | 4 |
| 2016 Tahoe | 256 | 8 |
| 2015 Tahoe | 658 | 14 |
| 2014 Tahoe | 90 | 3 |
| 2013 Tahoe | 233 | 4 |
| 2012 | 178 | 3 |
| 2011 Tahoe | 447 | 5 |
| 2010 Tahoe | 314 | 3 |
| 2009 Tahoe | 284 | 5 |
| 2008 Tahoe | 528 | 4 |
| 2007 Tahoe | 1,177 | 4 |
| 2006 Tahoe | 114 | 3 |
| 2005 Tahoe | 293 | 5 |
| 2004 Tahoe | 467 | 2 |
| 2003 Tahoe | 507 | 4 |
| 2002 Tahoe | 449 | 3 |
| 2001 Tahoe | 512 | 5 |
| 2000 Tahoe | 282 | 6 |
| 1999 Tahoe | 552 | 1 |
| 1998 Tahoe | 263 | 2 |
| 1997 Tahoe | 410 | 0 |
| 1996 Tahoe | 283 | 3 |
| 1995 Tahoe | 246 | 6 |
See all Chevrolet Tahoe 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 Tahoe?
Owners most often report unknown or other, air bags, structure problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 100 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Tahoe model years, the 2012 has 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.