2012 GMC Yukon Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Yukon years
- Fewer complaints than other years 26th of 33 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 63 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Yukon. That ranks 26th out of 33 Yukon model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (35 complaints, 56%), typically at around 66,002 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

- 63owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 GMC Yukon 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 | 35 | 56% | 66,002 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 17 | 27% | 60,660 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 22% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 5 | 8% | 122,250 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 6% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 5% | 68,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 5% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 3% | 105,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% | 175,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 2% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 2% | 140,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 GMC Yukon 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 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that the radiator and the water pump were previously replaced due to an overheating failure. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine made a knocking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to…
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that years ago, the engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine. Recently, after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the engine. The banging sound continued, and the vehicle shut off without warning. Due to the…
Driving on loop 20 overpass on Hwy 59 in Laredo Texas suddenly the engine lost power and started to skip and miss fire while a loud tapping noise was generated, due to the loss of power and skipping, alarms showed in the main console requiring immediate service to the engine, traction and braking…
Yesterday while unloading the rear of our 2021 GMC Yukon Denali the tailgate came down on me without warning and with force. I googled to see what might have caused this to happen and it stated that the struts might be worn out. (I am having that checked out today) Fortunately, I am a 6 foot 220…
Dashboard cracked, afraid that if airbag deploys shards of dashboard will come flying at both driver and passenger. It started as a little crack, than expanded across the entire dashboard
Other GMC Yukon years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Yukon | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 Yukon | 41 | 3 |
| 2025 Yukon | 56 | 2 |
| 2024 Yukon | 106 | 3 |
| 2023 Yukon | 244 | 4 |
| 2022 Yukon | 183 | 5 |
| 2021 Yukon | 337 | 13 |
| 2020 Yukon | 36 | 4 |
| 2019 Yukon | 55 | 2 |
| 2018 Yukon | 69 | 3 |
| 2017 Yukon | 196 | 3 |
| 2016 Yukon | 270 | 5 |
| 2015 Yukon | 529 | 10 |
| 2014 Yukon | 56 | 3 |
| 2013 Yukon | 117 | 4 |
| 2012 | 63 | 3 |
| 2011 Yukon | 158 | 5 |
| 2010 Yukon | 105 | 3 |
| 2009 Yukon | 94 | 5 |
| 2008 Yukon | 187 | 4 |
| 2007 Yukon | 428 | 4 |
| 2006 Yukon | 27 | 2 |
| 2005 Yukon | 85 | 3 |
| 2004 Yukon | 159 | 2 |
| 2003 Yukon | 204 | 4 |
| 2002 Yukon | 158 | 3 |
| 2001 Yukon | 197 | 6 |
| 2000 Yukon | 166 | 6 |
| 1999 Yukon | 204 | 1 |
| 1998 Yukon | 80 | 2 |
| 1997 Yukon | 133 | 0 |
| 1996 Yukon | 70 | 3 |
| 1995 Yukon | 90 | 6 |
See all GMC Yukon problems by year, every GMC model, or the GMC VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 GMC Yukon?
Owners most often report unknown or other, air bags, structure problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 35 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 GMC Yukon?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 GMC Yukon a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Yukon 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.