2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (44) · Engine (20) · Structure:body (19)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Silverado 1500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
122 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V051000 · 284,645 vehicles
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
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
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles
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
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 1-8
Service bulletins (1,064)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-16 · PIT6400A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform 19-na-255: wax coating on frame peeling, metal shows corrosion/rusting due to issue with getting product from current supplier listed in the bulletin.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,064 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-28 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“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 one that popped on me appears to be orange. informa…”
2026-07-13 · Unknown Or Other“severe frame rot on driver side beneath the cab. just noticed it today july 13, 2026.…”
2026-07-02 · Unknown Or Other“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 straps to attach to. are there many cases of the frame …”
2026-04-22 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 146,250 mi“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 accelerator pedal failed to release. the brake pedal w…”
2026-02-09 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 230,925 mi“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 and at the time of registration, it was discovered t…”
2026-01-18 · Unknown Or Other“dash is cracked in several places…”
2025-07-14 · Power Train“i got the code p2138 and i’ve had it inspected and throttle body and accelerator pedal assembly replaced. the problem is still not fixed. i lost power driving to work and heavy vibration and shaking. if i pull out in a turn and someone is coming up fast and this happens again it reduces my engine power and could cause a crash. problem has been conf…”
2025-05-21 · Structure:frame And Members · 139,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that the frame of the vehicle was significantly rusted, and the contact did not feel safe driving the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the frame was inspected. the dealer informed the contact that the frame needed to be replaced; however, the repair fee would su…”
2025-05-07 · Unknown Or Other“i have been shopping for a truck for a little over a year now specifically a 2012 chevy silverado. to date everyone i found has frame and body rust but the frame rust is so bad that most aren’t safe to drive. …”
2025-03-29 · Engine“ i have a severe engine stall at slight acceleration it feels like the tires are going to lock up or break something in the drive train dealer says my complaint is normal…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.