2012 Chevrolet Suburban problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (19) · Engine (9) · Air Bags (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Suburban model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
84 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
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
Electrical System:ignition 2014-12-30 · campaign 14V827000 · 84,192 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Steering:gear Box:shaft Pitman 2012-03-22 · campaign 12V112000 · 6,159 vehicles
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET EXPRESS AND SUBURBAN VEHICLES, AND GMC SAVANA AND YUKON XL HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES. THE STEERING GEAR PITMAN SHAFT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY HARDENED AND COULD FRACTURE.
Risk: IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, A LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING GEAR AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR PITMAN SHAFT. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 4, 2012.
Service bulletins (1,700)
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 2026-05-04 · PIT6247B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates direction to find information at www.gmupfitter.com for police and special service vehicles.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,700 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-08-12 · Power Train · 💥 crash“my auto gear shift disingaged from the transmission the car started moving as i was trying to get into the driver seat with driver door catching the tree limbs and opening the door and me holding onto the inside door handle brooke and i fell onto the ground when the car stopped by backing over the curb and hitting another tree. there is a bus…”
2023-07-11 · Air Bags“this is a recall took my 2012 surburban to dealership in leavenworth, ks they had vehicle for two weeks did not fix the airbag that is under recall they stated could not get parts for it. so what is the problem with our government system in place to fix these problems but the gm dealership is not fixing the air bag nor do they call and state they…”
2022-08-19 · Structure:body“my dash on my 2012 suburban cracked within 4 years of its manufactured date and it just keeps getting worse. if there were an accident it is so dry and cracked it will through hard plastic into the driver and passengers. i know of many other same and similar year models that have the same issue. now that there is a passenger-side airbag recall wou…”
2021-08-31 · Structure:body“dashboard is cracking. i understand the class action was dismissed. but this is so unfair that the customers have to pay to fix for problem caused by material problem. …”
2021-06-03 · Air Bags“takata recall. the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet suburban. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v051000 (air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the local dealer was contacted and it wa…”
2021-04-28 · Air Bags“i was sent a safety recall form & still haven't been notified that parts are available. i am worried because we use our family car a lot. thank you!…”
2021-03-30 · Structure:interior Panels:dashboard · 200,000 mi“cracked dashboard in several areas…”
2021-03-09 · Unknown Or Other“we received an important safety recall to replace the airbag inflator (nhtsa recall number 21v051). after taking our vehicle to the dealer, we were told that if we want the recall then we have to pay to replace our dashboard (over $1,000). the dashboard has a crack which is a common and well-known defect of gm chevrolet trucks from 07-14, but it …”
2021-03-01 · Unknown Or Other · 147,000 mi“transmission failure< 150,000 miles!! well maintained. left us stranded on off ramp i-78.!!! cracked dash electrical problem. check engine light.…”
2021-01-21 · Air Bags · 125,000 mi“the airbag error indicator on the dash activates frequently, especially after driving several hundred miles in one day. when the error message is activated, the backup camera image is pixilated. it does not do it when the vehicle is in park. chevrolet service technicians have been unable to recover the error code or replicate the error message. thi…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.