2012 Chevrolet Suburban: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 101 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is structure (28% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 101 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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 bushing holding the cable to transmission lever and my auto transmission shop and local chevy dealer have both told me the faulty cable connector gets brittle and breaks. No way to safely drive as I cannot move.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2024
“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 have the parts in stock now???”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2023
“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 would be the perfect time for GM to step up and fix this obvious flaw.”Owner report · Structure · Aug 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“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 was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2021
“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!”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“There are 2 large cracks on the dashboard one running longitudinally on axis of steering column and another spreading forward toward driver side on forward driver corner of passenger airbag cutout radiused corner. I was warned after I purchased vehicle that it was a safety hazard in event of airbag deployment. I am reporting the date as the date I purchased vehical but crack was present prior to that date for an undetermined period of time.”Owner report · Structure · Nov 2020
“Transmission failure< 150,000 miles!! Well maintained. Left us stranded on off ramp I-78.!!! Cracked dash electrical problem. Check engine light.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2020
“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.”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet suburban. The contact stated that while standing outside of the vehicle, the side curtain air bags deployed independently without warning, while the vehicle was idle. The contact manually deflated the airbags and the vehicle was driven to mcelveen buick gmc (117 farmington rd, summerville, sc 29483) where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not subjected to a recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 124,400.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2020
“The dash is cracked on the both windshield-edge corners of the passenger-side airbag cover and broken over the driver-side instrument cluster. The driver-side breakage has spread from the windshield inside edge to up and over the instrument cluster. It has been glued and patched but has continued to disintegrate and is now completely broken. This vehicle has been driven on road and highway. The dash has been cracking and breaking over a period of 5 years.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 3 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Suburban by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
NHTSA has 101 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban. The most complained-about area is structure (28% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Suburban problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 66,600 miles or less.
Does the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning steering:gear box:shaft pitman. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.