2012 GMC Sierra 2500: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 30 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (29% of complaints); the 2010 model year looks more trouble-free.
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 30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V051000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. .”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2024
“Truck is a diesel. Fuel pump blew up and died in the middle of the street. Now I'm being told the Fuel system needs completely re done and will cost me 10g. I also found a lawsuit for this issue as well.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2023
“Driving on the expressway around 60 mph when the truck went into limp mode slowing me down to 40 and then would not shift gears Tcm went out gm told me that there is a big problem”Owner report · Power Train · Mar 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“I received notice of a defective front airbag in February, 2021. As of now (about 7 months later) no action by GM to repair.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2021
“While traveling on the interstate at speed and passing slower traffic; engine power fell off, change fuel filter now, engine derate, and check engine lite, occured. I had to maneuver with no power through the traffic to get out of the travel lanes. I was then stranded on the interstate as the truck would not start. I was able to get a mechanic to come and change the fuel filter on the side of the highway, but the truck would not start. The truck was eventually towed to a shop where it was diagnosed with a catastrophic failure of the fuel pump (diesel motor driven pump).”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Oct 2020
“Fuel filter housing contains a primer pump. Needed for a diesel. Seals within that pump failed allowing air into the system. Vehicle is 8 years old and only has 67k miles on it. This caused the motor to quit while in motion. In yellowstone park.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Sep 2020
“Dash is cracked near passenger side air bag, if deployment were to happen shrapnel will fly throughout the cab. Ive seen the same issue on numerous other vehicles of the same generation.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2019
“Well I keep driving my truck. And my airbag light is on. So there for if I get hit they not going to come out and protect me. And I'm having bad issues with my ball joints. On my 2012 gmc 2500 hd. I've put 2 sets on them. And I've only had it a year. You gotta do something about that.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2018
“Driving east bound on i70 coming into denver. Truck shut off with no warning at 80mph on steep downhill grade causing loss of all power facilities in the truck. No brakes, no power steering. I endangered the lives of every single person on the road thanks to this failed fuel pump. Further investigation shows bosch (the pump manufacturer) had instructed gm to use a lift pump on this item and they have disregarded that recommendation leaving people in danger of serious injury or death. This item needs a recall and gm is refusing to do so because this occurrence renders the truck in need of 13k+ I'm repairs. Shame on gm and shame on NHTSA for not doing their job.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2012 gmc sierra 2500. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle jerked, stalled, and lost power. The transmission warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to courtesy buick gmc lafayette (4750 johnston st, lafayette, la 70506 (337) 504-7342) where it was diagnosed that the torque converter blew apart and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that no warranty or recall was associated with the VIN. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sierra 2500 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 GMC Sierra 2500 reliable?
NHTSA has 30 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2012 GMC Sierra 2500. The most complained-about area is air bags (29% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 68,500 miles or less.
Does the 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. 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.