MotorYearvehicle reliability by model year · NHTSA data

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Photo: SsmIntrigue (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Complaints
283
Per 100k sold
88
≈320k sold (est.)
Recall campaigns
2
Crash / fire reports
15 / 5

Complaints by component

A complaint can name multiple components.

unknown or other
78 (28%)
air bags
73 (26%)
structure
49 (17%)
engine
31 (11%)
electrical system
25 (9%)
power train
21 (7%)
service brakes
18 (6%)
suspension
13 (5%)
electronic stability control (esc)
11 (4%)
exterior lighting
8 (3%)
tires
7 (2%)
fuel/propulsion system
7 (2%)

Complaints by vehicle age

Years between the model year and the reported incident.

46
23
0
4 · 46 complaints · age 4 years
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
View as table
017
114
217
325
446
523
620
718
825
926
1013
1116
1215

Complaints by odometer reading

Mileage at failure, where the complainant reported it. When this curve rises early, problems show up while the vehicle is still young.

15
8
0
50k · 15 complaints · 50,000–60,000 miles
0k
10k
20k
30k
40k
50k
60k
70k
80k
90k
100k
110k
120k
130k
140k
150k+
View as table
0k1
10k3
20k3
30k8
40k14
50k15
60k9
70k15
80k9
90k7
100k10
110k3
120k4
130k3
140k7
150k+11

Recalls (2)

air bags · 2021-05-02 · 21V054000

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.

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.

air bags · 2021-05-02 · 21V051000

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.

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.

Crash-test ratings (NHTSA NCAP)

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/CC 4WD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/CC RWD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/EC 4WD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/EC RWD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC 4WD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC RWD
Overall★★★★4/5
Frontal crash★★★★4/5
Side crash★★★★★5/5
Rollover★★★★4/5

Recent complaints

2026-07-13 · unknown or other · ODI 11750169

Severe frame rot on driver side beneath the cab. Just noticed it today July 13, 2026.

2026-07-02 · unknown or other · ODI 11747867

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 disintegrating on this model truck. I would be satisfied if the frame was replaced as I believe the manufacturer failed in protecting these frames from rusting away. I have been looking for a frame for a reasonable price and have not found one yet. I will also need someone to remove the old one and install the new one. I have not driven the truck because I am afraid it could collapse on the road if driven.

2026-04-22 · vehicle speed control, engine · ODI 11733013

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 was depressed several times within 15 seconds, and the engine stopped revving. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,250.

2026-02-09 · electrical system · ODI 11716826

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 that the mileage was approximately 230,925.

2026-01-18 · unknown or other · ODI 11711791

Dash is cracked in several places