2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
GoodComplaint Index
27/100
#12 most-complained of 16 Silverado 3500 years
The 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has 23 NHTSA complaints, a complaint index of 27, and ranks 12th of 16 model years, earning a "Good" verdict relative to other years. Four recalls affect this year, mainly airbags and fuel system.
- Complaints
- 23
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes / fires
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / deaths
- 0 / 1
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- —
Top 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Fuel System6 (26%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires6 (26%)
- Airbags4 (17%)
- Engine4 (17%)
- Steering3 (13%)
- Brakes2 (9%)
- Electrical System2 (9%)
- Other1 (4%)
- Structure & Body1 (4%)
- Transmission & Powertrain1 (4%)
What owners report
- Power steering intermittently fails or sticks, making the wheel hard to turn for a few seconds before returning to normal.
- Tires reportedly develop dry rot or belt separation, in one case leading to tread separating from the tire during highway driving.
- Owners report the truck stalling on the highway with a full tank of gas, traced to the fuel transfer switch and sensors.
- Exhaust fumes were reported entering the cabin when the heater was on, linked to a failed down tube.
- Airbags reportedly did not deploy in a crash following a loss of control at highway speed.
- Electrical module damage from a dealer-installed dump body reportedly caused no-start conditions and erratic gauges, door locks, and warning lights.
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 21V051000Feb 5, 2021Airbags284,645 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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.
- NHTSA 21V054000Feb 5, 2021Airbags1,778,128 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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.
- NHTSA 18V267000Apr 26, 2018Other6,154 vehicles
Equipment
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
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
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.
2012 compared with other Silverado 3500 years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 reliable?
- NHTSA lists 23 complaints and a complaint index of 27 for the 2012 model, giving it a "Good" verdict and a rank of 12th out of 16 Silverado 3500 model years.
- What are the most common problems on the 2012 Silverado 3500?
- Fuel System and Suspension, Wheels & Tires issues each account for 26% of complaints, followed by Airbags and Engine issues at 17% each.
- Does the 2012 Silverado 3500 have any recalls?
- Yes, NHTSA lists 4 recalls for this year, covering airbags, a fuel system issue with dual fuel tanks, and a fire extinguisher replacement.
- At what mileage do problems typically show up on the 2012 Silverado 3500?
- Median mileage at failure across all complaints is 46,962. Fuel System complaints show a higher median of 110,000 miles, while Steering complaints show a lower median of 22,000 miles.
- How does the 2012 model compare to other Silverado 3500 years?
- With a complaint index of 27, the 2012 model rates better than years like 2021, 2022, and 2024, which carry "Avoid" verdicts and complaint indexes of 87, 80, and 100 respectively.