2012 GMC Sierra Problems: 146 Complaints, 5 Recalls

Cost, Fuel Economy & Complaint History

Fuel cost, fuel economy, and complaint history by model-yearScroll sideways to see all 5 years. Fuel figures show the range across trims for years with more than one EPA-rated configuration.Also cataloged for 2012: 6 configuration(s) of a different vehicle class, excluded from the comparison bar only (but included in the figures above).
Category	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	vs. 2012 Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD
Annual fuel cost ($)	2,850–4,450	2,950–4,450	2,950–4,450	2,950–4,450	3,100–3,650
Combined MPG	14–22	14–21	14–21	14–21	17–20
City / Highway MPG	12–21 / 18–22	12–20 / 18–23	12–20 / 18–23	12–20 / 18–23	14–18 / 20–23
CO₂ tailpipe (g/mi)	404–635	423–635	423–635	418–625	449–536
Complaints filed	212	355	146	162	853	Not compared
Recalls issued	5	7	5	6	21	Not compared
Crash-involved complaints	5	6	8	6	29	Not compared
Fire-involved complaints	4	3	2	2	9	Not compared
Injuries reported	14	12	1	10	24	Not compared
Deaths reported	0	0	0	0	1	Not compared
Configurations compared	6	6	6	6	3

Common questions

How many recalls does the 2012 GMC Sierra have?

5 NHTSA recall campaigns as of Sep 16, 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA to see whether one applies to your car.

What is the most common complaint about the 2012 GMC Sierra?

Airbags & Restraints: 48 of 146 NHTSA complaints (33%) mention it.

What gas mileage does the 2012 GMC Sierra get?

EPA rates it 14–21 MPG combined.

How much does it cost to fuel a 2012 GMC Sierra?

EPA estimates $2,950–$4,450 a year in fuel costs, using EPA's assumptions.

Similar Vehicles

EPA-Rated Configurations (12)

Every EPA-rated configuration on this page, one row each.A number tagged (low) or (high) is this page’s own cost-table figure of that name, above.
Configuration	Transmission	Cylinders	Displacement	Drivetrain	Fuel Type	Vehicle Class	City	Highway	Combined	Annual Fuel Cost	CO₂
Configuration 1	Automatic 6-spd	8	5.3L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	15 mpg	22 mpg	18 mpg	$3,450	494 g/mi
Configuration 2	Automatic 6-spd	8	5.3L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	15 mpg	21 mpg	17 mpg	$3,650	523 g/mi
Configuration 3	Automatic 6-spd	8	6.2L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	13 mpg	18 mpg (low)	14 mpg (low)	$4,450 (high)	635 g/mi (high)
Configuration 4	Automatic 4-spd	6	4.3L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Regular	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	15 mpg	20 mpg	17 mpg	$3,650	523 g/mi
Configuration 5	Automatic 4-spd	8	4.8L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	14 mpg	19 mpg	16 mpg	$3,900	555 g/mi
Configuration 6	Automatic 6-spd	8	5.3L	4-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	15 mpg	21 mpg	17 mpg	$3,650	523 g/mi
Configuration 7	Automatic 6-spd	8	6.2L	4-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	12 mpg (low)	18 mpg (low)	14 mpg (low)	$4,450 (high)	635 g/mi (high)
Configuration 8	Automatic 4-spd	6	4.3L	4-Wheel Drive	Regular	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	14 mpg	18 mpg (low)	16 mpg	$3,900	555 g/mi
Configuration 9	Automatic 4-spd	8	4.8L	4-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	13 mpg	18 mpg (low)	15 mpg	$4,150	592 g/mi
Configuration 10	Automatic 6-spd	8	6.2L	4-Wheel Drive	Gasoline or E85	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	12 mpg (low)	18 mpg (low)	14 mpg (low)	$4,450 (high)	635 g/mi (high)
Configuration 11	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	8	6.0L	Rear-Wheel Drive	Regular	Standard Pickup Trucks 2WD	20 mpg (high)	23 mpg (high)	21 mpg (high)	$2,950 (low)	423 g/mi (low)
Configuration 12	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	8	6.0L	4-Wheel Drive	Regular	Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD	20 mpg (high)	23 mpg (high)	21 mpg (high)	$2,950 (low)	423 g/mi (low)

Complaints by Category

Complaints by category, in the same fixed order on every page
Category	Complaints	Crash-Involved	Fire-Involved	Injuries
Engine	13	0	2	0
Transmission & Drivetrain	8	0	0	0
Fuel System	4	0	0	0
Electrical	15	1	1	0
Brakes	15	2	0	0
Steering	10	2	0	0
Suspension, Wheels & Tires	11	2	1	0
Airbags & Restraints	48	4	0	1
Driver Assistance & Speed Control	4	0	0	0
Body, Seats & Latches	30	2	2	0
Visibility & Lighting	4	0	1	0
Other	44	0	0	0

A complaint that names more than one category is counted in each, so the rows can add up to more than the total number of complaints.

Recalls (5)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · Campaign 21V054000 · Feb 5, 2021
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 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.
Consequence: 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:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE · Campaign 21V051000 · Feb 5, 2021
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 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.
Consequence: 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.
EQUIPMENT · Campaign 18V267000 · Apr 30, 2018
Defect: 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
Consequence: 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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION · Campaign 14V827000 · Dec 30, 2014
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.
Consequence: 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.
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.
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL · Campaign 13V615000 · Dec 11, 2013
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, equipped with 6.6L diesel engines and dual fuel tanks. In the affected vehicles, the transfer pump which moves fuel from the rear tank to the front tank could malfunction and cause the fuel gauge to indicate an inaccurate reading.
Consequence: If the fuel gauge indicates an inaccurate reading it may result in the vehicle unexpectedly stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel transfer pump, as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 13420.