2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
The 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 279 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (21%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (13%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 279 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 165 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 40 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 29 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 21 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 18 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 165 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 75,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 68,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 30th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with enough data (96 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I entered the intersection after stopping at the stop sign. I was halfway through the divided intersection that had a road closed sign for the exit side of the intersection and a do not enter sign for the entrance side. The median was over grown with vegetation so that visibility was poor. I started across the intersection and about half way through a car entering at fast rate of speed hit the front of my truck knocking to the left.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 chevrolet silverado 1500. The contact stated that the front driver and curtain air bags abruptly deployed while driving 55 to 60 MPH in rainy weather. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the median. The contact suffered injuries to his knees, elbow and ribs, which required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove off the road and down a gully before crashing into a tree. During the crash the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained various body contusions and bruises during the incident. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined.
Dash is cracked with sharp edges close to the defroster vents and next to the passenger side air bag. Cracked on its own, no accident. Truck is very well taken care of.
B0085 code faulty left front side impact sensor. Left front side impact sensor harness is open or shorted. Left front side impact sensor circuit poor electrical connection faulty inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (sdm). The wiring harness that goes through the door hing break apart inside the insulator causing the airbag sensor in the driver door not to work. It is a very dangurous issue and a very expensive issue to have fixed. This should be a recall issued.