2012 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 has 149 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (28%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (14%) and electrical system (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 149 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 93 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 | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 10 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 26 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 93 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 60,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 73,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 1 injury reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 23rd most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (68 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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.
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, she lost consciousness. After regaining consciousness, the contact discovered that the vehicle had crashed into two vehicles and that the driver's side air bag had deployed. The police and paramedics arrived at the scene; however, no one involved in the accident needed immediate medical assistance. A police report was filed.
$17,000 worth of damage on my GMC all airbags went off minus the driver side steering wheel airbag. Was on cruise control at 75 miles per hour fell asleep at wheel ran into the barrier wires. Damage all over the truck 360underneath the truck luckily nobody was injured except for my own body. I lost consciousness the onstar woke me up and I crawled out of the wreckage meeting the highway patrol. It's been just over four years I'm still feeling the effects of the injury.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 GMC sierra 1500. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer thinking that it needed a tune up. The dealer diagnosed that the camshaft and uplifters needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. .....updated 08/11/16 the consumer also stated there was an issue with transmission. Updated 08/17/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 GMC sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the RPM increased while attempting to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm. The gear shifter was shifted to neutral to slow the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as intended. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated.