2012 GMC Sierra problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 GMC Sierra, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2012 GMC Sierra vehicles were involved in 100 fatal crashes with 39 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 7 | 24% |
| Structure | 6 | 21% |
| Engine | 5 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 14% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 10% |
| Steering | 3 | 10% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 10% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 7% |
| Power Train | 2 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 31,725 miles (middle 50% between 14,000 and 56,375 miles), based on 26 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“2012 gmc sierra. Consumer writes in regards to passenger side airbag safety recall. The consumer stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time completing the recall repair.”
Air Bags · filed Jun 4, 2021
“While driving at normal highway speed, truck shut off except for the lights. Lost powers steering, brakes etc. Once I got the truck pulled over and stopped, attempted to restart. Was unable to do so until the 4th attempt during a 5 minutes time span. Once started, appeared to be running fine except for the mil on the…”
Power Train · filed Apr 8, 2016
“Dashboard is cracked near the passenger side airbag close to the windshield. Vehicle has never been in an accident or had the airbags deployed. Crack occurred just before 50,000 miles.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 30, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
275 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 GMC Sierra. The 10 most recent:
This informational bulletin provides information on the temporary tire flat spotting condition.
03-03-10-007J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 19, 2017
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to lube the rear leaf springs on vehicles with the condition of a squeak noise originating from the rear of the vehicle.
06-03-09-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 17, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a bump feel or clunk noise at a stop or on launch. Dealer should communicate to the customer this condition…
PIT5161E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2017
This informational bulletin provides the technician with what may happen to an engine due to lack of maintenance.
16-NA-222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2016
This preliminary information communication advises the technician that the part restriction for the accessory dc power control module and the seal kit has ended.
PIT-5338-A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides the technician with a list of modules to check for communication with the scan tool, if the navigation radio does not display the current Hybrid mode. Dealer will use…
PIT4989B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides steps the technician will uses to diagnose and repair vehicles that have low oil pressure after an oil change with the engine Regular Production Option Code L20, L77…
PIP5276F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides the technician with the additional steps that are needed to help perform a successful brake bleed on the 2-Mode Hybrid with Regular Production Option Code HP2. With a…
PIT4597E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an issue when using Bluetooth voice recognition with an iPhone. Technician should work with the customer to…
PIC5953A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2016
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2012 GMC Sierra has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2012 GMC Sierra?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 31,725 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.