2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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4/5

★★★★

Safety Rating

68

Owner Complaints

2 Crashes

3

Recalls

ACTIVE RECALL

27

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

The 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 has received a total of 68 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. 27 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (9 complaints), Electrical System (8 complaints), and Engine (8 complaints).

Recalls for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500, potentially affecting up to 5,909,828 vehicles.

Recall 21V054000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 1,778,128 vehicles affected

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...

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...

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Recall 21V054000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 1,778,128 vehicles affected

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...

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...

View full details →

Recall 21V054000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 1,778,128 vehicles affected

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...

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...

View full details →

Recall 21V051000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 284,645 vehicles affected

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),...

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...

View full details →

Recall 21V051000 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

| 284,645 vehicles affected

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),...

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...

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Recall 18V267000 — EQUIPMENT

| 6,154 vehicles affected

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...

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...

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Owner Complaints for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

68 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 147,209. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was unknown. The contact paid for a full vehicle report, and he discovered that the mileage was 250,000. on September 6, 2025. The VIN was invalid.
#11654876 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | | N/A miles
The vehicle's TCM has apparently failed as evidenced by CEL code "U0101", low power ("limp mode"), hard shifting, no gear selection indicator, and extremely slow acceleration. Vehicle is currently available for inspection, but will be receiving a replacement TCM soon. Myself and others' safety was put at risk due to my the vehicle's inability to continue through an intersection at a reasonable rate. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer/service center, nor has it been inspected by anyone since the incident. The aforementioned warning lamp that indicated the issue appeared upon starting the vehicle, which drove normally for the first 11 miles.
#11654876 | POWER TRAIN | | N/A miles
The vehicle's TCM has apparently failed as evidenced by CEL code "U0101", low power ("limp mode"), hard shifting, no gear selection indicator, and extremely slow acceleration. Vehicle is currently available for inspection, but will be receiving a replacement TCM soon. Myself and others' safety was put at risk due to my the vehicle's inability to continue through an intersection at a reasonable rate. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer/service center, nor has it been inspected by anyone since the incident. The aforementioned warning lamp that indicated the issue appeared upon starting the vehicle, which drove normally for the first 11 miles.
#11643267 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | | N/A miles
Day after driving to n a snow storm the vehicles stabilitrak and traction control light and message to service those came on the dash and a sudden lose of power. I pulled over and put it in park noticing the gear indicator on the dash was gone. I put in drive and could barely move. So I shifted to 1st gear then back to park and into drive and the light came off and it was back to normal. The next day I started the vehicle and the light was on again with the check engine light. And stuck in limp mode. There are forums I've read with thousands of people with the same problem. The vehicle is available for inspection. The safety concerns are the traction control and stabilitrak can affect the way it handles and brakes. The vehicle will be going to dealership. There where no warning light prior to. The lights and systems failed simultaneously. This vehicle only has 44000 miles on it, no rust the frame is mint. This is a very clean truck and shouldn't be having this kind of problem.
#11643267 | SERVICE BRAKES | | N/A miles
Day after driving to n a snow storm the vehicles stabilitrak and traction control light and message to service those came on the dash and a sudden lose of power. I pulled over and put it in park noticing the gear indicator on the dash was gone. I put in drive and could barely move. So I shifted to 1st gear then back to park and into drive and the light came off and it was back to normal. The next day I started the vehicle and the light was on again with the check engine light. And stuck in limp mode. There are forums I've read with thousands of people with the same problem. The vehicle is available for inspection. The safety concerns are the traction control and stabilitrak can affect the way it handles and brakes. The vehicle will be going to dealership. There where no warning light prior to. The lights and systems failed simultaneously. This vehicle only has 44000 miles on it, no rust the frame is mint. This is a very clean truck and shouldn't be having this kind of problem.

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Safety Rating for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

The 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Test Category Rating
Overall Rating ★★★★ (4/5)
Frontal Crash ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Side Crash ★★★★★ (5/5)
Rollover ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

General Motors, LLC has issued 27 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

17NA204 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the fuel tank and internal parts if found expanding and contacting the drive shaft.

17NA228 — POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

This informational bulletin provides information on Click or Tick Noise on 3-4 Shift that it should be considered a normal characteristic.

PIT5503 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician the steps to diagnose and repair vehicle with a Service Charging System message or Service Engine Soon Malfunction Indicator Lamp and the Engine Control Module may have set a P0621 and/or P0622. These concerns could be caused by the generator wiring...

10-06-04-013C — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

Information on Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Filing Instructions, Frozen Tank Status and General Information

08-06-04-006M — EQUIPMENT

This informational bulletin provides technicians with Information for Identifying non-GM ECM calibration use and Power-Up hardware detection in Duramax? diesel engines ? Photograph Tech 2® Calibration IDs, Calibration Verification Numbers (CVNs) and Transmission Data Screen.

PIP4864P — FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have "Exhaust Fluid Low", "Exhaust Fluid Empty - Refill Now", "Exhaust Fluid Range: XXX" or "Service Exhaust Fluid - See Owners Now" on the Driver Information Center. If the technician is working on 2010 and 2011 model...

15-06-04-002 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated, fuel tank hard to fill, and technicians finding one or more DTCs: P0442, P0446, P0455 or P0449 set.

PIT5052D — STEERING

SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.

PIT4813F — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles with a "Service Charging System" message displayed on the Driver Information Center and/or a low voltage reading on the volt gauge during the first several minutes after a cold start. Technician may find a Diagnostic Trouble Code B15517 sym...

PIP4898B — ENGINE

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an engine buzz, moan, rattle, whine, or vibration type noise that can typically be heard at idle or low revolutions per minute. The noise does not indicate a problem and will not result in damage to...

Showing 10 of 27 technical service bulletins.

NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500

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