RoadVitals

2012 Chevrolet Express 4500

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Latest Feb 15, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Express 4500, most frequently naming the brakes, fuel system and electrical categories. 363 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes228.6%
  • Fuel system228.6%
  • Electrical114.3%
  • Powertrain (other)114.3%
  • Steering114.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Fuel system
Filed Feb 15, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 4500. IN COLD WEATHER, THE DIESEL EXHAUST FLUID (DEF) FROZE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY IDLED. THE DEALER (KUPPER CHEVROLET, 1500 2ND ST NE, MANDON, ND 58554) STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN A HEATED SHOP TO PREVENT THE DEF FROM FREEZING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO CONTACTED AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
11073079
Incident
Jan 1, 2013
Mileage
86,000 mi
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Dec 8, 2016
Fire reported

ON 9/30/2016, A THERMAL EVENT OCCURRED WHILE THE BUS WAS IN THE SHOP FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. AS THE BUS WAS BEING MOVED (BACKED-OUT) OF THE SERVICE BAY AND SMOKE WAS SEEN ESCAPING FROM THE CNG TANK STORAGE COMPARTMENT AT THE REAR OF THE BUS. LOCATION: 4127 ELM ST., DALLAS, TX 75226 A DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT (DART) EMPLOYEE QUICKLY OPENED THE COMPARTMENT AND EXTINGUISHED THE SMALL FLAME. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE CNG FUEL TANK SOLENOID (MELTED) AND THE CONNECTING HARNESS (MELTED). THIS VEHICLE HAS A HIGH PRESSURE ELECTRONIC SHUT-OFF SOLENOID VALVE MOUNTED DIRECTLY TO THE ON-BOARD CNG FUEL TANK(S). NOTE: IF THERE IS A FUEL LEAK OR OTHER COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL IN THE VICINITY, THERE IS A RISK OF IGNITION. DART HAS A TOTAL OF 123 EA., 2012 MODEL YEAR GM 6.0L CHEV EXPRESS SHUTTLE BUSES WHICH WERE PURCHASED FROM NATIONAL BUS SALES & LEASING BY DART. PRIOR TO DELIVERY, THE BUSES WERE MODIFIED BY ARBOC AND CONVERTED TO DEDICATED CNG OPERATION BY IMPCO AUTOMOTIVE IN UNION CITY, IN. EACH VEHICLE IS CONFIGURED WITH (2 EA.) LINCOLN 21' X 80' CNG CYLINDERS FITTED WITH OMB SOLENOID VALVES MOUNTED INSIDE AN ENCLOSED STORAGE COMPARTMENT BEHIND THE PASSENGER AREA. THERE WERE SIMILAR OCCURRENCES DOCUMENTED UNDER OTHER RECALL NOTIFICATIONS (GM BULLETIN #: 13139 AND IMPCO AUTOMOTIVE #: 13V-225); WHERE THE OEM IDENTIFIED ROOT CAUSES AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. UNDER THOSE GM AND/OR IMPCO REPORTS AND/OR DEFECT RECALLS REPORTED TO NHTSA, SIMILARLY, THE CONNECTOR TO THE CNG FUEL TANK EXPERIENCED HIGH-RESISTANCE SHORT IN THE CONNECTOR AND CAUSED OVERHEATING OR IN SOME INSTANCES A SELF-EXTINGUISHING FLAME.

NHTSA ID
10933981
Incident
Sep 30, 2016
Mileage
1 mi
BrakesSteering
Filed Apr 23, 2013

TRAVELING AT 50 TO 55MPH I MAKE A EASY BRAKE APPLICATION AND THE FRONT WHEELS WILL START OSCILLATING UNTIL THE FRONT GOES INTO A VIOLENT SHAKE. RELEASING THE BRAKE WILL STOP THE SHAKING. THIS IS A CUTAWAY SCHOOL BUS. I'M THE MECHANIC AND THE DRIVER BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION. SHE NOTICED IT WHILE BRAKING ON A DOWNHILL. I WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE IT ON A LEVEL SURFACE. HAVEN'T FOUND THE FIX YET. *TR

NHTSA ID
10509311
Incident
Apr 2, 2013
Mileage
13,000 mi
BrakesPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 25, 2013

THIS IS A BRAND NEW BUS, GM CHASSIS. IT HAS A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. THE BRAKE LINES ARE ROUTED IN FRONT OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. TWICE, WE HAVE HAD ROCKS HIT THE BRAKE LINE AND SHEER IT OFF CAUSING TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
10504473
Incident
Feb 5, 2013
Mileage
5,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

13598

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Express 4500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026000—
2016200—
2014300—
2012Viewing400—
2009100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.