2012 GMC Sierra 1500 Owner Complaints

June 29, 2025, Driving on the St. Francis loop in Amarillo, TX, brake lights start flashing, the warning sounds happening, no brakes. I had already slowed down to 35-45 mph due to road construction ahead. I weaved through the cones and as soon as possible, hit the ditch and then coasted to a stop. (I didn’t think about the emergency brake, in my panic.) I turned the vehicle off and called my husband. I decided that I wasn’t pulled over far enough over in the ditch, so I started the pickup again. The lights and warning signals for the brakes were gone and when I pressed on the brake pedal, there were brakes again. I drove home at 35 mph, knowing I could use the emergency brake at that speed, if needed, and had brakes all the way home. GMC Bender repaired truck. After driving approximately 3 miles since repaired, our daughter took the truck to Grease Monkey. She was at the garage door; employee said the pickup didn't need an oil change. She backed out and didn’t have brakes (no warning lights or sounds) and as the truck continued backing, it hit the Grease Monkey sign at the east end of their lot and broke it, knocked the sign over. An employee walked over to see what happened, she told him that she didn’t have brakes. He sat in the pickup seat and pushed on the brakes and said, yes, you don’t have brakes! The police were called, and the officer who showed up took pictures, gave us his card, talked with my husband and talked to the Grease Monkey boss. August 6, 2025, I called GMC Bender Service Department (11 mins. 8 secs.) I told them what had happened. They sent a tow truck to bring the pickup back to their shop. September 16, 2025, my husband texted me saying GMC Bender said that the pickup shows another EBS Modulator Fault. No new parts… used one would be $1293 installed. A week to get it here, no guarantees. There's more details, but the vehicle cannot be repaired to guarantee brakes will work properly. Please help us know what to do next.

NHTSA ID

11756257

Incident

Jun 29, 2025

They should be responsible for repairs or replacement of the cheap made frames that rust away so fast so u ain’t gotta worry about your truck fallling apart going down the rd and the lower control arms made of cast that rust from inside out and you don’t know until breaks while driving along with camber adjustments where they can throw alignment out with a single bump. Mostly the frame replacement is major always having to plate frame or check to make sure it will be able travel long trips or haul stuff in bed or a trailer with breaking or falling off truck causing wreck frame repair is major and time consuming if you don’t have proper stuff and definitely expensive and lower control arms that’ll make a wheel come real fast and it’s time consuming and expensive too but very dangerous and breaks and causes damage right then and there at high or low speed on highways or interstates

NHTSA ID

11739589

Incident

May 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, especially between second and third gears. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine felt as though the engine mounts were inoperable. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the vehicle resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11711216

Incident

Jul 14, 2014

Mileage

20,000 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 111,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 243,000. The Carfax Report indicated that the vehicle was serviced at 149,000 and 179,000 miles, then registered at 149,000 and 179,000 miles on August 8, 2024. The contact had filed a police report with the Dillon Police Department -Special Ops Police Department.

NHTSA ID

11682085

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

Mileage

243,000 mi

P0521 has been addressed/replaced almost nine (9) times. “Low Oil Pressure-Stop Engine” is another one that is not completely functional. The truck is using oil but we cant find evidence of leakage. Services performed at dealership or certified shop. Troubleshooting was performed, Im told. I cant vouch for the quality of the workmanship. This should not be an issue at this mileage 100,100 ohe hundred thousand miles and oil components going bad is not good. GMC has sold me a truck that needs a new engine component. Please help. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11652682

Incident

Apr 3, 2025

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. About a week after the accident, the contact stated that they began to develop open sores on both arms as black metal fragments began to leak out of these sores. The contact went to the doctor and was treated for the injuries and was referred to a dermatologist for further assistance. Upon investigation, the contact linked her injuries to the Takata air bag recall. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and an independent mechanic was able to repair certain parts of the vehicle to make it drivable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a claim was filed. The contact was also informed that an inspector would be sent to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 312,000.

NHTSA ID

11592379

Incident

Mar 9, 2024

Mileage

312,000 mi

Faulty Tire Pressure Management system. Looking for recalls or service bulletins.

NHTSA ID

11590951

Incident

May 28, 2020

Manufacturer interior defect - Crack on dash w/potential to crumble all the way in Diminishes vehicle

NHTSA ID

11578132

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Frame rot behind gas tank truck doesn't even have 90000 Miles on it unsave to drive poor frame quality

NHTSA ID

11576679

Incident

Mar 11, 2024

Major major frame and wheel well rust , ever one I see is exactly the same , I live in upstate ny and yes we use salt but I've done a lot of research and the problem is country wide , please do some things this isn't right , I'm not trying to get a new free truck , just not get screwed out of the one I have cause it will fail inspection soon

NHTSA ID

11560212

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

I went to get the vehicle inspected today and was told it failed due to the chassis frame in the rear being rusted thru. This could cause the suspension to collapse any time. I see on the internet that multiple others have and are experiencing the same with the Sierra and Silverado. My vehicle has unlimited washes and has been washed 40 times a year and looks new from the outside.

NHTSA ID

11559780

Incident

Dec 12, 2023

Lifter Failure: I was traveling to a State Park in Northern Michigan when my engine starting running very rough with major power loss. My check engine light activated, and I pulled over as soon as I could. It was dangerous because I was pulling a camper and I had to drive well under the speed limit. The Certified Chevy Dealership discovered a collapsed lifter and Cam damage. They considered this as catastrophic engine failure, and I was completely shocked as the vehicle had roughly 129k miles on it. There was no indication of failure prior to this incident as the vehicle ran perfect. I am very disappointed in GM as I have a co-worker with the same year truck that had the exact same issue shortly after I did. A friend of mine also had this happen with a 2014 vehicle of same make and model. It appears that this is a common issue with GM's newer 5.3 engines which used to be extremely reliable (99-07). GM needs to fix these lifter issues because a newer technology engine should last much longer.

NHTSA ID

11558123

Incident

May 15, 2021

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that during a vehicle inspection, the contact was informed that the sub frame was severely corroded with holes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11555714

Incident

Apr 15, 2023

Mileage

100,000 mi

I took My 2012 GMC Sierra with 112,410 miles in for annual safety inspection and was told that my frame has a hole in it and is cracked, hence un-inspectable in the state of Vermont. I then took it to a welding shop to get an estimate on repair and the tech told me he sees this all the time on this era GM/Chevy trucks. This is clearly a widespread incident and GM should be held accountable like Toyota was years ago with its bad frames.O

NHTSA ID

11526416

Incident

Jan 11, 2023

Vehicle has just over 113,000 miles and the frame is already severely compromised due to rust. Nearly all factory coating is gone. I believe the sub par wax like coating that GM used from the factory was never intended to last anywhere near or over 100,000 miles. I have personally inspected numerous 2007-2013 GMT900 trucks in or around ohio and have found similar severe rust issues. All vehicles inspected were between 60,000 and 120,000 miles. The rust issues are the worst in the areas directly in front of the rear axle where the frame drops. Nearly every vehicle inspected has structure compromising rust in this area. GMT900 platform vehicles with rust issues in this area are unsafe to be on the road, yet they remain popular in multiple service industries and are frequently seen pulling trailers. GM has done a great disservice to their customers by using a sub par coating on the most important structural component in a vehicle. These trucks should easily last well over 250,000 miles but due to poor coatings they have a hard time breaking 100,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11518357

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

Cracked interior plastic dash, multiple places, potential safety hazard if airbag deploys and shatters it even more, also will be exposed wires once the cracks breaks all the way

NHTSA ID

11518000

Incident

Apr 20, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for unrelated repairs, it was diagnosed that the frame needed to be replaced due to rust. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic while awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 129,181.

NHTSA ID

11506403

Incident

Feb 9, 2023

Mileage

129,181 mi

manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner and recall could cause great bodily injury or death to driver and passenger .

NHTSA ID

11488532

Incident

Jul 22, 2022

The frame is so rotted it will not pass state inspection.

NHTSA ID

11485562

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

Dash is cracked in multiple locations, vehicle taken to the dealer and dealer states that manufacturer is not liable and will not cover costs. Started with one crack near the passenger airbag and several cracks have appeared over the years.

NHTSA ID

11472449

Incident

Jul 1, 2017

Lags when accelerating. Does not happen every time. Causes safety issues when in heavy traffic. The below date is when it started. It happens very regularly.

NHTSA ID

11466505

Incident

Apr 11, 2022

DASHBOARD CRACKING AT THE AIR BAG AREA ON PASSANGER SIDE.

NHTSA ID

11455596

Incident

Mar 3, 2020

My passenger air bag deployed or went off as i was driving home from work and made such a loud noise that i crashed my 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. I was startled and scared and disoriented and others around me that i crashed my truck. it has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. It has not been inspected by anyone. there was was no warning or lights or anything it just went off as i was driving

NHTSA ID

11454287

Incident

Dec 28, 2021

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2012 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The dealer informed the contact that they were not responsible for any damages while replacing the air bags. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11453484

Incident

Feb 5, 2021

Spare tire fell off while parked. The bracket holding the tire in place failed. Significant corrosion present.

NHTSA ID

11446718

Incident

Dec 30, 2021