"How reliable is the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?"

"Based on 273 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has a median complaint mileage of 74433 miles. The most common issue is Unknown Or Other."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is Unknown Or Other, accounting for a significant portion of the 273 total complaints filed."

2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 273 complaints

273

Total Complaints

74,433mi

Median Mileage

Unknown Or Other

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

45,000 25th Percentile

74,433 Median Mileage

104,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Unknown Or Other

Air Bags

Body

Engine

Electrical System

Power Train

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Suspension

Service Brakes

Fuel/Propulsion System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DASH IS CRACKED AT THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG. I'M CONCERNED THAT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT MAY BE AFFECTED. ALSO, PIECES OF THE DASH MAY BECOME AIR BORN IN THE EVENT OF AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT."

"CRACKED DASH OCCURRED WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. THE FIRST IS AROUND THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIRBAG AND THE SECOND IS JUST TO THE LEFT MIDDLE OF THE DASH TOP. SEE PHOTOS. CONCERNED ABOUT LOOSE PLASTIC BREAKING AND PROPELLING IF THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS IN AN ACCIDENT. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE LAST YEAR AND..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Unknown Or Other 71 complaints

25th: 44,700 mi Median: 64,500 mi 75th: 96,875 mi

Air Bags 57 complaints

25th: 45,000 mi Median: 62,500 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

Body 28 complaints

25th: 40,998 mi Median: 50,000 mi 75th: 66,433 mi

Engine 24 complaints

25th: 59,250 mi Median: 90,676 mi 75th: 126,875 mi

Electrical System 20 complaints

25th: 71,500 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 113,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 44 FL: 29 CA: 21 NY: 17 MI: 13 GA: 13 PA: 12 VA: 10 MO: 9 KY: 9

Who Files Complaints?

Original Owners

96%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	693	90,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	31
1998	452	73,575	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	17
1999	711	109,200	Service Brakes	51
2000	731	102,000	Service Brakes	87
2001	627	87,000	Service Brakes	84
2002	620	90,000	Service Brakes	60
2003	958	82,000	Service Brakes	33
2004	951	70,000	Service Brakes	47
2005	642	64,000	Electrical System	27
2006	462	60,000	Service Brakes	23
2007	1049	70,000	Air Bags	31
2008	1090	70,000	Air Bags	45
2009	553	70,000	Air Bags	10
2010	449	67,000	Air Bags	10
2011	695	72,000	Air Bags	32
2013	385	62,186	Unknown Or Other	12
2014	2184	62,826	Steering	105
2015	1390	52,000	Service Brakes	82
2016	1025	45,000	Service Brakes	62
2017	928	41,555	Power Train	50
2018	715	35,090	Power Train	16
2019	1436	11,232	Engine	46
2020	934	12,500	Engine	20
2021	924	47,000	Engine	27
2022	696	32,000	Engine	14
2023	430	25,500	Engine	16
2024	317	7,500	Engine	10
2025	98	2,650	Engine	2
2026	28	-	Engine	0

Active Recalls (2)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Inflator Module

Campaign 21V054000 | 05/02/2021

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

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 mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notifica

Inflator Module

Campaign 21V051000 | 05/02/2021

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

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 mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notifica

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Compare Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28