Home · 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd · Complaints

What 59 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (59)Crash / fire / injury (8)Airbags (12)Electrical system (11)Body & structure (10)Engine (8)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Fuel system (5)Brakes (4)Speed control (3)Steering (3)Suspension (3)

6 of 59 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Sep 5, 2023Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

Driving on the expressway around 60 mph when the truck went into limp mode slowing me down to 40 and then would not shift gears Tcm went out gm told me that there is a big problem

NHTSA ODI 11542551

Aug 2, 2023Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemSpeed control

Failed TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (24256861). While driving in the early morning hours (darkness) taking my child to school, I was navigating through a busy intersection when the vehicle surged and then made a loud metal on metal sound, feeling as if someone had struck me from behind. At that point the power train became inoperable, stranding us and coming very close to being first, struck from behind and then from cross traffic. The vehicle was/has been inspected by a GM technician at Starling Chevrolet, St Cloud, FL and the TCM was found to have failed (trouble code U0101, lost communication with TCM). It has been at the dealership for going on four months awaiting the production of a replacement part(TCM). There was no prior indication that the TCM was about to fail. Upon failure, all lights on the vehicle display flashed and the indicator for the vehicle drive position was lost (P, R, N, D), no longer visible.

NHTSA ODI 11536038

May 2, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission Control Module Failed

NHTSA ODI 11520006

Nov 28, 2017Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC SIERRA 2500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED, STALLED, AND LOST POWER. THE TRANSMISSION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO COURTESY BUICK GMC LAFAYETTE (4750 JOHNSTON ST, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506 (337) 504-7342) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER BLEW APART AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT NO WARRANTY OR RECALL WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

NHTSA ODI 11051064

Apr 8, 2016Transmission & drivetrain

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 DASHBOARD WHICH WAS LIT.

NHTSA ODI 10854466

Sep 1, 2015SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

I PURCHASED A 2012 GMC SIERRA DENALI FROM STAHL MOTORS IN MONTEREY, CA IN FEBRUARY OF 2015. THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES TO MY TRUCK EVEN THOUGH THEY SOLD ME A COMPLETELY DANGEROUS VEHICLE, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN. MY TRUCK DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT AS I WAS DRIVING SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A SHOP TO GET LOOKED AT. THERE IS A LONG LIST OF THINGS THAT IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT I WILL MENTION JUST THE MAIN ONES. THE TRUCK WAS SOLD TO ME WITHOUT THE REAR BRAKES HOOKED UP. THE BRAKE LINES FOR THE REAR CALIPERS WERE CAPPED OFF BY THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. WHEN THE MECHANIC SHOP DISCOVERED THAT, THEY ALSO DISCOVERED THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS COMPLETELY DRY, WHICH CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY FRONT BRAKES. THERE WAS NO CROSS MEMBER UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE FROM FRAME TO FRAME. IT WAS TORCHED OUT, THEREFOR LEAVING ZERO SUPPORT FOR THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK AS WELL AS THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. WHICH NEEDED TO BE REBUILT CAUSED FROM EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT LEFT TO RIGHT. FRONT DIFFERENTIAL NEEDED TO BE REBUILT CAUSED FROM THE DAMAGE OF NO CROSS MEMBER IN PLACE. BALL JOINTS WERE ALSO AFFECTED (ABOUT TO POP OUT OF CONTROL ARMS) DUE TO WRONG PARTS INSTALLED IN FRONT SUSPENSION OF VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 10760875

Working with the data? Download all 59 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd verdict →