Home · 2012 GMC Sierra 3500 · Complaints

What 38 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 GMC Sierra 3500

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 (38)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (9)Engine (8)Body & structure (6)Airbags (5)Brakes (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Steering (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)Fuel System, Diesel (2)Speed control (2)

2 of 38 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 23, 2014Electronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT IN A PARKING GARAGE GOING NO MORE THAN 3 MILES PER HOUR, OR HOWEVER FAST THIS VEHICLE CAN GO WHILE FOOT IS RESTING ON BRAKE, GETTING READY TO FULLY BRAKE. AS I PRESSED DOWN ON BRAKE TO STOP, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED AS IF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM SLIPPED, CAUSING THE TRUCK TO DRIVE FORWARD CRASHING THROUGH THE SHEETROCK WALL AND FINALLY STOPPING AFTER HITTING THE GLASS WINDOWS. TWO WEEKS LATER, AFTER ALL COSMETIC REPAIRS WERE DONE, THE VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING IN ANOTHER PARKING LOT, BUT LUCKILY BROKE BEFORE HITTING THE CURB AND LIGHT POST. I DID FEEL UNDER MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE, AS I PRESSED DOWN TO STOP, A SLIP OF SOME SORT WHICH AT THE SAME TIME CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO PUSH FORWARD RIGHT BEFORE STOPPING. THIS IS DEFINITELY A MALFUNCTION OF SOME SORT WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10615633

Mar 14, 2012SteeringSuspensionBrakesCrash

JUST PURCHASES NEW 2012 GMC SIERRA 3500 , 400 MILES , HAVE HAD ALIGNMENT / STEERING PROBLEMS WITH A DRIFT TO LEFT AND A WONDERING STEERING WHEEL, ALSO BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS ON, WENT TO DEALER THEY LOOKED AT IT FOR 2 HRS, AND SAID IT NEEDED A PART ORDERED AND THERE WAS A TSB ON IT, THE TECH SAID IT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE BUT I WOULD NOT HAVE ABS BRAKES, ALSO HE WOULD CHECK ALIGNMENT AGAIN AT TIME WHEN PART CAME IN 4 DAYS EST, BRAKE AND ABS LIGHT REMAINED ON, VEHICLE DROVE FINE THE NEXT DAY UNTIL A ACCIDENT, WENT AROUND CURVEAT 55 MPH, APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW, BRAKES WENT TO FLOOR UN ABLE TO SLOW AT ALL WENT OFF THE ROAD LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO TREES, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED , WENT TO EMERGENCY ROOM WITH ARM INJURY AND RIB INJURIES, BRAND NEW TRUCK VERY SCARRY I WILL NEVER BUY A GM PODUCT AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10451590

Working with the data? Download all 38 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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 3500 verdict →