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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 · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 16, 2015Electrical systemCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC SIERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER WHICH RESULTED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH A GUARDRAIL. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE OPERATED AFTER THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 10810661

Oct 17, 2012Electrical systemLightsBody & structureEngineFire

VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GMC DEALER FOR HEADLIGHT DEFECT AND WE WERE INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO ORDER PARTS. DROVE TRUCK BACK TO SITE AND WHILE TRUCK WAS RUNNING BUT STATIONARY SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN THE HOOD WAS RAISED THE ENTIRE TRUCK BECAME ENGULFED AND COMPLETELY BURNED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10480914

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 →