Chevrolet · Tahoe · 2012
3
Recalls
179
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe has 3 recalls and 179 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: unknown or other (61 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
24.6% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Status
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 notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328770.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy Status
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 notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
The AC in the front stopped working on and off but the AC in the back continues to work that's one warning a situation. The second is the oil light constantly shows low oil even when you get an oil change. The park tire pressure always moves back and forth to 40% to all the way down to 30.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the same diagnostic information was provided. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to slow for a traffic light and the vehicle jerked while shifting into low gear. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal when the traffic light had changed, the vehicle hesitated before responding and was jerking and shuddering while changing gear and accelerating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure became a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and had referred the contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
My 2012 Chevy Tahoe Dashboard is completely cracked up. This seems to be a very common issue as I read online. I am very concerned about the Safety with the Dashboard being cracked in multiple areas. What do I need to do to get Chevy to replace this at no cost to me?
I was rear ended while stopped by another truck that was going 60+ mph. None of the airbags in my 2012 Chevy Tahoe deployed. The backside of the driver and passenger seats fell off - unsure if that is airbag related but nothing deployed. My car was totaled my insurance.
My dash is very cracked. I do keep it covered, but it doesn’t make the issue disappear. Upon research I have seen that this is a very common issue and that legal action was taken in 2018. It causes a safety concern.
While barely moving, (about 2 mph), in a parking lot & preparing to make a sharp left turn, knuckle of driver's side wheel assembly suddenly broke, causing the wheel assembly to collapse, wheel top tilted inward and bottom tilted outward, causing major damage to upper and lower control arms, tie rod and significant body damage to two body parts at the wheel opening. Mechanic reported that there had been very excessive ‘play’ before the collapse At 86,000 miles, this is a very low-mileage for this degree of wear and complete failure, on a full-size, PPV SUV, with many heavy-duty features, designed to tolerate high stress usage. FORTUATELY, the car was barely rolling. If this had happened 5 minutes later, I would have been driving 65 mph and this would have caused a catastrophic wreck, could have involved several other cars, and could have injured or even killed many people. I am now very concerned about the condition of the knuckle on the passenger side. It could be developing microscopic cracks that would only be observable with X-ray. ESPECIALLY with this defect being on a very popular police model, Highway Patrol PPV vehicle, more failures will endanger many people.
Warning light for break trailer system.
The vehicle was involved in a "T-Bone" collision where two vehicles drove into the driver side of my vehicle. I was not at fault and yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. In February of 2022 I took the vehicle to Felix Chevrolet to have the airbag recall repaired. In late January 2023, the "T-Bone" collision occurred. My elderly mother (front passenger) and my two sons (13 and 14 rear passengers) were also in the vehicle. ZERO airbags deployed in my vehicle. The vehicle has been parked at my residence since the incident. The vehicle or component has NOT been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others since the incident. I noticed the dash cracking after the recall was performed in 2022. I contacted Felix Chevrolet and spoke the Asst Manager Sergio who told me that GM is NOT replacing the cracked dash boards and if I could take a photo and text it to him--which I did.
We took our vehicle to the Chevrolet dealer: Don Mealey Chevrolet 17185 State Road 50 Clermont, Fl. 34711 (352)394-6176. They said they would not replace the defective air bag part unless we agreed that they would destroy our dash by completing the recalled part replacement. We purchased the vehicle brand new and have taken excellent care of it and the dash is in excellent condition, how can they refuse to do the required FREE recall unless we agree that if they destroy our dash. Please help us get this important safety recall completed. My name is [XXX]. I’m sure if Chevrolet is doing this to us there are other Consumers that they are doing this to that will not speak up. My family’s safety depends on the safety equipment that they placed in the vehicle that we purchased in good faith. I wanted to try this option prior to engagement of a Consumer Attorney. Thank you in advance of your assistance. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair would be available within 3 months. 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. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.
took car to dealer for nys inspection* {recall must be done to pass} service advisors work on commision, so i get a $5500 quote on "" seriously needed work"" yet my concerns were overlooked. & unauthorized work yet Recalls are to be done free so there no commison, so they upsale you and put off the takata airbags as"" on order""= profit over safety. now im on the hook for $6000 or they keep the car then sell as "certified pre- owned" this is part of a serious flaw within the automotive industry. my car is a decommisioned nj police k9 car. so it was a fleet car + very well maintained. the service advisor is grossly over billing and padding the work order. i had to put a stop work order as a disabled person who needs his car to be mobile and i bought a used car to avoid financing and large financial obligations that i can not afford. i even got corperate involved { but they are all chevy team leaders}
DASH CRACKING. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES AND GM NEEDS TO FIX IT. EVERY ONE I HAVE SEEN DOES THIS. THEY CRACK NEAR THE AIRBAG ORIGINALLY, WHICH MINE IS. IT IS BEGINNING TO CRACK IN OTHER PLACES. THE SHARP EDGES HAVE CUT MY FINGER BEFORE WHILE JUST WIPING THE DASH. THE SHARP EDGES COULD ALSO CUT INTO ELECTRICAL WIRES DOWN THE ROAD. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND STORED INDOORS AND THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE SHARP CRACKED EDGES LIKE THIS FROM NORMAL USE.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V054000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE DASHBOARD HAD STARTED TO CRACK ON THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V054000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,200.
CRACKED DASH AND DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SYSTEM.WILL FIX THE AIRBAG BUT WON'T FIX THE CRACKED DASH IN THREE PLACES. THEY WANT MORE THAN 1500 DOLLARS TO FIX THE DASH.
Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact contacted the dealer and another dealer Carl Black Chevrolet (535 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37210) but was informed by both dealers that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
TAKATA AIRBAG REMEDY NOT AVAILABLE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V051000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE LOCAL DEALER HENDRICK GMC LOCATED AT 1620 MONTGOMERY HWY, HOOVER, AL 35216 WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.*DT
I HAVE HAD TWO CRACKS DEVELOP ON THE DASH OF MY TAHOE. I HAVE NOT HIT ANYTHING NOR HAD AN ACCIDENT THAT WOULD CAUSE THESE CRACKS TO APPEAR. I BELIEVE THE PRODUCT USED TO CREATE THE DASH WAS INFERIOR WHICH HAS CAUSED THE CRACKING.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe has 3 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 179 owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe.
The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe are unknown or other (61 reports), air bags,unknown or other (24 reports), air bags (23 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 3 recalls on record for the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.