RecallRepo

2012 Chevrolet Suburban Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2012 Chevrolet Suburban has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,153,124 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the unknown or other. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

AIR BAGS 21V051000 2021-02-05 284,645 affected
Defect

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,…

Consequence

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

Remedy

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…

AIR BAGS 21V054000 2021-02-05 1,778,128 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

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

Remedy

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…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14V827000 2014-12-30 84,192 affected
Defect

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…

Consequence

If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy

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…

STEERING 12V112000 2012-03-22 6,159 affected
Defect

GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET EXPRESS AND SUBURBAN VEHICLES, AND GMC SAVANA AND YUKON XL HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES. THE STEERING GEAR PITMAN SHAFT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY HARDENED AND COULD FRACTURE.

Consequence

IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, A LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING GEAR AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR PITMAN SHAFT. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 4, 2012.

Complaints by component

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
38
1fires
AIR BAGS
25
1crashes
STRUCTURE:BODY
21
1fires1injuries
ENGINE
12
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
1fires
POWER TRAIN
5
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3
1fires
STEERING
3
1crashes
TIRES
3
Total complaints139

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“My auto gear shift disingaged from the transmission the car started moving as I was trying to get into the driver seat with driver door catching the tree limbs and opening the door and me holding onto the inside door handle brooke and I fell onto the ground when the car stopped by backing over the…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2024-07-28

“This is a recall took my 2012 surburban to dealership in leavenworth, ks they had vehicle for two weeks did not fix the airbag that is under recall they stated could not get parts for it. So what is the problem with our government system in place to fix these problems but the gm dealership is not…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2023-05-01

“My dash on my 2012 suburban cracked within 4 years of its manufactured date and it just keeps getting worse. If there were an accident it is so dry and cracked it will through hard plastic into the driver and passengers. I know of many other same and similar year models that have the same issue.…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2022-08-19

“Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet suburban. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v051000 (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…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-06-03

“We received an important safety recall to replace the airbag inflator (nhtsa recall number 21v051). After taking our vehicle to the dealer, we were told that if we want the recall then we have to pay to replace our dashboard (over $1,000). The dashboard has a crack which is a common and well-known…”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-03-09

“We received an important safety recall to replace the airbag inflator (nhtsa recall number 21v051). After taking our vehicle to the dealer, we were told that if we want the recall then we have to pay to replace our dashboard (over $1,000). The dashboard has a crack which is a common and well-known…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2021-03-09

“We received an important safety recall to replace the airbag inflator (nhtsa recall number 21v051). After taking our vehicle to the dealer, we were told that if we want the recall then we have to pay to replace our dashboard (over $1,000). The dashboard has a crack which is a common and well-known…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2021-03-09

“I was sent a safety recall form & still haven't been notified that parts are available. I am worried because we use our family car a lot. Thank you!”

AIR BAGS · reported 2021-02-21

Defect investigations

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Chevrolet Suburban as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.