Reliable Auto DB

2012 Chevrolet Avalanche reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche holds 52 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than the 2013 Avalanche (0), the only other year on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

2012 Chevrolet Avalanche
Photo by 2000chevymontecarlo, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

52

Per year

2

Recalls

3

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 52), then Engine (3) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Avalanche has 82 complaints, 0 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000
Summary 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 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.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V051000
Summary 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 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.
Recall electrical system, ignition 2014-12-30 · NHTSA campaign 14V827000
Summary 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 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.

Complaints by component (52 total)

Air bags
9
Engine
3
Powertrain
3
Structure
3
Speed control
2
Steering
2
Wheels
2
Electrical system
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Service brakes
1
Suspension
1
Tires
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201232013320145201562016172017420184201952020120212202212024
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Rear control arms were rusted out and fell off the frame. Additionally with that happening the rear drive shaft was pulled out from transmission and could cause a vehicle to flip. Upon further investigation body frame…"
    Suspension, Unknown or other · filed 2024-05-05
  • "The vehicle is displaying error messages Reduced Engine Power, Service Stabilitrak, Service Traction Control. It also has the related service indicator lights for the Stabilitrak, the Traction Control, and the Check…"
    Speed control, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2022-09-11
  • "There is a problem with GM vehicles developing cracked dashboards including my own. The cracks are happening around/above the instrument cluster and more importantly, around the airbag. I am concerned that the defected…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2022-03-29
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was updated and now displayed that there was no recall associated with the…"
    Air bags · filed 2021-08-18
  • "TRAILER BRAKE WARNING IS SHOWING ON DASH. NOTED THERE IS A RECALL BULLETIN #14515B ISSUED RELATING TO THIS ISSUE AND NOT SURE WHY MY SERIAL NUMBER IS NOT FOUND IN THIS RECALL?"
    Electrical system · filed 2020-08-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2012 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Avalanche 1500 two-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800
Avalanche 1500 four-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

GMT900 (final years), 2012–2013
Body styles Crew cab pickup (sport utility truck)
Oil 5W-30 (all temps); 0W-30 below -29°C (5.3L V8) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 265/70R17, 265/65R18, 275/55R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-053 covers certain 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche vehicles (among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs): the front passenger air bag inflator may rupture if the air bag deploys, which can send metal fragments into the vehicle and increase injury risk. Dealers replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one at no charge.

Compare

Next year 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche See every Chevrolet Avalanche model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche holds 52 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is more complaints per year than the 2013 Avalanche (0), the only other year on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

What are common problems with a 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (9 of 52), then Engine (3) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Avalanche has 82 complaints, 0 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche been recalled?

The 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche?

Owners have filed 52 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche is 17 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Chevrolet Avalanche use?

The 5.3L V8 is commonly specified with 5W-30 (0W-30 below −29 °C) and about 6 qt with filter on 2012-2013 GMT900 trucks.

What tire sizes fit the Avalanche?

Trim-dependent OE sizes include 265/70R17, 265/65R18, and 275/55R20; check the tire placard on your Avalanche.

Was the 2013 Avalanche recalled for air bags?

Recall 21V-053 covers certain 2013 Avalanche vehicles among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs for a front passenger air bag inflator that may rupture on deployment; dealers replace the inflator.