Reliable Auto DB

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe holds 180 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Tahoe years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

2012 Chevrolet Tahoe
Photo by Ethan Llamas, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

180

Per year

2

Recalls

3

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (63 of 180), then Structure (37) and Electrical system (13). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Tahoe has 232 complaints, 6 per year. The 2012 has fewer 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 Tahoe. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

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 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 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 (180 total)

Air bags
63
Structure
37
Electrical system
13
Engine
9
Powertrain
7
Service brakes
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Steering
4
Wheels
3
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Speed control
2
Suspension
2
Equipment
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220121201342014320154420162920172220181720192120202420212202262023220241202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side and passenger’s side doors failed to open manually or while using the power door lock button. The contact was concerned because…"
    Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2026-04-24
  • "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…"
    Structure, Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-03
  • "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…"
    Engine · filed 2025-04-29
  • "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…"
    Powertrain · filed 2024-12-12
  • "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…"
    Air bags · filed 2024-04-25

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid SUV 4WD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid SUV RWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV 4WD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2012 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV RWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 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
Tahoe 1500 two-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800
Tahoe 1500 four-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800
Tahoe hybrid two-wheel drive 6L, 8-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Rear-wheel drive 20 23 21 MPG $3100
Tahoe hybrid four-wheel drive 6L, 8-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Four-wheel drive 20 23 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

4th generation, 2012–2014
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (dexos1) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 265/65R18 to 285/45R22 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 13V-001 covers certain 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs that may not meet FMVSS park-lock requirements for the steering column ignition interlock, allowing the vehicle to shift from Park with the key removed or without brake application; dealers inspect and replace the steering column as needed. Recall 14V-614 covers certain 2013-2014 Tahoe vehicles among other GM models: the chassis electronic module may short internally and stall the vehicle; dealers replace the module. Related Takata passenger air bag inflator campaigns such as 21V-053 also list certain Tahoe model years in humidity zones; dealers replace the front passenger inflator.

Compare

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe holds 180 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 13 Tahoe years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Inflator and Ignition.

What are common problems with a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (63 of 180), then Structure (37) and Electrical system (13). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

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

The 2013 Tahoe has 232 complaints, 6 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe been recalled?

The 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe 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 Tahoe?

Owners have filed 180 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe is 19 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe?

6th generation (2021-present).

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Tahoe use?

5W-30 (dexos1)

What does NHTSA recall 13V-001 cover on the Chevrolet Tahoe?

Recall 13V-001 covers certain 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs that may not meet FMVSS park-lock requirements for the steering column ignition interlock, allowing the vehicle to shift from Park with the key removed or without brake…