GMC · Yukon · 2012
3
Recalls
131
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2012 GMC Yukon has 3 recalls and 131 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: unknown or other (44 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 28, 2026
The 2012 GMC Yukon page works best as a research starting point. Complaint totals show how much owner-reported activity exists, while recalls and investigations help show whether any of that activity turned into formal safety action.
Because this is a newer-era vehicle page, it usually helps to compare this year against nearby model years before deciding whether a complaint pattern looks isolated or persistent. On this page, the most prominent complaint area is unknown or other with 44 reported complaints.
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.
If you are researching a used vehicle, start with the complaint categories, compare them against the recall list, and then check nearby model years to see whether the same issue profile repeats. That usually produces a better buying or research signal than treating the raw complaint total as a standalone safety ranking.
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 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 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 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 contact owns a 2012 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that years ago, the engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine. Recently, after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the engine. The banging sound continued, and the vehicle shut off without war...
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Driving on loop 20 overpass on Hwy 59 in Laredo Texas suddenly the engine lost power and started to skip and miss fire while a loud tapping noise was generated, due to the loss of power and skipping, alarms showed in the main console requiring immediate service to the engine, tra...
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Yesterday while unloading the rear of our 2021 GMC Yukon Denali the tailgate came down on me without warning and with force. I googled to see what might have caused this to happen and it stated that the struts might be worn out. (I am having that checked out today) Fortunately, I...
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The contact's son owned a 2012 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V051000 (Air Bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list as her son no longer owns the vehicle. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
The contact owns a 2012 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the contact attempted to shift the vehicle into drive however, the transmission failed to shift into gear. The contact stated that the gear shifter cable had detached. There were no warning ligh...
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Dash is cracked on passenger side airbag
Cracks in the dash in two places. Next to the passenger air bag and on the curve above the instrucment panel on the drivers side.
I was driving and slowed down upon approaching speed bumps and going over speed bump my dashboard cover cracked. There was no warning after it cracked the more I drove the more it cracked I am currently buying a dashboard cover to go over the cracked dashboard.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 GMC YUKON XL. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. ADDITIONALLY, THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MIDWAY CHEVROLET (2323 W BELL RD,...
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MY VEHICLE IS PART OF THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL. DAVID WELCH AT NASHVILLE BEAMAN GMC TOLD ME IT WAS "UP TO ME" IF I DRIVE THE VEHICLE - I AM IN GROUP 10 FOR IT TO BE FIXED AND HE DOES NOT KNOW WHEN THAT WILL BE. CASE WAS MADE WITH GMC - CASE # 9-6579504849 SPOKE WITH CORRINE...
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Showing 10 recent complaints from 131 total
View Full Complaint LogThe strongest comparison flow is usually: exact vehicle-year page, then nearby years of the same model, then other 2012 GMC models. That sequence helps separate one-off year spikes from broader make-wide patterns.
The 2012 GMC Yukon has 3 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 131 owner-reported complaints for the 2012 GMC Yukon.
The 2012 GMC Yukon received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2012 GMC Yukon are unknown or other (44 reports), structure (21 reports), air bags,unknown or other (16 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 3 recalls on record for the 2012 GMC Yukon. 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.