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2012 Chevrolet Avalanche 2WD

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2012 Avalanche 2WD.

Body SUV

The 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche 2WD is an SUV with an engine requiring 6 quarts of 5W-30 oil, logging 52 total owner complaints and three recalls. Across the 2000-2013 model complaint history, this volume sits significantly below the 2002 peak of 673 issues while exceeding the 2000 low of two reports. Although the top complaint area is categorized as Unknown Or Other, the limited number of issues suggests this model year occupies a lower-complaint position in the vehicle's reliability history compared to the lineage's peak complaint periods.

Model year2012 2009 2005

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity6 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 615 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12690386. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 615 CCAOEM · verified

Tire sizeP265-70R17OEM · verified

Wheel / rim8.5 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	12690386
Engine air filter	22845992 alt 15908916
Spark plug	12680072
Front wiper blades	22793882
Serpentine belt	19210691 alt 12626222
Thermostat	89018168 alt 12587397

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	218.1 in
Overall width	79.1 in
Overall height	73.2 in
Wheelbase	130.3 in
Curb weight	5437 lb
Track (front / rear)	68.5 / 67.7 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	52/48

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 6 qt of 5W-30 engine oil, Synthetic · SAE 75W in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 18.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	6
Brake Fluid	DOT 3
Differential Gear Oil	Synthetic · SAE 75W
Differential Gear Oil Capacity	2.75 qt
Engine Coolant	DEX-COOL OR EQUIVALENT
Engine Oil	5W-30
Engine Oil Capacity	6 qt

Engine torques

Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts	8.85 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Leaf Spring to Axle (U-bolts)	74.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Chassis Bracket	125.0 plus 90 degrees ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Rear Shackle	70.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring Rear Shackle to Chassis Bracket	70.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub	177 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order	1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Cylinder Firing Order	1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Spark Plug Manufacturer	AC Delco
Spark Plug Gap	0.040 in
Spark Plug Torque	11.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	46
Standard BCI Group Number	48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	615 cca
Optional BCI Group Number	48
Optional BCI Cranking Performance	730 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test	20 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	20 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Pressure Test	15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)	50-60 w/o FPCM
RPM	43-45 @ Idle rpm

Brakes

Brake Application	WITH RPO J92, JD9 / WITH RPO JH6
Torque Caliper to Bracket	74 ft-lbs / 28 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	148 ft-lbs / 122 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Brake Application	WITH RPO J92, JD9 / WITH RPO JH6
Rotor Max Parallel Variation	0.0007 in / 0.007 in / 0.0001 in
Rotor Runout Limit	0.002 in / 0.005 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From	1.181 in / 0.787 in / 1.496 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Do not allow oil on cylinder head or head bolt bosses · M11 Bolts:

1	22.0 ft. lbs.	22 ft. lbs
2	90 degrees	90 degrees
3	70 degrees; M8 Bolts:	70 degrees
1	22.0 ft. lbs.	22 ft. lbs

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

3.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.4

3.7 ft. lbs

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

11 ft. lbs., step 2: 15

11 ft. lbs

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

3.7 ft. lbs., step 2: 7.4

3.7 ft. lbs

Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

11 ft. lbs., step 2: 15

11 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 97,500 mi; coolant every 7,500 mi. The big-interval services (every 7,500 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 mi	Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 mi	Engine Air Filter Element (replace)
Every 97,500 mi	Spark Plugs (replace) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill) · Transmission Fluid & Filter (replace)
At 150,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche 2WD dominate in one area — the unknown or other, 25 of 52 reports (48%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 3 recall campaigns target the unknown or other, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 2 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the unknown or other pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

1612

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

Owner complaints

2 involved a crash · 0 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11’12’13

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 52 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Unknown Or Other25

Air Bags,Unknown Or Other5

Air Bags3

Engine2

Power Train2

Structure2

Wheels2

Suspension,Unknown Or Other1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

21V054000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleReported 05/02/2021

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… 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…

21V051000Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator ModuleReported 05/02/2021

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… 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…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1612 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
PIT3271Q	2026-04-01	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP6104	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT6400A	2026-01-16	Unknown Or Other	This PI Communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform…
PIP4902U	2026-01-08	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Avalanche 2WD. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 48 battery Vehicles taking 6 qt Engine oil filter 12690386 Engine air filter 22845992 Spark plug 12680072 Front wiper blades 22793882

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2012 Avalanche 2WD take?

6 qt of 5W-30 MEETING GM DEXOS 1 SPECIFICATION, per the factory manual.

Does the 2012 Avalanche 2WD have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.