2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Best The 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ranks 20th out of 21 model years tracked, with a complaint index of 5 and a Best verdict. It has 365 NHTSA complaints, 5 recalls, and no do-not-drive recalls, making it one of the lowest-risk years for this model.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 5/100
- #20 of 21 Silverado 1500 years
- Verdict
- Best
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 365
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 5
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 16
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 13
- Top issue
- Airbags
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- —
- Injuries / deaths
- 13 / 0
Top 2013 Chevy Silverado 1500 problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Other114 (31%)
- Airbags94 (26%)
- Structure & Body88 (24%)
- Engine50 (14%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires29 (8%)
- Transmission & Powertrain24 (7%)
- Electrical System19 (5%)
- Steering18 (5%)
- Visibility & Wipers10 (3%)
- Brakes9 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags sometimes failed to deploy in moderate-speed frontal or side collisions, including one crash at 35 mph where a passenger suffered a broken foot.
- Some owners reported unexpected engine surging or acceleration that did not respond to braking, in one case leading to a crash into a tree.
- Steering became unresponsive at low speed in at least one case, causing the truck to strike a fixed object.
- Owners described structural or body issues, including a case where mismatched replacement tires led to loss of control in wet weather.
- One owner reported the brake pedal failing to slow the vehicle before striking roadside objects.
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls
5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 21V053000Feb 5, 2021Airbags692,526 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles 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." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
Risk: 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 24, 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 N212328790.
- NHTSA 21V054000Feb 5, 2021Airbags1,778,128 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
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.
Risk: 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 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.
- NHTSA 13V544000Oct 30, 2015Other1,808 vehicles
Equipment:other:labels
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Express, and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, and model year 2013 GMC Savana compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles that fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 303 "Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles." In the affected vehicles, the text of the CNG fuel-only label is smaller than the required size, and as a result, may be less noticeable.
Risk: Text that does not conform to the required labeling size could inhibit fuel tank inspection practices and safe refueling, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners and will send them a replacement label, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 13365.
2013 compared with other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?
- Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, the 2013 Silverado 1500 ranks 20th out of 21 model years with a complaint index of 5, earning a Best verdict relative to other years of this model.
- What problems does the 2013 Silverado 1500 have?
- The top problem area is airbags, accounting for 94 complaints (26% share), followed by structure & body issues (88 complaints, 24%) and engine problems (50 complaints, 14%).
- Does the 2013 Silverado 1500 have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2013 Silverado 1500, covering airbags, fuel system, transmission & powertrain, and other components; none are do-not-drive recalls.
- How does the 2013 Silverado 1500 compare to the 2014 model?
- The 2013 model has a complaint index of 5 and a Best verdict, while the 2014 model has a much higher complaint index of 100 and an Avoid verdict, with 1,560 complaints and 19 recalls.
- At what mileage do problems typically show up on the 2013 Silverado 1500?
- The median mileage at failure across all complaints is 47,050 miles, though airbag issues showed up at a median of 57,000 miles and transmission issues at a median of 4,000 miles.