2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
BestComplaint Index
7/100
#15 most-complained of 16 Silverado 1500 years
The 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ranks 15th worst out of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 7 and a "Best" verdict. NHTSA lists 365 complaints, 5 recalls, and no do-not-drive recalls for this year.
- Complaints
- 365
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes / fires
- 16 / 2
- Injuries / deaths
- 13 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- —
Top 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
NHTSA owner 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%)
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy in frontal or side collisions at speeds around 35 to 47 mph, even after a deer strike or a drunk-driving crash.
- Owners describe sudden acceleration or unresponsive braking, including a case where the vehicle failed to decelerate at 50 mph and struck a mailbox and utility poles.
- Steering became unresponsive at low speed, accompanied by a loud dinging noise, leading to a collision with a light pole.
- Structure and body complaints include a truck spinning out of control during heavy rain, reportedly linked to mismatched replacement tires.
- A seat belt and steering wheel locked up during a low-speed surge that ended in a head-on collision with a fire hydrant.
- A fuel system issue involving stuck acceleration was reported near a hairpin turn, where the brakes failed to slow the vehicle.
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 owner complaints and recalls, the 2013 Silverado 1500 ranks 15th worst out of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 7 and a "Best" verdict relative to other years.
- What problems does the 2013 Silverado 1500 have?
- NHTSA data shows the top problem area is airbags, with 94 complaints (26% share), followed by structure and body issues at 88 complaints (24%) and engine problems at 50 complaints (14%).
- Does the 2013 Silverado 1500 have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2013 Silverado 1500, covering airbags, transmission and powertrain, fuel system, and other components; none are do-not-drive recalls.
- How does the 2013 Silverado 1500 compare to other years?
- The 2013 model has a complaint index of 7, far lower than the 2014 (100) and 2015 (87) model years, which are rated "Avoid," making 2013 one of the better years in the lineup.
- What is the median mileage for complaints on the 2013 Silverado 1500?
- NHTSA data shows a median mileage at failure of 47,050 miles across all complaints for the 2013 Silverado 1500.