YearToAvoid

2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

35/100

#14 most-complained of 21 Tahoe years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe has 232 owner complaints and 4 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 35 out of 100 — #14 highest of 21 Tahoe model years (verdict: Good). The most reported problem area is structure & body (56 complaints, 24% of the total). Complaints report 4 crashes and 6 injuries.

Complaints
232
Recalls
4
Crashes / fires
4 / 0
Injuries / deaths
6 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
17
15 city / 21 hwy

Top 2013 Chevy Tahoe problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Other122 (53%)
  2. Structure & Body56 (24%)
  3. Airbags51 (22%)
  4. Electrical System16 (7%)
  5. Engine16 (7%)
  6. Brakes11 (5%)
  7. Transmission & Powertrain9 (4%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (3%)
  9. Steering5 (2%)
  10. Fuel System3 (1%)
2013 Chevrolet Tahoe complaints: complaints filed per quarter302014 Q12015 Q32017 Q12018 Q32020 Q12021 Q32023 Q22025 Q2
300 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2014 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q3 (30).

2013 Chevrolet Tahoe recalls

4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. NHTSA 14V614000Oct 1, 2014Electrical System106,307 vehicles

    Electrical system

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.

    Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.

See all 4 recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe →

2013 Chevrolet Tahoe fuel economy and fuel cost

City
15 MPG
Highway
21 MPG
Combined
17 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,800
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Gasoline or E85
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2013 compared with other Tahoe years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2011Avoid75446517
2012Good45178317
2013Good35232417
2014Best590317
2015Avoid9065814 !18

All Chevrolet Tahoe years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe ranks #14 of 21 among Tahoe model years (Complaint Index 35/100, verdict: Good). It has 232 complaints and 4 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe?
The most reported problem areas are structure & body (56 complaints), airbags (51 complaints), and electrical system (16 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 60,000 miles.
Does the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe, most recently reported 2021, covering airbags, electrical system, and transmission & powertrain.
What is the fuel economy of the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe?
EPA rates the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe at 17 MPG combined (15 city / 21 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,800. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.