KnownCarProblemsHome › Chevrolet › Silverado 3500 › 2013
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500, most often about the steering (27% of complaints, typically around 12,500 miles). It is 17th of 27 Silverado 3500 model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems
Steering
7 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 12,500 miles.
I drive a 2013 chevy silverado 3500hd, diesel. I have had two incidents. The first about a month or two ago, turning sharply as I was backing out of the driveway, the power steering seemed to quit functioning making it very difficult to turn the wheel. The second time was last week while pulling into a parking stall…
When driving at slow speed and usually at low RPM, and turning right the steering locks up, if I pull to the left it usually clears the lock up. This problem occurs nearly every time I drive this vehicle, and its not getting better. I took the truck to the dealer to have it checked out and was told that it is normal…
Engine
5 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated but the vehicle started operating…
Came to a stop at top of exit ramp truck continued to roll backwards brake light and ABS light came on, truck beeped three times coming up ramp, hit excellerator and truck engine did not respond. Hit emergency brake. Put truck in park and turn off ignition. Truck refused to start. Extremely dangerous stop to cut off…
Other or unspecified
5 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles.
The dashboard has cracked in two places. One crack is at the corner of the passenger air big and the other is above the instrument cluster. The cracks lead me to suspect the dashboard is either brittle or under stress. What will happen if the airbag deploys? Will the dashboard disintegrate and cause injury to the…
Came to a stop at top of exit ramp truck continued to roll backwards brake light and ABS light came on, truck beeped three times coming up ramp, hit excellerator and truck engine did not respond. Hit emergency brake. Put truck in park and turn off ignition. Truck refused to start. Extremely dangerous stop to cut off…
Transmission
5 complaints · 19%The truck started shifting hard. Had it towed home. Then towed to dealership. They diagnosed it with a faulty TCM #24256861. Then said it could be up to 18 months for the part. This is unacceptable in our opinion. Additional expenses, time missed from work, etc.
Electrical
4 complaints · 15%The vehicle's engine compartment caught on fire following going through a car wash. I stopped after pulling across the street and noticed false fault indications on the display, followed by smoke blowing from the heater vents. I pulled into a parking space, raised the hood, and saw flames coming from the left rear of…
The truck started shifting hard. Had it towed home. Then towed to dealership. They diagnosed it with a faulty TCM #24256861. Then said it could be up to 18 months for the part. This is unacceptable in our opinion. Additional expenses, time missed from work, etc.
Fuel system
4 complaints · 15%While traveling on interstate 80, in iowa, the fuel transfer pump on rear fuel tank malfunctioned causing a pressurization of the forward fuel tank which resulted in fuel spray to from the forward fuel tank fill-neck. To stop the continuous loss of fuel , I had to pull fuse #18 from fuse box under hood for the rear…
Vehicle developed a fuel leak in the return fuel line located at the tank. The fuel line is made of plastic, it has no protection around the fuel line, and is located where natural debris may collect. In this particular incident an acorn became lodged next to fuel line and wore a hole in it. The result was a fuel leak…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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, ne
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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'
Full defect summary
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, sub
Equipment
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, instructing them to contact kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began june 11, 2018. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. Gm's number for this recall is 18146.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009-2014 chevrolet silverado hd and gmc sierra hd, 2009 gmc topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series and isuzu f series, and 2009-2018 chevrolet express, and gmc savana vehicles, equipped with certain plastic-handle fire extinguishers or push button 'pindicator' fire extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17e062-5427.pdf
Fuel system: auxillary tank
Risk: If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Gm has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear tank fuel pump or update the fuel-level sensor software, as well as inspect the front tank, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began december 11, 2017. Owners may contact gm customer service for chevrolet 1-800-222-1020 or for gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 17399.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2011-2015 chevrolet silverado 3500 and gmc sierra 3500 trucks equipped with dual fuel tanks. The low fuel level sensor for the front tank may stick causing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (7 complaints, typically around 12,500 miles); engine (5 complaints, typically around 56,000 miles); other or unspecified (5 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
- It is 17th of 27 Silverado 3500 model years by number of complaints, with 26 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.