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2013 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500, most often about the other or unspecified (36% of complaints, typically around 64,500 miles). It is 26th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Other or unspecified
42 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 64,500 miles.
I have a couple cracks on my dashboard around the passenger airbag. I asked the dealer to replace it for free. They want to charge me 300 dollars.
Have a crack in dashboard by passenger airbag and behind center of gauge cluster on drivers side. Purchased vehicle used and didn't notice cracks till I had driven car home.
Air bags
36 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles.
I have a couple cracks on my dashboard around the passenger airbag. I asked the dealer to replace it for free. They want to charge me 300 dollars.
My GMC Sierra 1500 has numerous cracks across the upper dash that have appeared over the life of the vehicle. I attempted to have the dashboard replaced under warranty but was denied. I recently had the passenger airbag replaced due to a recall. The dealership refused to replace the dashboard, and when they replaced…
Body and structure
25 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, the vehicle failed inspection due to the rear subframe being detached from rust. The contact stated that the failure was related to technical service bulletin: 19-na-255. The contact used the undercarriage wash due to…
On 3/4/2018 I took my truck in for a broken leaf spring. When the mechanic was replacing the springs, he notes holes rusting in the trucks frame. I did buy the truck used from a chevrolet dealer on 3/12 2016 with @49,000 miles on it. With in 6-8 months of owning the truck, it started to rust on the fender wells, and…
Suspension
10 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles.
I went underneath my sierra today and found the entire frame is extremely rusted. Upon closer examination I found a 3 inch by 3/4 inch hole rusted through. This truck just turned 6 years old and has 100000 miles . This is a saftey issue because with the truck being able to tow heavy loads.
I was underneath my truck for a minor sensor repair around the end of march. I found a significant hole rusted through the left frame rail. I made contact with general motors about the severity of rust in and on my frame. They had a local dealership evaluate the frame. After several people and many weeks. The best gm…
Engine
8 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 151,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a rattling sound coming from the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated; however, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with faulty piston rings. The contact…
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, while making a left turn, the accelerator pedal was depressed and there was a ticking sound coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer…
Electrical
6 complaints · 5%Safety issue with cracks in the dashboard in the upper left portion of the passenger side airbag. If the airbag goes off, either in accident or in error, parts of the dashboard will dislodge and be a danger to the occupants.
Theres electrical problems going on, having interior lights go on and off, drivers door handle broke from normal wear and tear, passenger headlight keeps going out after about 2 weeks too a month, drivers side controls don't want to work all the time to try to roll up and down the windows, move both electrical…
Lights
3 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: headlights, tail lights.
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that water became trapped in the headlight assembly and impacted visibility while driving. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 18,300. Updated 01/05/2017
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the rear tail lights had condensation and water in the lenses. Additionally, the bulbs blew out. The vehicle was taken to ed schmidt auto group (26875 north dixie highway, perrysburg, oh 43551) where it was determined that the vehicle was in a crash but…
Wheels and tires
3 complaints · 3%The contact owned a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 equipped with goodyear eagle ls-2 tires, size: p275/55r20. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the front driver side tire detached from the rim. The vehicle was towed to an insurance company's lot. The tire was not replaced. The air bag deployed without warning or impact. A…
Two of the four wheels were losing air and tested locally. It was determined air was leaking from each of the two rims in a similar location. Note-air was not leaking from the tire or the seal between the tire bead and rim. Instead, the rim itself appears to have a latent defect causing a slow leak. I contacted a…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 GMC Sierra 1500 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
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
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
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 GMC Sierra 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: other or unspecified (42 complaints, typically around 64,500 miles); air bags (36 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); body and structure (25 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
- 3 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 GMC Sierra 1500?
- It is 26th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 116 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.