2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Air Bags Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 23, 2026 · 83 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 28% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 60,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (20% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Takata air bags: mentioned in 17 of 83 complaints (20%)
  • Dash cracked: mentioned in 9 of 83 complaints (11%)
  • Passenger airbag: mentioned in 8 of 83 complaints (10%)

At what mileage do air bags problems happen?

Based on 46 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles1 · 2%
10k–25k miles2 · 4%
25k–50k miles13 · 28%
50k–75k miles13 · 28%
75k–100k miles8 · 17%
100k–150k miles7 · 15%
150k+ miles2 · 4%

How serious are the reports?

Of 83 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 2 an injury.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 air bags complaints by model year

Peak: 2008, with 594 complaints
1995: 119951997: 161998: 71999: 1919992000: 312001: 122002: 1420022003: 212004: 342005: 5120052006: 242007: 4792008: 59420085942009: 2302010: 1972011: 30620112012: 592013: 832014: 4720142015: 662016: 182017: 3020172018: 152019: 122020: 1120202021: 202022: 82023: 120232024: 22025: 1

n = 2,409 complaints · Source: NHTSA

When owners reported it

Peak: 2021, with 23 complaints
2015: 2201522016: 8201682017: 142017142018: 8201882019: 102019102020: 5202052021: 232021232022: 3202232023: 3202332024: 3202432025: 2202522026: 220262

n = 83 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (2)

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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's number for this recall is N212328800.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V053000 · 692,526 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

Was involved in an MVA at @ 40 MPH no air bags were deployed

Received May 29, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11740841

I am submitting this complaint regarding an unrepaired Takata airbag recall associated with my vehicle VIN and concerns related to dealership representations and compliance charges at the time of sale. My vehicle currently shows an active unrepaired Takata airbag recall under NHTSA Recall Number…

Received May 23, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11739656

4x4 light comes on every once in a while Airbag light come on says service

Received Apr 25, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11656744

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s have air bags problems?

No. NHTSA has 83 owner complaints about air bags for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (28% of the 301 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 air bags?

Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do air bags problems start?

The median reported mileage is 60,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 17 of 83 complaints, followed by “dash cracked” (9).

Other 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems

See all 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems or air bags problems across all Silverado 1500 years.