2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 13, 2024 · 51 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Silverado 2500 years
Fewer complaints than other years 25th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
2–4 out of 5 stars (varies by version)

Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. That ranks 25th out of 32 Silverado 2500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (12 complaints, 24%), typically at around 69,871 miles. Complaints mention 1 fire, 1 injury. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Unknown or Other12 · ~69,871 mi
Electrical System10 · ~69,003 mi
Fuel/propulsion System9 · ~107,000 mi
Service Brakes9 · ~59,000 mi
Structure7 · ~57,069 mi
Engine6 · ~151,500 mi
Power Train4 · ~170,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)3 · ~88,000 mi
Air Bags2 · ~54,500 mi
Exterior Lighting2 · ~69,519 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Unknown or Other1224%69,871——
Electrical System1020%69,003——
Fuel/propulsion System918%107,000——
Service Brakes918%59,000——
Structure714%57,069——
Engine612%151,500——
Power Train48%170,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)36%88,000——
Air Bags24%54,500——
Exterior Lighting24%69,519——
Fuel System, Diesel12%130,000——
Seat Belts12%———
Seats12%———
Steering12%68,000——
Traction Control System12%38,000——
Vehicle Speed Control12%45,000——
Wheels12%42,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2018, with 8 complaints
2015: 3201532016: 5201652017: 3201732018: 8201882019: 5201952020: 8202082021: 7202172022: 2202222023: 8202382024: 220242

n = 51 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls (3)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

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.

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.

EquipmentApr 26, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V267000 · 6,154 vehicles

Problem: 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

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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

I believe all the dealership did was dust/armor all my air bag compartment door. It still has a 2013 takata air bag installed which was deployed somehow causing a can of axe body spray to explode which caused the dash, seat, and wiring including the compartment to burn/melt totaling my truck. I…

Air Bags · received Oct 13, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11619520

oil cooler line failed . oil gushing out of engine. Both line bad. Having repaired at local shop. If engine malfunctioned in traffic -definitely could have been a safety issue ! never noticed small leak- line just let go- was a major leak- drained the oil pan. hope it didn' t damage engine.

Engine · received Apr 18, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11583736

Rear frame rust/rotted out, primarily shock crossmembers, and spare tire rack.

Unknown or Other · received Oct 8, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11548865

Tcm went out while driving with loaded trailer locked trans in low gear

Power Train · received Sep 2, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11542314

Tcm failed driving 60 down the highway, check engine light came on, stabiliatrack service light came on traction control tuned off all at the same time. Lost all communication to the transmission putting truck in limp mode going down the highway. Mechanic shop hooked up the scanner to the truck and…

Electrical System · received Jun 28, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11529314

Other Chevrolet Silverado 2500 years

← 2012 Silverado 2500 · 2014 Silverado 2500 →

See all Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

Owners most often report unknown or other, electrical system, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 12 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Silverado 2500 model years, the 2013 has fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 2–4 out of 5 stars (varies by version) overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.