2013 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 6, 2026 · 116 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Sierra 1500 years
Fewer complaints than other years 27th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
4 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. That ranks 27th out of 32 Sierra 1500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (42 complaints, 36%), typically at around 64,525 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 1 fire, 4 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

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

Compare with another car

Most common 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 problems

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

Unknown or Other42 · ~64,525 mi
Air Bags36 · ~60,000 mi
Structure25 · ~75,000 mi
Suspension10 · ~100,000 mi
Engine8 · ~151,500 mi
Electrical System6 · ~55,500 mi
Exterior Lighting3 · ~18,300 mi
Power Train3 · ~111,155 mi
Forward Collision Avoidance2 · ~135,727 mi
Seat Belts2 · ~55,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Unknown or Other4236%64,525——
Air Bags3631%60,000——
Structure2522%75,000——
Suspension109%100,000——
Engine87%151,500——
Electrical System65%55,500——
Exterior Lighting33%18,300——
Power Train33%111,155——
Forward Collision Avoidance22%135,727——
Seat Belts22%55,000——
Seats22%71,000——
Service Brakes22%33,295——
Tires22%58,229——
Back Over Prevention11%177,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)11%100,000——
Lane Departure11%94,453——
Visibility/wiper11%18,300——
Wheels11%59,000——

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 22 complaints
2015: 1201512016: 222016222017: 212017212018: 7201872019: 8201982020: 9202092021: 192021192022: 102022102023: 9202392024: 5202452025: 4202542026: 120261

n = 116 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2013 GMC Sierra 1500 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.
  • Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.

Recent owner reports

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

The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the roof, passenger’s side curtain, and the front side air bags deployed without a crash. The contact stated that the driver’s and passenger’s side seat belts no longer deployed, and there…

Air Bags · received Oct 6, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11769233

Failure of frame on left side of vehicle between frame rail and fuel tank. For a approx 10 year old vehicle that is garaged and does not drive in inclement weather this SHOULD NOT be happening.

Suspension · received Dec 22, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11706633

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…

Structure · received Oct 29, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11696358

On 9-12-25 I was pulling a utility trailer when I went to back it in the driveway my 2013 gmc 1500 5.3 stalled . I restarted it only to have a lifter claddering !!!! I checked the oil it was good ! Oil pressure was good not over heating . It is just the lifter!!!!!! After doing some investigating I…

Engine · received Sep 14, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11687166

During an oil change in may i was informed that my frame was extremely rotted and was in jeopardy of cracking in half . The further i dig into this, i'm finding that gm is aware of this issue. The vehicle is available for inspection.

Structure · received Jul 2, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11670958

Other GMC Sierra 1500 years

← 2012 Sierra 1500 · 2014 Sierra 1500 →

See all GMC Sierra 1500 problems by year, every GMC model, or the GMC VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500?

Owners most often report unknown or other, air bags, structure problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 42 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500?

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

Was the 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sierra 1500 model years, the 2013 has fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.