2013 GMC Sierra 1500 problems, complaints & recalls

2013 GMC Sierra 1500 recalls (3)

• Recall 21V054000Feb 5, 20211,778,128 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 21V053000Feb 5, 2021692,526 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 18V267000Apr 26, 20186,154 vehicles
  EQUIPMENT

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

• DP22005Opened Jan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023led to recall 22V063000

  Pedestrian alert sounds

  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 Marc…

• EA21002Opened Sep 17, 2021Open

  Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  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.C…

Recent 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Oct 6, 2026170,000 miFL1 injuredAirbags

   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 were metallic debris coming from the air bags. The contact sustained a cut on the right leg. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with moist air bags and corrosion…

   NHTSA complaint #11769233 · source
2. Filed Dec 22, 2025CTSuspension

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11706633 · source
3. Filed Oct 29, 202575,000 miPABody & Structure

   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 residing in a snow and salt State. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no…

   NHTSA complaint #11696358 · source
4. Filed Sep 14, 2025MIEngine

   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 found that this is a common problem with GM's 5.3 with the AFM system!!! Companies should be held accountable for fraudulent designs!!! This is Not the first time for GM screwing…

   NHTSA complaint #11687166 · source
5. Filed Jul 2, 2025NJBody & Structure

   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.

   NHTSA complaint #11670958 · source
6. Filed Nov 12, 2024CABody & Structure

   Roof rust at the windshield on a perfect condition vehicle. Paint is excellent on rest of vehicle. No damage or accidents and properly maintained. Premature rust is now visible at the roof of the of the vehicle. Soon could rot and allow water into cab of vehicle.

   NHTSA complaint #11624825 · source
7. Filed Sep 19, 2024WIOther / Unknown

   The frame on my 2013 GMC Sierra has a considerable amount of rust & corrosion on it, to the point of being a safety concern because it's actually rusted through to where there are holes rusted through the frame!!

   NHTSA complaint #11615420 · source
8. Filed Sep 9, 2024INOther / Unknown

   I found out that the frame was rusted through beside the gas tank and was told there was a memo put out to the dealers that there was a problem with the frames not being coated properly and if the customer notice it they were to repair it. My truck was service regularly and undercoated regularly by the dealer the body is rust free but I am being told the frame is on safe and can't be repaired and GM will not make it right even though they knew there was a problem. I pull a…

   NHTSA complaint #11613418 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology