2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 26 owner complaints on record; most reports concern steering; the 2014 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Torque converter failed and destroyed my transmission. There is metal shavings in my transmission fluid. My truck will not shift right, the torque converter wants to lock up. It causes my truck to have a jerking type feeling.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2024
“The truck started shifting hard. Had it towed home. Then towed to dealership. They diagnosed it with a faulty TCM #24256861. Then said it could be up to 18 months for the part. This is unacceptable in our opinion. Additional expenses, time missed from work, etc.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2023
“General Motors produces several years of vehicles with a faulty transmission control module (TCM). From 2008 thru 2015, Chevrolet and GMC 2,500 & 3,500 trucks with the 6.6 L Duramax engine and Allison 1,000 transmission all used the same TCM; part number 24256861. This part has experienced a very high failure rate. During the summer of 2022, the stock of replacement parts was exhausted and GM seems to be postponing the manufacture or new parts. An estimated 5,000 vehicles are currently unusable due to the failure of this part and no new parts available.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tcm module faild on freeway when doing 60mph the vehicle suddenly down shifted causing car behind me to skid there brakes to avoid a rear end collision.Yes vehicle can be inspected for failure of transmission control module.The vehicle was diagnosed of a faulty transmission control module.. The truck has been down since December 2022.the dealer says the part had been discontinued With no release date.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2022
“According to GM 2009 to 2015 Chevy Silverado transmission control module and wiring harness failed. People have been without their cars for more than a year ours has been down for 6 months. NO dates for the parts to be back in stock.”Owner report · Electrical System · Sep 2022
“Came to a stop at top of exit ramp truck continued to roll backwards brake light and ABS light came on, truck beeped three times coming up ramp, hit excellerator and truck engine did not respond. Hit emergency brake. Put truck in park and turn off ignition. Truck refused to start. Extremely dangerous stop to cut off as tractor trailer we're coming off interstate behind me full speed to truck stop (before this incident the truck had driven completely fine on a 60 mile drive all interstate except for maybe three miles. ). Truck is still at the mechanic as they can not get truck started. Its been a week.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Sep 2020
“Bosch fuel pump is failing sending metal filings throughout the engine. Gm is aware of the problem on vehicle years 2011-2106 but has not issued a recall. Cost to repair 10,600.00 plus loss of vehicle since the repair takes over 40 hours.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2019
“The dashboard has cracked in two places. One crack is at the corner of the passenger air big and the other is above the instrument cluster. The cracks lead me to suspect the dashboard is either brittle or under stress. What will happen if the airbag deploys? Will the dashboard disintegrate and cause injury to the vehicle occupants. There is no excuse for this bad dashboard given today's technology. My vehicle has never been in an accident so this should not be happening.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2018
“I have had 2 wheels crack at the valve stem area within the last 2 months. This causes the tire presure to drop to a dangerously low amount ( 20-30 psi). I felt the truck pulling to the right when the first wheel cracked and pulled over before anything blew. The second wheel was noticed when I was at a horse show. It was down to 22 psi. I put 75 psi in it and made it home (5 hours) and it had dropped to 65. This crack causes slow leak and it is not detectable until the tires are very low.”Owner report · Wheels · May 2016
“When making turns at slow speeds the steering randomly seems to lock-up and I have to put my full strentgh into the steering wheel to get the truck to turn. It will only happen for a split second and then act normally. But it has caused me to almost have several collisions with other vehicles. It has been happening since the vehicle was new but seems to be progressively happening more often, I have taken the vehicle to the dealership where I purchased the truck but they can not find any problems nor can they get the vehicle to replicate the problem. Also--it seems to happen more when I am turning to the right,”Owner report · Steering · Oct 2015
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and GMC Sierra 3500 trucks equipped with dual fuel tanks. The low fuel level sensor for the front tank may stick causing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear tank fuel pump or update the fuel-level sensor software, as well as inspect the front tank, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service for Chevrolet 1-800-222-1020 or for GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17399.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Silverado 3500 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
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Is the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 reliable?
NHTSA has 26 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The most complained-about area is steering.
Does the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:storage:auxillary tank. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.