2013 Chevrolet Suburban: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 118 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (26% of complaints); 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 118 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V053000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2026
“The dashboard in 2007-2014 gm trucks and subs break apart. These can shatter when in an accident. There is insufficient bracing and supports to keep the dashboards from cracking and coming apart in pieces. Only remedy is to replace the dashboard or get an aftermarket cap that may or may not hold during an accident. Especially when the airbags is deployed.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2026
“On the driver side adjacent to the fuel tank, improper drainage for the body frame caused severe rust. Over time the frame of the vehicle becomes a safety hazard and may cause the frame to crack or split resulting in loss of control to the rear of the vehicle.”Owner report · Structure · Nov 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“My Suburban's dashboard has a crack that extends now to the edge of the airbag compartment door, with a piece now missing and what appears to be something like an airbag visible. I am concerned the airbag will not deploy correctly if / when it is needed. I have called a certified Chevrolet dealer/ repair garage who said this is not an issue listed under Chevrolet's recall, although I have seen numerous other customers express similar concerns and issues as mine. Thank you.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2024
“The vehicle has exterior side mirrors that fold in. Once folded in the driverside mirror can be powered back out, but the passager side does not. this makes it unsafe to change lanes and identify a vehicle in your blind spot. This malfunction has happen several times on this vehicle. Prior to this vehicle had another 2013 suburban that the same malfunction occurred on. What are the odds of the same malfunction occurring on two seperate vehicles. The vehicle is currently at a mechanic shop that I have asked to check this out. Without this mirror it is unsafe to drive on a multi-lane freeway where changing lanes is necessary.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2024
“The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the dashboard had many fractures nearby the air bag enclosure. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 294,000.”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2024
“The Dash has cracked in several spots and makes loud vibrating noises and I'm worried with one crack being near air bag that air bag will not work correctly or dash will have projectile pieces that may impel into a person if the airbag deploys”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2023
“M y dash panel has had a small crack for years but the entire passenger air bag section lifted this morning. The dash panel is jagged and unsafe”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2023
“I took the vehicle in for the air bag recall repair, and was informed by both the dealership and Chevy that while the cost oof replacing the air bag itself was covered under the recall, any damage to the dash or other parts of the vehicle that must to be removed to replace the air bag would NOT be covered under the recall. This policy is deplorable and immoral, and possibly illegal, but I confirmed with Chevy's corporate office that IS their current policy.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2023
“I had to do two engine jobs in one year because oil pressure sensor switch keeps going off due to poor electrical in the vehicle I also had to buy oil pressure pump”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14515.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, and Tahoe; and GMC Savana, Sierra HD, Sierra LD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles, manufactured between November 7, 2012, through December 18, 2012, for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect", and FMVSS No. 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." The vehicles may have been built with a fractured park lock cable or a malformed steering column lock actuator gear in the lock module assembly.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Suburban by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
NHTSA has 118 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The most complained-about area is air bags (26% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2013 Chevrolet Suburban problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 60,000 miles or less.
Does the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system. 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.