2013 Chevrolet Tahoe
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Structure is the leading concern among 232 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 15th highest complaint count among 26 Tahoe model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 4 involved a crash. 6 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
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.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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.
Campaign 21V054000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator moduleFeb 5, 2021
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."
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
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.
Campaign 21V053000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical systemOct 1, 2014
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.
If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Campaign 14V614000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, column locking, anti-theft deviceJan 2, 2013
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.
As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.
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.
Campaign 13V001000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
122 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Dec 10, 2016
THE DASH CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES WITH FEAR OF IT COLLAPSING. THIS HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER THE WARRANTY RAN OUT
Other or unspecified, Dec 8, 2016
DASHBOARD CRACKED AND ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS IS DIE TO A PLASTIC DEFECT IN THE CHEVROLET TAHOE AND THAT GMC KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT WO'NT REPAIR IT. MAY HAVE AN IMPACT OF WHETHER THE AIRBAG WILL WORK.
Other or unspecified, Nov 22, 2016
CRACKED DASHBOARD. MY TAHOE IS ALWAYS IN A GARAGE AT WORK AND AT HOME. IT IS BARELY 3 YEARS OLD. DEALERSHIP WILL NOT HELP OR REPLACE. THE CRACK IS CONNECTED TO THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG. IT LOOKS HORRIBLE.
Other or unspecified, Nov 10, 2016
DASH BOARD IS CRACKED OVER THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I AM CONCERNED THE AIRBAG WILL SHRED PIECES OF THE DASHBOARD INTO MY TRUCK CABIN CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THE PLASTIC USED FOR THIS DASH IS VERY FLIMSY, THIN, AND CHEAP, YET THE COST TO REPLACE AND REPAIR IS OVER 1,000! RIDICULOUS. AT ALMOST 50,000 DOLLARS NEW, CHEVROLET SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS INVESTMENT, AND NHTSA SHOULD ENSURE OUR SAFETY WITH THIS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. MY 2013 CHEVY TAHOE HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES AND IS GARAGE KEPT. I USE A REFLECTOR IN THE WINDSHIELD DAILY WHEN AT WORK.
Other or unspecified, Nov 8, 2016
DASH BOARD CRACK IN HUMP ABOVE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
Other or unspecified, Oct 31, 2016
I HAVE A 2013 CHEVROLET TAHOE WITH 46,000 MILES AND THE DASH BOARD HAS CRACKED IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Oct 10, 2016
DASH CRACKING IN CORNER OF PASSENGER AIR BAG. CREATES POTENTIAL HAZARD THAT MAY AFFECT SAFE OPERATION OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT.
Other or unspecified, Sep 21, 2016
CRACK ACROSS THE DASHBOARD AND AIRBAGS. WHICH IF AIRBAG DEPLOYS COULD SEND HARMFUL CHUNKS OF PLASTIC THROUGH THE CABIN. TURNED ON VEHICLE ONE DAY AND HEARD A POP.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 19, 2016
THERE IS A CRACK IN MY DASH NEXT TO THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. CAR IS ALWAYS PARKED IN GARAGE! CAN HEAR THE DASH SHIFTING OCCASIONALLY WHILE I AM DRIVING.
Other or unspecified, Aug 12, 2016
CRACK IN DASHBOARD THAT LEADS TO THE AIRBAG AND MAIN CONTROLS.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jun 27, 2016
THE DASHBOARD HAS CRACKED NEXT TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DECREASING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE DASH AND INCREASING THE RISK OF PLASTIC SHARDS BEING EJECTED AT THE PASSENGER DURING AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND REFUSES TO REPLACE DASHBOARD. VEHICLE IS ON 3 YEARS OLD
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jun 21, 2016
THE DASHBOARD HAS CRACKED NEXT TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DECREASING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE DASH AND INCREASING THE RISK OF PLASTIC SHARDS BEING EJECTED AT THE PASSENGER DURING AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED DEFECT AFFECTING MULTIPLE MODELS AND YEARS THAT SHARE THE SAME DASHBOARD DESIGN. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND REFUSES TO VOLUNTARILY ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.
Other or unspecified, Jun 5, 2016
DASHBOARD CRACK
Air bags, Other or unspecified, May 11, 2016
CRACKED DASH DASH IS CRACKED IN THE AREA OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THIS POSES A SAFETY CONCERN IN THE EVENT OF AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT AS FRAGMENTS OF BROKEN DASH WOULD BECOME PROJECTILES WITHIN THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE
Other or unspecified, Mar 30, 2016
DASH CRACKED IN 3 LOCATIONS. ONE OF THE CRACKS INVOLVE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. CRACK WAS DISCOVERED WHILE STATIONARY IN DRIVEWAY.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Mar 22, 2016
2013 CHEVY TAHOE, DEFECTIVE CRACKED DASHBOARD. SAFETY ISSUE COULD RESULT IN DEFECTIVE OR UNSAFE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG, NOT COSMETIC ACCORDING TO SEVERAL OTHER REPORTS. DRIVER SIDE, BEHIND CLUSTER. HTTP://SACRAMENTO.CBSLOCAL.COM/2014/11/19/CALL-KURTIS-INVESTIGATES-CRACKS-IN-SOME-GM-DASHBOARDS/ HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/GMDASHCRACK/ HTTP://WWW.COURTHOUSENEWS.COM/2015/04/15/DANGEROUS-DASH-CRACKS-ALLEGED-IN-GM-TRUCKS.HTM
Other or unspecified, Feb 22, 2016
CRACKED DASHBOARDS. MY CAR HAS 11K MILES, I BOUGHT IT WITH 6K MILES AND HAVE OWNED IT FOR 4 MONTHS AND NOTICED THE OTHER DAY THAT THE DASHBOARD HAS A GIANT CRACK ACROSS IT NOT DUE TO ANY IMPACT.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Feb 17, 2016
DASH IS CRACKING AROUND PASSENGER AIRBAG. VEHICLE IS GARAGE KEPT AND A SUN VISOR USED WHEN PARKED IN THE SUN. THIS VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A COLLISION AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS HAVE EVER DEPLOYED IN THIS VEHICLE. THE CRACK SEEMS COSMETIC BUT GIVEN THE LOCATION, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY
Suspension, Structure, Other or unspecified, Oct 6, 2015
THE ENTIRE FRAME AND ALL SUPPORTING BOLTS OF THE VEHICLE IS RUSTING AND ROTTING.
Other or unspecified, Sep 21, 2015
I NOTICED A TINY CRACK IN MY DASHBOARD ON AUGUST 15TH. SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS GROWN 4 INCHES AND VEERED OFF ANOTHER 2 INCHES A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. MY VEHICLE IS GARAGE KEPT AND I AM A STAY AT HOME MOTHER. MY CAR IS RARELY PARKED IN THE SUN FOR LONG AMOUNTS OF TIME.
Other or unspecified, May 28, 2015
ON MONDAY 05/25/15 MY HUSBAND NOTICED A SMALL CRACK IN THE DASH ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I HAVE WATCHED IN THE PAST COUPLE DAYS IT GROW IN SIZE AND HAVE TAKEN PICTURES TO DOCUMENT IT TOO. I AM UPSET AS THIS IS A NEW CAR I PURCHASED USED FROM A GM DEALER. I HAVE READ THAT ANOTHER CRACK IS SOON TO BE EXPECTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY AIRBAG AND CAUSING IT TO POSSIBLE DEPLOY OR DEEMED UNUSABLE. I HAVE 2 SMALL CHILDREN AND NO SAFETY IS A CONCERN. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED QUICKLY.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 27, 2014
I WAS DRIVING UP A GRADE DURING A SNOW STORM AND WHEN I TRIED TO SELECT 4WD I HAD TO TAKE MY EYES OFF THE ROAD TO FIND THE 4WD CONTROL KNOB,WHICH IS HIDDEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE I NEARLY WRECKED WHILE TRYING TO LOCATE THE 4WD CONTROL KNOB. I BLAME THIS ON FAULTY ENGINEERING BY GM! *TR