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.

Complaints by model year
  1. 232

Of the 2013 reports, 4 involved a crash. 6 people were injured.

Primary concernStructure56 reports · 24% of complaints
Owner complaints232Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship4 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Other or unspecified122
  2. Structure56
  3. Air bags51
  4. Electrical system16
  5. Engine13
  6. Power train9
  7. Electronic stability control (ESC)8
  8. Vehicle speed control7

Recalls and investigations

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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). GM’s number for this recall is 14515.

    Campaign 14V614000 on NHTSA.gov

  4. 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

232 reports, newest first.

  1. Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 14, 2014

    2013 CHEVROLET TAHOE. REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CITY WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEMS WITH POLICE FLEET. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER THE NEW ENGINE CALIBRATIONS WERE INSTALLED ON SEVEN VEHICLES, LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS THAT WERE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. SPECIFICALLY, THE VEHICLES LUNGED FORWARD AGGRESSIVELY AFTER COMING TO A STOP. GM EVENTUALLY REMOVED THE CALIBRATIONS. THE ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLES STALLING, LACK OF POWER, IDLE SURGING AND HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION, CONTINUED. *JB

  2. Structure, Jul 16, 2014

    THE DOORS DO NOT DRAIN WATER EFFECTIVELY, THIS WILL CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE AND FAILURE FOR THE WINDOWS TO WORK AND THE DOORS TO RUST!! *TR

  3. Steering, Jun 24, 2014

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 46,159.

  4. Engine, Jun 19, 2014

    2013 CHEVROLET TAHOE POLICE PACKAGE (65 TOTAL) CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINES HESITATE ON ACCELERATION, IDLE SPEED FLUCTUATES AND THE ENGINE WOULD STALL. *SMD GENERAL MOTORS ACKNOWLEDGED THE CONCERN AND STATED THEY WERE WORKING ON A RESOLUTION. GENERAL MOTORS RELEASED A SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH CONSISTED OF A NEW ENGINE CALIBRATION. ELEVEN OF THE VEHICLES WERE RE-CALIBRATED. HOWEVER, THE NEW CALIBRATION DID NOT CORRECT THE CONCERN. GENERAL MOTORS HAS SENT MULTIPLE ENGINEERS TO ROAD TEST THE VEHICLE, TAKEN NUMEROUS RECORDINGS, FUEL SAMPLES, BUT TO NO AVAIL. *JB

  5. Vehicle speed control, Apr 17, 2014

    WHILE DRIVING THE SPEEDOMETER IS SHOWING 0 ON BOTH THE DIGITAL DISPLAY AND ANALOG NEEDLE DISPLAY. ALSO IT IS SHOWING THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK. ONLY BY PULLING OVER AND STARTING THE CAR UP AGAIN (~5 MINUTES), THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY.

  6. Tires, Mar 24, 2014

    HIGH SPEED TIRE FAILURE L/R LESS THAN 9000 MILES EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE SPARE PUT IN TO SERVICE. OLD TIRE STILL ON OEM RIM IN OUR POSSESSION. *TR

  7. 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