2013 GMC Sierra 1500
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 167 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 26 Sierra 1500 model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 6 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 10 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
EquipmentApr 26, 2018
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
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 18V267000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: suspension
10 reports, newest first. Show all
Suspension, Dec 22, 2025
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.
Suspension, Other or unspecified, Aug 19, 2024
I hit a bump and both rear shock mounts blew off the rear cross member because the frame is rusted out despite having rust protection. It is available for inspection. The truck then began bouncing wildly. Meanwhile the underside of the bed isn't rusted at all, not one speck. It just seems weird to me, reminds me of the Toyota frame problems from a while back. It has not been inspected by a mechanic or insurance, my insurance company didn't seem to care in the slightest. I have had traction control and abs warnings on for a while but my mechanic said that was a faulty tire sensor.
Suspension, Structure, Dec 22, 2023
Rear half of Frame Crossmembers rotted away between the Frame rails. Took vehicle in for routine safety inspection, and the mechanic determined that the cross members to which the rear shocks and the Gas tank were attached had both broken free from the frame rails due to rust. The entire back end of the vehicle is suspended from the frame with only the leaf spring mounts. This rust is excessive and far exceeds the rust on other points on the frame and undercarriage of the vehicle.
Suspension, Jun 14, 2023
I have been told by an independent Maine state inspection company that my left front frame rail has perforating corrosion and will not pass inspection. I have not had GMC inspect this yet but I do not think they will repair it. This truck is 10 years old and only has 59,000 miles on it. It looks like new (except for some rear bumper damage) It is unusable now and I'm afraid the left front suspension will collapse. This is completely unacceptable. Please help, Thank you.
Suspension, Structure, Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact was alerted by another motorist that the spare tire had lowered underneath the vehicle. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear cross members had corroded, causing the spare tire to become unsecured underneath the vehicle. Additionally, while driving over bumps in the roadway, the vehicle became unstable due to the corroded rear suspension. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the rear sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Suspension, May 29, 2022
Passenger side leaf spring "failed"- the middle "stiffener" rear section broke off/ fell to the road (see picture below with leaf spring removed). Fortunately, I was turning into side street doing about 15mph negating any safety issues- things could have been much different if at highway speeds. The truck had some significant miles (125k) but they were 95% highway miles though I do considerable highway miles with "treated" roads over Washington state passes. Vehicle was repaired by Haselwood GMC/Chev Dealership in Bremerton, Wa. on 5/25/22. Maintenance/Repair supervisor chalked it up to routine wear and tear.
Suspension, Jul 15, 2019
I WAS UNDERNEATH MY TRUCK FOR A MINOR SENSOR REPAIR AROUND THE END OF MARCH. I FOUND A SIGNIFICANT HOLE RUSTED THROUGH THE LEFT FRAME RAIL. I MADE CONTACT WITH GENERAL MOTORS ABOUT THE SEVERITY OF RUST IN AND ON MY FRAME. THEY HAD A LOCAL DEALERSHIP EVALUATE THE FRAME. AFTER SEVERAL PEOPLE AND MANY WEEKS. THE BEST GM IS WILLING TO DO IS OFFER A $100.00 SERVICE VOUCHER. THIS A A TRUCK ,THAT HAULS ,TOWS AND CARRIES LOADS AND FAMILY. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN 6 YEARS AND 100800 MILES THE FRAME SHOULD HAVE TO BE WELDED. GM SAYS THAT MY PERFORATION WARRANTY EXPIRED IN NOVEMBER OR 100400 MILE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFTEY ISSUE. TOYOTA ADDRESSED THERE FRAME ISSUE WHY IS GENERAL MOTORS ANY DIFFERENT? I WOULD APPRECIATE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS !!@
Suspension, Structure, Other or unspecified, Apr 15, 2019
ON 3/4/2018 I TOOK MY TRUCK IN FOR A BROKEN LEAF SPRING. WHEN THE MECHANIC WAS REPLACING THE SPRINGS, HE NOTES HOLES RUSTING IN THE TRUCKS FRAME. I DID BUY THE TRUCK USED FROM A CHEVROLET DEALER ON 3/12 2016 WITH @49,000 MILES ON IT. WITH IN 6-8 MONTHS OF OWNING THE TRUCK, IT STARTED TO RUST ON THE FENDER WELLS, AND HAD SOME RUST ON THE FRAME. WHEN I TALKED TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME BECAUSE THE 6 YEAR OR 100,000 MILE WARRANTY RAN OUT ON 10/1/2018. I CALLED GMC CUSTOMER CARE ABOUT THIS AND THEY DID OPEN A SERVICE REQUEST [XXX]. ON 4/8/2019 SERVICE MANAGER FOR THE DEALER TOLD ME THE GME WILL DO NOTHING FOR ME BECAUSE IT WILL COST $12,000.00 TO REPLACE FRAME BET MAY OFER ME A CERTIFICATE FOR $1000.00 TOWARDS A NEW TRUCKS. I FELL THIS IS UNEXCEPTIONABLE TO ME BECAUSE THE SAFETY OF ME AND MY FAMILY WHEN WE ARE IN THE TRUCK. WE BROUGHT THE TRUCK BECAUSE IN HAS A GOOD SAFETY RATING BE WITH HOLES RUSTING IN THE FRAME I FELL MY SAFETY IS COMPROMISED EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT
Suspension, Structure, Other or unspecified, Apr 8, 2019
I WENT UNDERNEATH MY SIERRA TODAY AND FOUND THE ENTIRE FRAME IS EXTREMELY RUSTED. UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION I FOUND A 3 INCH BY 3/4 INCH HOLE RUSTED THROUGH. THIS TRUCK JUST TURNED 6 YEARS OLD AND HAS 100000 MILES . THIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUE BECAUSE WITH THE TRUCK BEING ABLE TO TOW HEAVY LOADS.
Suspension, Apr 25, 2018
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING INSPECTED AT AN UNKNOWN DEALER IN APPOMATTOX, VA, THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE IDLER ARM, TIE ROD END, AND THE PITMAN ARMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT LUBRICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,000.