2013 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (7) · Power Train (4) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Silverado 3500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
21 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V053000 · 692,526 vehicles
Defect: 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
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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. G
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-05 · campaign 21V054000 · 1,778,128 vehicles
Defect: 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
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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 1-8
Equipment 2018-04-26 · campaign 18V267000 · 6,154 vehicles
Defect: 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,
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:auxillary Tank 2017-10-19 · campaign 17V664000 · 35,292 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (1,652)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-16 · PIT4506J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician that some owners of heavy duty trucks and utilities may ask if they can lower their tire pressures. tire pressures being set to the "tire and loading label" will ensure the safe handling and ride characteristics of the
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,652 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-01-24 · Fuel System, Diesel · 39,639 mi“the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet silverado 3500. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with failed temperature sensors and a failed heating element in the diesel exhaust fluid (def) tank. the contact was informed…”
2024-12-11 · Power Train“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. …”
2023-09-18 · Unknown Or Other · 137,199 mi“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. …”
2023-07-18 · Power Train“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 st…”
2023-06-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (Ecu/Ecm) · 56,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet silverado 3500. the contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle lost motive power. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact was able to pull to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. the check engine warning light illuminated but the vehicle started operating normally. the contact was able …”
2023-06-06 · Power Train“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 say…”
2023-02-18 · Power Train“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.…”
2022-05-09 · Air Bags“i took my chevrolet silverado in for the airbag recall, and when it was returned to me the passenger airbag sensor was set off on the dash. the recall work wad done at capital chevrolet, at 6200 s i-35 frontage rd, austin, tx 78745. i asked them to fix the airbag sensor problem, and they looked at it and wanted to charge me to fix it. they said tha…”
2020-09-08 · Unknown Or Other · 70,000 mi“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…”
2020-02-03 · Unknown Or Other · 88,000 mi“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 excu…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.