Most common 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems
Share of the 51 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 complaints by model year
Best Silverado 2500 years: 2014, 2012, 2013. Years to avoid: 2024, 2022, 2020, 2015, 2025. Compare all years →
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls (3)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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…
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.
Equipment
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.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500:
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 owners say
Fuel & propulsion system
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle stopped unintentionally without warning. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into neutral(N) and pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the CP4 high-pressure fuel injection pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the manufacturer was aware of the failure however, there was no recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Diesel Exhaust Poor Quality Warning false alarmed and began restricting vehicle speed thus limiting range the vehicle can travel to less than 250 miles and at speeds significantly lower than posted speed limits. Potentially leaving a motorist stranded or vehcile incapacitated when traveling distances greater than 250 miles from residence. 1st warning reduces speed to 65mph after 100 miles 2nd warning reduces speed to 55mph after 75 miles 3rd warning reduces speed to 4 mph after 75 miles The warning light has appeared on the vehicle on 3 separate occassions and never due to DEF being expired or old. On all three occasions vehicle was taken to local Chevrolet Service Department for repairs. First incident January 10th 2022 replaced 2 thermastats, Second incident February 9th 2022 added fresh fuel, Third incident April 1st 2022 replaced secondary NOX sensor. …
Electrical system
I believe all the dealership did was dust/armor all my air bag compartment door. It still has a 2013 takata air bag installed which was deployed somehow causing a can of axe body spray to explode which caused the dash, seat, and wiring including the compartment to burn/melt totaling my truck. I could have been killed if I was sitting their.
Tcm failed driving 60 down the highway, check engine light came on, stabiliatrack service light came on traction control tuned off all at the same time. Lost all communication to the transmission putting truck in limp mode going down the highway. Mechanic shop hooked up the scanner to the truck and couldn't communicate with the tcm in anyway. All things happened at once while driving. There are no replacement parts to be found in the country. Please make this a recall keeping drivers safely off the side of highways and roads and possibly being hit by a car.
Brakes
Faulty brakes -master cylinder failed (so i am told) causing the calipers, rotors, pads heating up to the point of a significant amout of smoke coming from tires. Brakes stick and you are unable to control truck from the shaking, almost causing truck to go off the road.
By design this truck will turn off my trailer brakes when there is an issue with anything associated with the anti lock brake system. I have had two near misses, catastrophic accidents in the last two weeks as a result of this condition. I load this machine up to its maximum trailer carrying capacity on a daily basis. This machine is operated in the mountains often. The 2 near misses were as described here. 1st: I was approaching a stop sign with a highway cross road. Cross traffic did not have to stop. When I applied the brakes to stop and I heard a tone activate then the dic indicated ABS needs service, stabli-trak needs service, service the trailer brake system. Luckily no one was coming because at this point my trailer brakes were turned off by the truck on a fully loaded trailer. I could not stop at this intersection. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 a good car?
Based on 51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2013 Silverado 2500 rates better than average: 57% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Silverado 2500 at the same age. It is one of the best Silverado 2500 years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
The fuel & propulsion system — 10 complaints, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (10) and brakes (9).
How many recalls does the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2012 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2022, 2020, 2015 and 2025. See the full Chevrolet Silverado 2500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 75,000 miles; 24% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.