Most common 2013 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Share of the 118 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Suburban complaints by model year
Best Suburban years: 2014, 2009, 2020. Years to avoid: 2015, 2021, 2023, 2022, 2024. Compare all years →
2013 Chevrolet Suburban recalls (4)
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.
Electrical system
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.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014.
Power train › Automatic transmission
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…
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban:
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 Suburban owners say
Air bags all 28 →
I took my 2013 Suburban to a Chevy dealership in San Jose CA to have the airbag recall repaired. Upon completion, my airbag light and "Service Airbag" message were still on. I asked why this was still on. They said the recall issue was fixed, but did not know why the light and message were still on. But wanted to charge over $1400 to diagnose the issue. I filed a complaint w/ the Chevy's California Customer Engagement Center, and escalated to one of their supervisors. I emailed them the picture I took of the light and the message. He forward it to their technicians. He contacted me a week later and stated that the indicator of the service bag warning (Code 212328790) fault is present, and that the airbags will not deploy. …
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Body & structure all 23 →
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that the dashboard had many fractures nearby the air bag enclosure. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 294,000.
Starting approximately 24 months ago the dash on my Suburban started cracking. Now it has cracked in several locations on both the driver's and passenger side of the dash. The cracks on the passenger side go up to the air bag location. Cracks on the driver's side are numerous and getting worse. The driver's side cracks are such that the pieces would come apart in an accident, even if the air bag was not deployed.
Engine & cooling
Bought 2013 suburban brand new and in 2018, on a trip to the mountains for fall break, the car quit with no warning signs, in the middle of the night. The car would not accelerate when gas pedal was pressed and RPM gauge needle "fluctuated erratically" until car came to a complete stop in the middle of the highway! It was a scary and dangerous situation because it was late at night and we were in the mountains with no phone signal. Cars were coming and going both ways on Highway. Eventually people stopped to help us get suburban towed to local Chevrolet dealership and we had to rent a vehicle to get us to where we were initially going to start our fall break. The dealership called a day later to tell us that there were "lose metal pieces" in the transmission, which meant the transmission had to be replaced. We spent $5000 on that new transmission! …
2013 Chevrolet Suburban have an electrical and transmission clunking problem for the past 2 years, and GMC don't want to do anything about it. Krystal dealership in brooklyn, ny and manfredi dealership in staten island, ny, have no customer service what's so ever
2013 Chevrolet Suburban engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 21 / 17 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 21 / 17 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 10 / 16 / 12 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 10 / 16 / 12 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban a good car?
Based on 118 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2013 Suburban rates better than average: 41% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Suburban at the same age. 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 Suburban?
The air bags — 28 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the body & structure (23) and engine & cooling (16).
How many recalls does the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Suburban, 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 Suburban?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2009 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2015, 2021, 2023, 2022 and 2024. See the full Chevrolet Suburban years comparison.
At what mileage do 2013 Chevrolet Suburban problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 36% 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.