2013 Chevrolet Suburban

Routine

Owners filed 118 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the unknown or other. It has been recalled 4 times.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
60,000 milesMedian miles at failure

80 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 60,00075,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Unknown or Other36
000
Air Bags27
101
Structure › Body17
000
Electrical System9
100
Engine8
000
Service Brakes5
000
Fuel/Propulsion System4
000
Steering2
000
Electronic Stability Control (esc)2
000
Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices1
000

4 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module21V053000
Filed Feb 5, 2021692,526 vehiclesGeneral Motors, Llc

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 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."

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

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. 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.

Air Bags › Frontal › Passenger Side › Inflator Module21V054000
Filed Feb 5, 20211,778,128 vehiclesGeneral Motors, Llc

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 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.

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

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. 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.

Electrical System14V614000
Filed Oct 1, 2014106,307 vehiclesGeneral Motors Llc

Defect. 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.

Risk. If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. 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.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission13V001000
Filed Jan 2, 201354,686 vehiclesGeneral Motors Llc

Defect. 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.

Risk. 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.

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. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 3, 2026NY

The dashboard in 2007-2014 gm trucks and subs break apart. These can shatter when in an accident. There is insufficient bracing and supports to keep the dashboards from cracking and coming apart in pieces. Only remedy is to replace the dashboard or get an aftermarket cap that may or may not hold during an accident. Especially when the airbags is deployed.

Air Bags
Filed Jan 21, 2026LA

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V053000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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.

Structure › Body
Filed Jan 3, 2026MA

On the driver side adjacent to the fuel tank, improper drainage for the body frame caused severe rust. Over time the frame of the vehicle becomes a safety hazard and may cause the frame to crack or split resulting in loss of control to the rear of the vehicle.

Engine
Filed Nov 6, 2024AL

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! It was the only way for us to come back home. The car was out of warranty therefore, the manufacturer did not offer any help! This was a very expensive, frustrating, and dangerous fall break in 2018. Please help! We deserve reimbursement because 7 years later, we bought another 2020 Suburban, also brand new and the same thing happened to transmission, last week! We spent $6000 to replace that transmission!

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 30, 2024TX

My Suburban's dashboard has a crack that extends now to the edge of the airbag compartment door, with a piece now missing and what appears to be something like an airbag visible. I am concerned the airbag will not deploy correctly if / when it is needed. I have called a certified Chevrolet dealer/ repair garage who said this is not an issue listed under Chevrolet's recall, although I have seen numerous other customers express similar concerns and issues as mine. Thank you.

Unknown or Other
Filed Apr 25, 2024TX

The vehicle has exterior side mirrors that fold in. Once folded in the driverside mirror can be powered back out, but the passager side does not. this makes it unsafe to change lanes and identify a vehicle in your blind spot. This malfunction has happen several times on this vehicle. Prior to this vehicle had another 2013 suburban that the same malfunction occurred on. What are the odds of the same malfunction occurring on two seperate vehicles. The vehicle is currently at a mechanic shop that I have asked to check this out. Without this mirror it is unsafe to drive on a multi-lane freeway where changing lanes is necessary.

Structure › Interior Panels › Dashboard
Filed Feb 5, 2024294,000 milesGA

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.

Structure › Body
Filed Oct 4, 2023TX

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.

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 31, 2023VA

On July 8th I went into Sheehy Honda to look at a Suburban that Miss [XXX] said she had on sale. When I arrive Ms [XXX] showed me the vehicle, after looking over the vehicle it was something hanging from the back part of the vehicle they looked at it they got the manager out there he said he was going to take care of it doing, that time I went back into the building and try to see would I be able to purchase this vehicle and as the agreement started they say that I will have to put 4200 down after that the two guys went in the back I was still in the front with Miss [XXX] at her desk and the two gentlemen's came back and ask me do I have $500 more and I can get the vehicle and I told them if I was to give them 4,700 I want them to subtract it from asking price then Finance the balance from, $17,999 and I'll be financing only balance from that $17,999, because they told me the VIP was free for free oil change rotations and looking over your car and also I had warranty on the motor transmission and I want to say drive shaft but come to find out all these are add ones that they told me that was free. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 17, 2023NC

The Dash has cracked in several spots and makes loud vibrating noises and I’m worried with one crack being near air bag that air bag will not work correctly or dash will have projectile pieces that may impel into a person if the airbag deploys

Structure › Body
Filed Jul 24, 2023GA

The paint flaking easily electrical poor in vehicle car seats ripping apart easily Doors handles interior braking apart easily

Electrical System
Filed May 16, 2023GA

I had to do two engine jobs in one year because oil pressure sensor switch keeps going off due to poor electrical in the vehicle I also had to buy oil pressure pump

Air Bags
Filed May 6, 2023PA

M y dash panel has had a small crack for years but the entire passenger air bag section lifted this morning. The dash panel is jagged and unsafe

Unknown or Other
Filed Apr 22, 2023FL

I took the vehicle in for the air bag recall repair, and was informed by both the dealership and Chevy that while the cost oof replacing the air bag itself was covered under the recall, any damage to the dash or other parts of the vehicle that must to be removed to replace the air bag would NOT be covered under the recall. This policy is deplorable and immoral, and possibly illegal, but I confirmed with Chevy's corporate office that IS their current policy.

Air Bags
Filed Feb 1, 2023CA

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. But because this matter was not part of the recall, I would have to be responsible to pay for the repair, or contact NHTSA to file a complaint and have them issue another recall. I understand that I am responsible for the wear-and-tear on my vehicle. The airbag warning light and message stating "Service Airbag" is something that was never in may control, to maintain and/or replace. This was a defective piece of an equipment that I wasn't responsible for. I am requesting NHTSA issue another recall for this matter. Thank you. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Air Bags
Filed Jan 6, 2022OH

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair 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 notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Air Bags
Filed Nov 10, 2021CO

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.

Air Bags
Filed Oct 12, 2021IL

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 was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who stated parts were available. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified who referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness
Filed Sep 24, 2021TX

When car seat us properly installed rear facing, no matter how tight the seatbelt secures the car seat the car seat itself slides into an unsafe reclining position. We used the tethers with no improvement. Also the location of the crotch buckle punches and oftentimes does not latch correctly. This seat is dangerous as littles cannot verbalize what is going on. The cup holders impede proper locking of buckles but are required based on the manual. Should a crash happened I’m convinced a child would be harmed due to the seat shifting in the seat. When it shifts, the feet go up and the head goes down no matter how it’s properly installed (seatbelt or tether) in the rear facing position. We had to stop multiple times on our trip from Tx to PA to adjust the seats.

Service Brakes
Filed Aug 23, 202120,000 milesNY

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard. Additional brake pedal travel would be required to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. Over the years, the contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics where several brake repairs were performed on his vehicle however, the brake failure persisted. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

20 of 118 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1994
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
202442110Routine
2023125300Routine
2022119410Routine
20211941210Routine
202044410Do not drive
201977310Do not drive
201881400Do not drive
2017141530Do not drive
2016219610Do not drive
20154281182Do not drive
201459310Routine
2013 — this page118400Routine
2012101420Routine
2011148300Routine
2010117310Routine
2009106500Routine
2008213400Above average
2007292460Above average
200623110Routine
2005129710Routine
2004204660Above average
2003301741Fatalities reported
2002286450Above average
2001440850Above average
20002821171Fatalities reported
19996342120High concern
1998201330Above average
19974143130Above average
199636041210Fatalities reported
1995457781Fatalities reported
19948586102Fatalities reported
1993499220High concern
1992189570Routine
199152460Routine
199054470Routine

Compare every Suburban year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Feb 5, 2021. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.