RoadVitals

2013 GMC Sierra 2500

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
46
Latest Jan 3, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
3
Latest Feb 5, 2021
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
1 currently open
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 46 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2013 GMC Sierra 2500, most frequently naming the fuel system, airbags and steering categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 1,681 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags716.3%
  • Steering511.6%
  • Powertrain (other)511.6%
  • Body & structure49.3%
  • Brakes37.0%
  • Electrical37.0%
  • Tires & wheels24.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Feb 5, 2021
692,526 units potentially affected
The 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."
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N212328790View on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Feb 5, 2021
1,778,128 units potentially affected
The 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.
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N212328800View on NHTSA.gov

EQUIPMENT

Apr 26, 2018
6,154 units potentially affected
The 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, 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
The risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The 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. 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.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 18146View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA21002OpenEngineering Analysis

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021

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. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Fuel system
Filed Jan 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road, where a mobile independent mechanic diagnosed that the fuel pump had failed. The mechanic determined that the entire fuel system assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to an unknown dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was currently being towed to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the VIN was not included in a related recall and the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.

NHTSA ID
11633823
Incident
Nov 29, 2024
Mileage
206,000 mi
AirbagsFuel system
Filed Dec 18, 2024
Crash reported

I was traveling east bound on i26 when the Bosch fuel pump exploded and sent metal shavings throughout the fuel system. It's the same pump GM has settled a class action lawsuit when I spoke to the adjuster I was told.my truck wasn't included but yet it has the Bosch fuel pump the lawsuit is for cost me 10000 to repair. I have repair bill. And then I was in a accident and the air bag curtain deployed but the passenger side and driver side did not I think there's a recall on the also.

NHTSA ID
11631474
Incident
Mar 29, 2022
Airbags
Filed Aug 21, 2024

I get a recall notice from GM but the dealer won't do the repair without me signing a waiver for any damage they may cause to the dashboard during the recalled airbag removal. Can anyone get GM dealers to do the necessary repair and have accountability for any damage they may do?

NHTSA ID
11610068
Incident
May 7, 2024
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 21, 2024

I was hauling a load and felt a hard jolt near the transmission. The pickup went into limp mode and would not let me accelerate above 45 mph. Took it to a dealership and was told the valve body had malfunctioned. I have been without a vehicle for over 40 days due to the part being back ordered.

NHTSA ID
11610040
Incident
Jul 7, 2024
Brakes
Filed Oct 24, 2023

On 9/20/23 my truck suffered a brake failure in which one of the front calipers ruptured and there was a complete loss of braking. The brakes were repaired the following day and an "ABS" light remained on after the brakes were repaired and the brake lines were bled. The vehicle codes were checked and a "C0110_04 Pump motor circuit open" fault was detected. It should be noted that even though the brake system was bled and and part were replaced, there were no brakes and the vehicle could not be driven. I had the vehicle towed to Rossi GMC in Washington, NJ and they diagnosed the problem as a bad Electronic Brake Control Module and Motor. Then I was advised by their service department that no parts were available because of the General Motors strike and there was no date as to when the parts would be available. I asked if I could try to locate the parts myself and they agreed as long as they were genuine GM parts. After calling hundreds of GM/Chevy dealers I was able to locate one (1) EBCM at All American Chevrolet/Cadillac in Muncie, IN. After speaking with their parts department, they advised me that they have the part and they won't sell it to me over the phone, only in person. I live over 9 hours away from the dealer and this was not feasible. My complaint is this, although the ABS system in my truck was not functioning properly should the regular brake system still be working? If so, why is mine not. This is a HUGE safety concern considering if the ABS system were to fail at highway speeds this could cause a bad crash.

NHTSA ID
11551659
Incident
Sep 20, 2023
Powertrain (other)
Filed Oct 4, 2023

TCM has failed and no replacement available

NHTSA ID
11548158
Incident
Aug 24, 2023
Engine
Filed Sep 22, 2023

Check engine light came on and vehicle began to have issues with transmission

NHTSA ID
11545974
Incident
Sep 18, 2023
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 8, 2023

Transmission Control Module I was at an intersection when the TCM malfunctioned halfway through and I lost all power to my motor. I was pulling a large trailer and cross traffic had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting me. My truck will not move faster that a few miles an hour now that it is in limp mode. I am a police officer and I had an onboard diagnostic tool that showed that there was no communication to the TCM. Stabilitrack warning lamp and check engine light are now on. It all happened at once no warning.

NHTSA ID
11543326
Incident
Sep 2, 2023

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIT4506J

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 truck and should not be lowered.

PIT6400A

This PI Communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform 19-NA-255: Wax Coating on Frame Peeling, Metal Shows Corrosion/Rusting due to issue with getting product from current supplier listed in the bulletin.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

GMC Sierra 2500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026910
2025250044.7
2024983052.8
2023311048.9
2022423056.1
2021516163.7
2020739160.0
2019327060.9
2018355048.5
2017376053.2
2016595046.7
2015896161.0
2014302150.9
2013Viewing463146.7
2012303150.1
2011634151.1
2010105144.9
2009315149.0
2008633358.1
2007833357.3
2006663050.1
20051154050.5
20041434047.4
20031603048.7
20021344359.3
20011345259.5
2000483158.7
1999362050.8
1998153041.2
1997144047.5
1996000
1995000
1994100

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.