Model year record

2013 Chevrolet Avalanche recalls & problems

The 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche has 2 safety recalls and 82 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (43 complaints).

Recalls2safety recalls

Complaints82filed by owners

Crashes · fires2 · 0reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths6 · 0reported in complaints

Safety recalls

Air bagsFeb 5, 2021

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 21V053000692,526 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: 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.
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. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

Air bagsFeb 5, 2021

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 21V0540001,778,128 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: 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.
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 1-800-222-1020; 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.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2013 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	21.2%

2013 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	22.8%

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Unknown or other	43	0	0	55,000 mi
Air bags	22	2	6	49,000 mi
StructureBody; Interior panels › Dashboard	19	0	0	59,586 mi
Engine	4	0	0	—
Electrical systemInstrument panel › Speedometer/odometer	4	0	0	—
Exterior lighting	3	0	0	—
TiresPressure monitoring and regulating systems	2	0	0	—
Visibility/wiper	1	0	0	—
Electronic stability control (esc)	1	0	0	—
Vehicle speed control	1	0	0	—
Service brakes	1	0	0	—
SteeringSteering wheel/handle bar	1	0	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Air bagsCrash3 injuries
I had an auto accident that totaled my vehicle (2013 Chevy Avalanche). It was t-boned by the other vehicle with significant damage from the front quarter panel to the rear quarter panel. All on the driver's side. NONE of the airbags deployed in my vehicle. The other vehicle that hit me had all of the air bags deployed. I had my passenger airbag replaced, based on a manufacturers recall, this past summer 09/26/2025 at a certified Chevy dealer. At that time, they said everything was replaced that needed to be and confirmed that everything was working. Because NONE of the airbags deployed in my vehicle, I sustained minor injuries, i.e. cuts, bruises, etc. and my passenger sustained minor…
Dec 23, 2025
Electrical system › Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
Odometer Fraud. The contact attempted to purchase a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 142,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 214,000.
Nov 20, 2025 · 214,000 miles
Structure › Interior panels › Dashboard
The dash has been slowly cracking the past couple of years. Which Iâm concerned it will affect the air bag if ever in an accident and also dangerously sharp pieces of the dash could cause harm.
Apr 12, 2023
Air bags
Instrument panel (dashboard) cracked at airbag. Upon deployment shrapnel from dash panel could enter passenger compartment causing injury.
Oct 26, 2023
Electrical system
I am an owner of a 2013 Chevy Avalanche and must say that i enjoy driving this vehicle. The problem that i have is the vehicle has been going into Engine Power Reduced Mode. This mode makes the vehicle hard to accelerate to highway speeds. The vehicle will have a code of P2128 or P2138 which is an accelator pedel ciruit problem. I changed the acceleator pedal and did not solve the problem. I changed out the Throttle Body Sensor and still the problem remains. On the dashboard it will show Check Engine Light on, Service Stablinktrac light on, and Service Traction Control Light on. I have seen other vehicle owners experience the same problems with their vehicles and told that there was no…
May 15, 2023
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche. The contact stated while attempting to refuel the vehicle, the fuel started spilling from the fuel filler neck. The contact stated that the failure had recurred since purchasing the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to three independent mechanics where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel tube was narrower than normal and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.
Jul 24, 2016 · 151,000 miles
Engine
Repeated instances of engine misfire/loss of power due to known issue with 5.3L Engines. Chevy/GM have repeatedly not fixed root cause/issues leading to "Stabilitrac/Traction control" error messages during engine misfire while driving in traffic. On 3 of these occasions loss power in roads/intersections with oncoming traffic. Two of these occasions,almost caused collisions. Currently truck at dealership since 4/11/22, with Warranty company (extended warranty) and Chevy dealership discussing mechanical issues with Rings, Pistons, Lifters versus "Carbon build up". Engine very low mileage per year. Total milage under 72k. Carbon is in all engines, failure root cause according to research and…
Apr 1, 2022
Structure › Interior panels › Dashboard
The Dashboard has cracked and broken in several places and I believe this to be directly as a result of the steering wheel column and moving the steering wheel tilt positions. You could hear a cracking when moving the steering wheel position and then a sound like a bolt or something dropping inside. After this happened there was a crack immediately above, perpendicular with the steering wheel in the plastic bent portion of the dash and since that time I have noticed the steering wheel seems to shift some even when you arenât attempting to tilt it and the dashboard is cracking in several places now. This vehicle has never been left outside of the garage. It has been driven as a secondary,…
Jun 1, 2022

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
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…
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021