AI Damage2013 Chevrolet Tahoe: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe filed 233 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 233
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 24% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 22% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 6% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- 6 Electronic stability control 3% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 3% of all complaints
- Structure: 56 complaints (24% of all).
- Air bags: 51 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 17 complaints (7% of all).
- Engine: 13 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 9 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.3 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 6 L · hybrid · 8 cyl
- automatic, 6-speed
- CVT
Drive: RWD, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 233 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 56 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 51 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
In attempts to stop due to vehicles traveling in front of mine had come to abrupt stops my brakes failed to provide adequate stopping while straight line steering. Thus I was forced to steer left to avoid collision.
The air bags failed to deploy. The driver and the four passengers in the vehicle sustained whiplash that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed, but the body damages were repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
During pursuit training a 2013 tahoe suffered a catastrophic failure of the wheel suspension assembly. This is the third identical incident in the past month. The other two vehicles were 2014 police pursuit tahoes. In all instances the front wheel assembly failed during a turn.
Vehicle placed in park with engine running, approximately 5 to 10 minutes passed vehicle began to roll forward hitting side of building causing damage to front driver side bumper.
One day I was driving normal and my engine light and two other lights came on. It dropped my speed under 30mph and I couldn't pass the gas. It said reduced engine power, service stabilitrak and service traction. I immediately took it to auto zone then placed it in the shop at the dealership.
The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the Air Bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while parked at a rest stop for approximately five minutes, the vehicle was turned on, and the driver's curtain air bag and the passenger side air bags were deployed inadvertently.
The problem was confirmed to be a transmission failure by chevrolet. The inspection was done by chevrolet to confirm the transmission has failed. The vehicle started to jump when sitting still and the drive train for 2wheel/4whell did stop working it only allowed the vehicle to be moved in 2whell drive.
The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, an abnormal ticking sound was coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact discovered that the oil pressure was low.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,737 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tahoe has 258 complaints (39 years in the data). This year has 233, about average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
- Tahoe 19913 sources
- Tahoe 19926 sources
- Tahoe 19938 sources
- Tahoe 199419 sources
- Tahoe 1995246 sources
- Tahoe 1996283 sources
- Tahoe 1997410 sources
- Tahoe 1998263 sources
- Tahoe 1999552 sources
- Tahoe 2000282 sources
- Tahoe 2001512 sources
- Tahoe 2002449 sources
- Tahoe 2003507 sources
- Tahoe 2004467 sources
- Tahoe 2005293 sources
- Tahoe 2006114 sources
- Tahoe 20071,177 sources
- Tahoe 2008528 sources
- Tahoe 2009284 sources
- Tahoe 2010314 sources
- Tahoe 2011447 sources
- Tahoe 2012178 sources
- Tahoe 201490 sources
- Tahoe 2015659 sources
- Tahoe 20161,469 sources
- Tahoe 20171,171 sources
- Tahoe 2018873 sources
- Tahoe 2019841 sources
- Tahoe 2020850 sources
- Tahoe 20211,942 sources
- Tahoe 20221,534 sources
- Tahoe 20231,314 sources
- Tahoe 2024816 sources
- Tahoe 2025519 sources
- Tahoe 2026242 sources
- Tahoe 20279 sources
- Tahoe 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 233. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (6%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%), windows, sunroof (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2013 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.