Reliable Auto DB

2013 Chevrolet Avalanche reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche has 82 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than the 2012 Avalanche (2), the only other year on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Inflator.

2012 Chevrolet Avalanche
Photo by 2000chevymontecarlo, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

82

Per year

0

Recalls

2

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (22 of 82), then Structure (19) and Electrical system (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Next to 2012

The 2012 Avalanche has 52 complaints, 2 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V054000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2021-02-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V053000
Summary 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."
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.

Complaints by component (82 total)

Air bags
22
Structure
19
Electrical system
4
Engine
4
Exterior lighting
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Powertrain
1
Service brakes
1
Speed control
1
Steering
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

2

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

92017232018920191820201220215202232023120241202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "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…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-01-08
  • "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…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-11-20
  • "The dash has been slowly cracking the past couple of years. Which I’m concerned it will affect the air bag if ever in an accident and also dangerously sharp pieces of the dash could cause harm."
    Structure · filed 2024-04-13
  • "Instrument panel (dashboard) cracked at airbag. Upon deployment shrapnel from dash panel could enter passenger compartment causing injury."
    Air bags · filed 2023-10-26
  • "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…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2023-08-05

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV 4WD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars
2013 Chevrolet Avalanche SUV RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated 3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Avalanche 1500 two-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800
Avalanche 1500 four-wheel drive 5.3L, 8-cyl Automatic 6-speed Four-wheel drive 15 21 17 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

GMT900 (final years), 2012–2013
Body styles Crew cab pickup (sport utility truck)
Oil 5W-30 (all temps); 0W-30 below -29°C (5.3L V8) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 265/70R17, 265/65R18, 275/55R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-053 covers certain 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche vehicles (among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs): the front passenger air bag inflator may rupture if the air bag deploys, which can send metal fragments into the vehicle and increase injury risk. Dealers replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one at no charge.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche See every Chevrolet Avalanche model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche reliable?

The 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche has 82 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than the 2012 Avalanche (2), the only other year on this site. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Inflator.

What are common problems with a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (22 of 82), then Structure (19) and Electrical system (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 2 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Avalanche has 52 complaints, 2 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012.

Has the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche been recalled?

The 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche?

Owners have filed 82 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche is 17 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Chevrolet Avalanche use?

The 5.3L V8 is commonly specified with 5W-30 (0W-30 below −29 °C) and about 6 qt with filter on 2012-2013 GMT900 trucks.

What tire sizes fit the Avalanche?

Trim-dependent OE sizes include 265/70R17, 265/65R18, and 275/55R20; check the tire placard on your Avalanche.

Was the 2013 Avalanche recalled for air bags?

Recall 21V-053 covers certain 2013 Avalanche vehicles among other GM full-size trucks and SUVs for a front passenger air bag inflator that may rupture on deployment; dealers replace the inflator.