CSR

Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2013 Chevrolet Express

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

22

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Express have filed 22 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2013 and October 2021. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 7 of them (32%). The typical failure was reported at 19,662 miles, the median across the 19 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 8 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (8)

EQUIPMENT

18V267000 · April 26, 2018

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 LLC · up to 6,154 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

13V544000 · October 30, 2015

The defect
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Express, and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, and model year 2013 GMC Savana compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles that fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 303 "Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles." In the affected vehicles, the text of the CNG fuel-only label is smaller than the required size, and as a result, may be less noticeable.
The risk
Text that does not conform to the required labeling size could inhibit fuel tank inspection practices and safe refueling, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners and will send them a replacement label, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 13365.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,808 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

14V500000 · August 13, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chevrolet Express compressed natural gas (CNG)vehicles manufactured September 10, 2010, to April 28, 2014, and GMC Savana CNG vehicles manufactured May 23, 2011, to April 21, 2014. The affected vehicles may leak natural gas from the CNG high pressure regulator.
The risk
A natural gas leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire or explosion.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure regulator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 14321.

General Motors LLC · up to 3,345 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

14V117000 · March 17, 2014

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans manufactured January 27, 2009, through March 7, 2014 with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds and less and equipped with front passenger air bags. In the affected vehicles, during a frontal impact below the air bag deployment threshold, if an unbelted front passenger's head hits the instrument panel above where the passenger air bag is located, the panel may not sufficiently absorb the impact. As such, these vehicles fail to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."
The risk
In the event of a crash below the air bag deployment threshold, an unbelted front passenger seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will modify the passenger instrument panel free of charge. Notices to the owners of the heavy duty vans were mailed on April 28, 2014. The recall began on May 19, 2014. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14082.

General Motors LLC · up to 303,013 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

13V225000 · May 15, 2013

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) and IMPCO Automotive Division of IMPCO Technologies, Inc. (IMPCO) are recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana Cargo vans that have a compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel system installed as original equipment by IMPCO. The fuel systems, manufactured February 14, 2011, through February 20, 2013, have a fuel shut-off solenoid connector to the CNG tank that may corrode and form a short.
The risk
A short at the connector may cause overheating, resulting in an increased risk of fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners and GM dealers/fleets will perform the remedy which will include replacing the solenoid assemblies and fuel pump fuses and adjusting the wiring routing. The recall began on August 5, 2013. GM's number for this recall is 13139. Impco's number for this recall is FA13GM001. Owner's may contact GM Fleet Action Center at 1-800-353-3867.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,791 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

13V147000 · April 17, 2013

The defect
Explorer Van Company, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer and Explorer Limited SE vehicles built on GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express chassis, manufactured August 1, 2012, through April 9, 2013. The wiring harness that powers the seat adjuster and the seat heating circuit may not be properly secured. As a result, the harness may become lodged in the seat riser mechanism.
The risk
If the wires become lodged in the seat riser mechanism, they may become severed and potentially short circuit. A short circuit may result in a fire.
The remedy
Explorer Van Company will notify owners, and dealers will secure the seat wiring harness. Any damaged seat wiring harnesses will be replaced. These services will be completed free of charge. The recall began on May 10, 2013. Customers may contact Explorer Van Company at 1-800-926-7878. Explorer's number for this campaign is 2013-1.

Explorer Van Company, Inc. · up to 885 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

13V010000 · January 14, 2013

The defect
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Express vehicles manufactured November 1, 2012, through December 21, 2012; and model year 2013 GMC Savana vehicles, manufactured November 14, 2012, through November 20, 2012. It may be possible to remove the key from the ignition when the vehicle is running or the transmission is not in the Park position. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, "Theft Protection."
The risk
If the ignition key is removed while the vehicle is still on and/or the vehicle is not in Park, the vehicle may rollaway and the unintended movement of the vehicle may result in a possible crash or injury to pedestrians.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition lock cylinder and the two associated keys. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on February 8, 2013. For more information, GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463 and Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438.

General Motors LLC · up to 980 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

13V001000 · January 2, 2013

The 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.
The 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.
The 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.

General Motors LLC · up to 54,686 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 22.

ENGINE 7 32%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 23%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 14%
AIR BAGS 2 9%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 9%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 5%
POWER TRAIN 1 5%
SEAT BELTS 1 5%
TIRES 1 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 5%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 5.

2013 2018 2021
2013 to 2021

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 48,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHILE DRIVING 43 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. IN ADDITION, THE SHOULDER OF THE SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK, WHICH CAUSED THE CONTACT'S BODY TO BE JERKED AROUND IN THE SEAT. THE REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT FRACTURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, THUMB, LOWER TORSO, AND KNEES. THE CONTACT ALSO SUFFERED WHIPLASH. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,000.

NHTSA complaint 10915564. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
The Brakes will Lock up while driving Due to an issue with the Power Brake Hydro Boost System. The Hydro Boost Control Valve will allow Pressure to apply the Brake Master Cyl. with Engine speed increasing while the vehicle is traveling in a normal Fashion. Overheating the Brake calipers to the point of Protective boots burning up. Rotors and pads are damaged also. This a known problem Posted on repair search boards. I am a Certified ASE Master Mechanic with over 40 Years This a Very Dangerous Event and Part Failure

NHTSA complaint 11438129. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

200,000 miles

BRAKES DO NOT RELEASE AFTER SUDDEN STOP, THREE TIMES, ON HIGHWAY 95. STEERING WHEEL STARTED TREMBLING SLOWLY FOR 10 MILES AND THEN VIOLENTLY, THEN BRAKE PEDAL GETS HARD. PASSENGER SIDE STARTED SMOKING, ON 8 SOUTH IN CT 4/9/2020. MANAGED TO STOP VAN ON SOFT SHOULDER. THIS BRAKE SYSTEM IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME.

NHTSA complaint 11320720. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9,100 miles

PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS 11102768 , 11111685 VEHICLE IS A FOREST RIVER SUNSEEKER RV/ 2013 CHEVY EXPRESS CUTAWAY 4500 MODEL G33803 159" 6.0 GVW 14,200. THE FUSE/RELAY BLOCK HAS BEEN REPLACED. PART 22767373. THE TECH HAS MADE A COMMENT ON THE INVOICE. THE ORIGINAL FUSE BLOCK HAD A LACK OF VOLTAGE TO VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND MAY CAUSE FUTURE ELECTRICAL FAILURES DUE TO THIS.THE VEHICLE HAS 9100 MI ON IT. THIS FUSE BLOCK(UNDERHOOD) HAS BEEN A PROBLEM IN MANY VEHICLES INCLUDING AMBULANCES. NOT GOOD, AS IT CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE NOT TO START OR LOOSE POWER. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

NHTSA complaint 11113598. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9,500 miles

COMPLAINT 11102768 FILED PREVIOUSLY FOR CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND CAMSHAFT SENSORS. NEW COMPLAINT : VEHICLE WOULD NOT START 7/11/2018. CALLED CHEVY DEALER. WAS TOLD TO REMOVE AND REPLACE RELAY IN FUSE BLOCK. VEHICLE STARTED. DEALER INFORMED US THAT THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE FAULTY FUSE BLOCK IN MANY SIMILAR VEHICLES. OUR VEHICLE IS A 2013 CHEVY EXPRESS CUTAWAY 4500. MODEL G33803 159" 6.0 GVW 14,200. IT IS A FOREST RIVER SUNSEEKER RV. THEY HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THEM IN AMBULANCES AND OTHER HEAVY TRUCKS. THE PART NUMBER FOR THE FUSE/RELAY BLOCK IS 22767373 THIS ITEM IS NOT ON RECALL LIST. PLEASE HELP. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 9000 MILES ON IT AND THESE ITEMS ARE MAJOR, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS

NHTSA complaint 11111685, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES

30,806 miles

DRIVING ALONG INTERSTATE 10 OUR MOTOR HOME BEGAN TO SHAKE LIKE TIRES BEING OUT OF BALANCE. I STOPPED AT EXPRESS TIRE IN FREDERICKSBURG, TX. THEY FOUND THAT THE TREAD WAS SEPARATING ON THREE OF THE SIX TIRES. BECAUSE WE WERE TRAVELING I ONLY REPLACED THE THREE PROBLEM TIRES. CONTINUING OUR TRIP WE TRAVELED ANOTHER 1,000 MILES AND A FOURTH TIRE SEPARATED. AT THAT TIME I WAS ONLY 200 MILES FROM RETURNING HOME SO HAD THE SPARE PUT ON AND CONTINUED HOME WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. I DO INTEND ON PURCHASING FOUR MORE NEW TIRES BEFORE OUR NEXT TRIP.

NHTSA complaint 11104969. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9,000 miles

VEHICLE WOULD TURN OVER BUT NOT START. CODE FOR CRANKSHAFT POSTION SENSOR. REPLACED. STARTED. 3 DAYS LATER VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. CODE FOR CAMSHAFT POSTION SENSOR. ON ORDER. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY BOTH TIMES.PLEASE NOTE THIS VEHICLE IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION AND ONLY HAS 9000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA complaint 11102768. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Express

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 13 2
2020 16 1
2019 8 4
2018 11 6
2017 20 6
2016 15 6
2015 8 3
2014 14 7
2012 13 6 2
2011 12 5
2010 15 5

Other 2013 Chevrolet models

Every Chevrolet on this site — 298 vehicles, 747 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst