2013 Chevrolet EXPRESS: complaints, problems and recalls

THIS IS A C CLASS RV BY THOR MOTOR COACH. THE COACH SERIAL NUMBER IS [XXX]. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TAKE FUEL. I BOUGHT IT TO TWO CHEVROLET DEALERS WHO WOULD NOT LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT HAD A MOTORHOME BODY. ONE DEALER HOOKED IT UP TO A FAULT FINDER AND FOUND THERE WAS A FUEL VENTING PROBLEM. THEY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE THE MOTOR COACH MANUFACTURER HAD CHANGED THE FUEL VENTING SYSTEM AND MOVED THE TANK. I FINALLY WAS SERVICED, UNDER WARRANTY, BY AN RV DEALER IN TULSA OKLAHOMA. THEY TOLD ME THE FUEL TANK HAD BEEN MOVED WHICH CAUSED A KINK IN THE…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10511447 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE ENGAGED AND THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN AND THE LIGHT TURNED OFF AND THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,500.

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10521646 at NHTSA ↗

WILL NOT TAKE FUEL. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10544309 at NHTSA ↗

V=INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. EACH TIME VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER WHO "CORRECTS" THE PROBLEMS. LESS THAN A 1000 MILES LATER, PROBLEM REOCCURS. VEHICLE WILL BE TRAVELLING WHEN CHECK ENGINE & DEF INDICATOR LIGHTS COME ON. MESSAGE ON ODOMETER READS "EXHAUST FLUID QUALITY POOR" ... XX MILES UNTIL SPEED REDUCED TO 65 MPH. AFTER EACH INCIDENT THE DEALER INDICATES IT IS A SENSOR PROBLEM, NOT A FLUID QUALITY PROBLEM. THIS UNIT IS AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE AMBULANCE IN A RURAL AREA THAT MUST TRANSPORT EMERGENCY PATIENTS AT LEAST 30 MILES TO NEA…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10616772 at NHTSA ↗

THE FIRST AND SECOND (OF THREE INCIDENTS) BOTH APPEARED MINOR, LASTING ONLY A FRACTION OF A SECOND. ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH A 150-MILE DRIVE, THE ENGINE WENT DEAD BUT AS QUICKLY FIRED UP AGAIN SO AS NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY ME. BUT A THIRD INCIDENT WAS WORRISOME. WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH ON A STRAIGHT, FLAT-AND-LEVEL STRETCH OF A MACADEM FARM ROAD, THE VAN SUDDENLY, VERY ABRUPTLY, SHIFTED INTO WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN ITS LOWEST GEAR, AND DURING ABOUT 15 OR 20 SECONDS THEREAFTER IT JERKED BACK AND FORTH AS IF IT WERE STRUGGLING TO CLIMB …

Owner-reported narrative. 900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10672499 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACTIVATE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DURING EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID FROZE AND THE WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,100.

Owner-reported narrative. 59,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10676784 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 65,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10731000 at NHTSA ↗

THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY AND AUTONOMOUSLY APPLIES THE BRAKES AND CUTS ENGINE POWER WHILE DRIVING. AT THIS TIME THE VEHICLE STATES "SERVICE STABILITRAK" AND THE ICON FLASHES THAT I AM SKIDDING, WHICH I AM NOT (I HAVE VIDEO PROOF OF THIS OCCURING). AFTER 4 TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME FOR THIS TO OCCUR WHILE MERGING, OR MAKING A LEFT ACROSS TRAFFIC AND CAUSE A SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL COLLISION.

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10733840 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2013-01-02 (January 2, 2013)

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.

Consequence: 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.

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.

Reported: 2013-01-14 (January 14, 2013)

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."

Consequence: 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.

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.

Reported: 2013-04-17 (April 17, 2013)

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.

Consequence: 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.

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.

Reported: 2013-05-15 (May 15, 2013)

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.

Consequence: A short at the connector may cause overheating, resulting in an increased risk of fire.

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.

Reported: 2015-10-30 (October 30, 2015)

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.

Consequence: 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.

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.

Reported: 2014-03-17 (March 17, 2014)

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."

Consequence: In the event of a crash below the air bag deployment threshold, an unbelted front passenger seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

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.

Reported: 2014-08-13 (August 13, 2014)

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.

Consequence: A natural gas leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire or explosion.

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.

Reported: 2018-04-26 (April 26, 2018)

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

Consequence: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.

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.