P0513
0 owner reports and 667 manufacturer filings across 178 model years from Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and others.
Where P0513 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsShowing the 60 model years where P0513 appears most; it is on file for 178 in total.
A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.
What it gets filed under
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P0513. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- 23-NA-1652025-03-13 · Electrical System
- This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Vehicle Will Not Lock and Unlock (Loss of Active Functions) Crank or Start (Loss of Passive Functions) with DTC P0513 Set.
- 23-NA-1652023-11-15 · Electrical System
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Vehicle Will Not Lock and Unlock (Loss of Active Functions) Crank or Start (Loss of Passive Functions) with DTC P0513 Set.
- 23-NA-1652023-09-19 · Equipment
- This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Vehicle Will Not Lock and Unlock (Loss of Active Functions) Crank or Start (Loss of Passive Functions) with DTC P0513 Set.
- PIT5391F2023-02-13 · Air Bags
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to diagnose and repair vehicles that have a no crank or a start and then immediate stall, Service Engine Soon Malfunction Indicator lamp may not be on when the ignition is in the run position. Technician may find Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0513 and or P262B may also be set. Technician will pulled the driver sil
- 21-NA-2772022-05-11 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of No Crank, No Start, Quick Start/Stall, Key Fobs Inoperative with DTCs B2924 00, B3925 00, B3926 00, B3927 00, or P0513 set.
- S22080000732022-03-17 · Engine And Engine Cooling — Engine — Engine Control Module (Ecu/Ecm)
- No Start, After Flash And Or PCM Replace, DTC P0513 Invalid Skim Key Setting
What P0513 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP0513 sits in the generic range of the OBD-II standard, so it means the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States — but WhichTrim does not carry a definition for it and will not invent one. What is on this page is the record: who named it and on what.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.
Common questions about P0513
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P0513 stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light generally means the fault was logged and the vehicle is in a reduced-risk mode; a flashing light means stop soon, because a misfiring engine can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.
Does a code mean the car is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.
Why do the counts here differ from other sites?
Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.
Will clearing the code fix it?
Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.