P0013 Code on a GMC: Exhaust Camshaft Actuator Solenoid Circuit, Bank 1 (GMC Guide)

P0013 on a GMC is "Exhaust Camshaft Position Actuator Solenoid Circuit – Bank 1." The engine control module (ECM) switched the exhaust cam phaser solenoid, checked its own output, and the circuit did not behave the way it was commanded. It is an electrical code, not a timing code. On a GMC it has a twist that generic pages never mention: whether your truck can set it at all depends on the engine. A Sierra or Yukon with a pushrod V8 has no exhaust cam actuator, so P0013 does not belong there — while on an Envoy 4.2L or a 2004–2012 Canyon, the exhaust actuator is the only cam actuator the engine has, and P0013 is its main solenoid code.

What Does P0013 Mean on a GMC?

An engine with variable exhaust cam timing has a phaser on the exhaust camshaft, moved by engine oil that a solenoid directs. The ECM pulses that solenoid and also watches its own output to make sure the circuit is intact.

GM's 2018 OBD summary tables — covering the Terrain's 1.5L and 2.0L turbos and the 2.5L four-cylinder in the Acadia and Canyon, among others — describe the P0013 test as a voltage on the solenoid driver circuit falling "outside of controller specific acceptable range during driver on state," which indicates an open circuit. It needs system voltage above 11 volts, the ignition in crank or run and the driver commanded on, and it fails at 20 failures out of 25 samples as a one-trip Type A code. GM's 2011 tables for the Canyon's 2.9L and 3.7L Atlas engines describe the same idea — "the commanded state of the driver and the actual state of the control circuit do not match" — as a two-trip Type B code at 19 failures out of 30 samples.

So P0013 is about the coil, the connector, the terminals and the wires on the exhaust side, not about where the camshaft is. When the exhaust cam cannot be commanded, GM's tables hold off the exhaust performance test, P0014, until P0013 clears.

Bank 1 on a four-cylinder or an inline five or six is the whole engine. On the transverse 3.6L V6 in the Acadia and Terrain, bank 1 is the rear bank; the front bank's exhaust solenoid reports as P0023.

Which GMCs Can Set P0013

P0013 needs an engine with an electrically controlled exhaust cam actuator. In GMC's line-up that means:

• Overhead-cam four-cylinders and turbos — Terrain 2.4L LAF/LEA, 1.5L turbo and 2.0L turbo LTG; Acadia and Canyon 2.5L LCV; Acadia 2.5L turbo LK0. GM's 2018 and 2024 tables list P0013 for these engine groups.
• 3.0L and 3.6L V6s — Terrain 3.0L and 3.6L LFX, Acadia 3.6L (LY7, LLT, LGX), Canyon 3.6L LGZ. GM's 2008 table for the LLT lists P0013.
• 2.7L turbo L3B — Sierra 1500 (2019-on) and Canyon (2023-on), which GM's bulletins show with separate intake and exhaust actuator magnets.
• Atlas inline engines — 2004–2012 Canyon 2.8L LK5, 2.9L LLV, 3.5L L52 and 3.7L LLR, and the Envoy and Envoy XL 4.2L LL8.

Engines that cannot set P0013: the pushrod V8s and 4.3L V6 in the Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL and Savana, and the 5.3L V8 in the Envoy XL. A pushrod engine has one camshaft in the block and, where it has cam phasing at all, one actuator — GM's bulletins for those trucks report it under the intake codes P0010 and P0011. If a scanner shows P0013 on a V8 Sierra, re-read it with a GM-capable tool before chasing it.

P0013 on the Envoy and Early Canyon

The Atlas family — the 4.2L six in the Envoy and Envoy XL and the four- and five-cylinders in the 2004–2012 Canyon — phases only the exhaust camshaft. GM calls it variable cam phasing (VCP). Because of that, GM's tables for these engines have no P0010 or P0011 at all; their cam actuator codes are P0013 and P0014.

GM's 2004 table for the 4.2L LL8 describes P0013 as detecting "an open or shorted control circuit by monitoring the driver fault line," with a fault present for 0.25 seconds out of 2 seconds — counted as 2 failures in 16 — and a Type B code. The 2004 table for the Canyon's 2.8L LK5 and 3.5L L52 sets P0013 when the cam phaser solenoid's "output state [is] invalid," at 10 counts out of 20, also Type B.

Two practical consequences:

• On an Envoy or early Canyon, P0013 is the cam solenoid circuit code. Advice written for engines with intake phasers — "check the intake solenoid first" — simply does not apply.
• These trucks are now old enough that heat-hardened connectors and brittle wiring are realistic causes. GM's general instruction PIP5094 — check terminal fit and tension before any circuit testing — applies to every one of them.

We found no GM bulletin that names P0013 specifically for the Envoy or Atlas Canyon. GM's PIP4945B, which collects Atlas cam information under P0017, lists a restricted cam actuator solenoid or missing screens among the causes of cam faults on these engines — useful background, but that is a performance issue rather than a P0013 circuit fault.

The Terrain 2.4L Story

The GMC bulletin that names P0013 directly is 17-NA-098 (March 2017), for the 2010–2012 Terrain and Equinox with the LAF or LEA 2.4L. Its complaint is an engine that runs rough, hesitates, is hard to start or stalls, with P0010, P0013, P0011 and/or P0014 set. GM's stated cause is camshaft position actuator failure; the correction replaces both solenoid valves — intake 12655420 and exhaust 12655421 — and verifies the ECM software is current.

The background is GM emission recall 11195 (August 2011), covering certain 2011 Terrain 2.4L trucks: the actuator solenoid "may stick," with rough idle, poor driveability and possible stalling at low throttle; the repair was an ECM reprogram and new solenoid valves. GM's PI0562F for 2011–2012 Terrain adds that original solenoids 12628347 and 12628348 should be replaced with 12655420 and 12655421.

What that means for a Terrain 2.4L with P0013 today: test the exhaust solenoid circuit as you would on any engine, but if the solenoid is condemned, GM's bulletins tell you which parts it considers current and that it replaces the pair. A dealer can confirm whether recall 11195 was completed on your VIN.

Finding the Right Part on Your GMC

• Terrain 2.4L: intake and exhaust solenoids sit side by side on the cylinder head at the timing-chain end. They are different part numbers; never swap them to test.
• Acadia and Terrain 3.6L: bank 1 is the rear bank; GM's labor operations call it "Bank 1 (Right Side) Exhaust." Expect extra access work compared with the front bank.
• Sierra 1500 and Canyon 2.7L turbo: GM's bulletins separate the electrical actuator magnet from the hydraulic valve solenoid bolt in the cam. P0013 points at the exhaust magnet, its connector and wiring.
• Envoy 4.2L and Atlas Canyon: a single exhaust cam actuator solenoid — the only cam solenoid on the engine.

Symptoms of P0013

• Check engine light on
• Rough idle or a slight stumble
• Reduced power or poorer fuel economy
• Hard starting or stalling on a 2010–2012 Terrain 2.4L (GM's 17-NA-098 symptoms)
• P0010 stored alongside on engines with both actuators, or P0014 history
• Often little drivability change if the exhaust cam parks in its default position

Causes and How to Confirm Each

How Is P0013 Diagnosed?

1. Confirm the engine can set it. On a pushrod V8 or 4.3L Sierra, Yukon or Savana, re-read the code with GM descriptors.
2. Record all codes. P0013 with P0010 suggests a shared supply or two aged solenoids; P0013 with P0014 means fix the circuit first.
3. Run a VIN check for recall 11195 on a 2011 Terrain 2.4L.
4. Locate the exhaust solenoid — rear bank on a 3.6L, magnet on a 2.7L turbo.
5. Inspect and pin-test the connector per PIP5094.
6. Measure the solenoid and compare with specification.
7. Run an output-control test with a bidirectional scan tool.
8. Test the circuits to the ECM.
9. Replace the failed part, using GM's current part numbers for the Terrain 2.4L.
10. Clear and road test.

Parts and Cost

Order by VIN — intake and exhaust parts look alike and GM supersedes numbers.

GM Documents Relevant to P0013 on a GMC

Setting conditions above come from GM's 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2018 OBD summary tables (gsi.ext.gm.com/gmspo/mode6/). No GM bulletin we found names P0013 for a Sierra, Yukon, Acadia or Envoy.

Have a dealer check your VIN against current bulletins and campaigns rather than relying on any article, including this one.

What Other P0013 Pages Get Wrong

• "P0013 means exhaust cam timing is off." It is a circuit test. The timing test is P0014.
• "Check it on your Sierra's exhaust cam." A pushrod V8 Sierra or Yukon has no separate exhaust cam actuator.
• "P0013 always comes with P0010." Not on an Envoy or Atlas Canyon, which have no intake actuator at all.
• Citing Special Coverage 15824. That GM program for exhaust actuator valves on 2.0T/2.5L engines covers the 2013 ATS and Malibu — no GMC.
• "Swap solenoids to test." On the Terrain 2.4L the intake and exhaust valves are different part numbers.

The Chevrolet side of the Terrain 2.4L story is covered in our Chevy Equinox P0013 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my Envoy 4.2L set P0013?

Yes. The 4.2L phases only the exhaust cam, and GM's tables list P0013 as its cam phaser control circuit code. It cannot set P0010.

Can my 5.3L Sierra set P0013?

Not under GM's own code set. Its single cam actuator is reported as P0010/P0011. Re-read the code with a GM-capable scanner.

Is P0013 serious?

It is rarely an emergency, but the engine loses exhaust cam control and runs on a default position. GM's Terrain 2.4L bulletin lists stalling among the symptoms, so don't leave it.

Does low oil cause P0013?

Not directly. Oil problems cause the performance code P0014. Check the oil anyway.

Should both solenoids be replaced on a Terrain 2.4L?

GM's 17-NA-098 replaces both on 2010–2012 Terrain 2.4L trucks with its symptoms. Confirm the diagnosis first.

Why does P0013 come back after a new solenoid?

Usually a connector or wiring fault that was never tested — terminal tension, a chafed wire, or corrosion. That is why GM's PIP5094 puts pin testing first.

Is a P0013 repair covered?

It depends on age, mileage and coverage, and whether a recall applies. A dealer VIN check is free.