Chevrolet Traverse Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability
Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.
Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years
Own a Chevrolet Traverse? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.
Chevrolet Traverse — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison
| Year | Verdict | Recalls | Complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Deaths | Top Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Best | Excellent | — | 7 | — | — | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2025 | Good | — | 128 | 1 | 1 | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
| 2024 | Good | — | 92 | — | 3 | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
| 2023 | Excellent | — | 44 | 4 | 3 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2022 | Good | — | 63 | 3 | 10 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2021 | Good | 1 | 54 | 6 | 10 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2020 | Good | 3 | 117 | 5 | 3 | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2019 | Caution | 2 | 275 | 9 | 8 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2018 | Caution | 1 | 311 | 8 | 2 | — | Power Train | Full report → |
| 2017 | Caution | 1 | 212 | 10 | 6 | 1 | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2016 | Caution | 2 | 192 | 2 | 8 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2015 | Caution | 1 | 205 | 4 | 5 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2014 | Avoid | 4 | 449 | 7 | 6 | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2013 | Good | 3 | 156 | 8 | 8 | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2012 | Caution | 5 | 288 | 6 | 7 | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2011Worst | Avoid | 5 | 499 | 16 | 15 | 1 | Engine | Full report → |
| 2010 | Avoid | 4 | 449 | 15 | 14 | — | Steering | Full report → |
| 2009 | Caution | 5 | 274 | 18 | 23 | — | Steering | Full report → |
18 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.
Most Common Chevrolet Traverse Problems
Based on 3,815 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.
Recent Safety Recalls — Chevrolet Traverse (2022–2026)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles. The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212352140.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Chevrolet Blazer and Traverse vehicles. The left-side half-shaft assemblies may be missing a retaining ring.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left-side half-shaft assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 23, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N222390180.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Cadillac XT6, GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Blazer, Traverse, and 2022-2023 Cadillac XT5 vehicles. The transmission may have been built with an incorrect sun gear, which can result in the driver-side half-shaft disengaging from the transmission.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the sun gears, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2023. The remedy is expected to become available August 31, 2023. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GMC's number for this recall is N222389310.
General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
Remedy: Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.
Showing 4 recalls from 2022–2026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.
Recent Owner Complaints
Direct reports filed with NHTSA by Chevrolet Traverse owners — 2022–2026 model years.
I noticed that the transmission has a shutter really bad before I crossed over a hundred thousand miles it is gotten so bad that you cannot drive the vehicle without it shuttering it almost every gear. Took it to the dealership dealership said it had too many miles and all the warranties in all that couldn't help us they want $10,000 to replace it.
On the car seat there are two indicators to tell you if the seat is locked in place because it is a rotating car seat. Both indicators never fully go in the “green” meaning the seat is fully locked into place. The car seat is less than two years old and both indicators are malfunctioning, they aren’t going fully in the green. I reached out to the company with pictures and videos and they have done nothing to help. They said from the video it looks like the car seat is functioning properly and they will not fix or replace it.
My dashboard gave an alert “battery saver active” then another alert stating to “service charging system, vehicle may stall”. Then the alerts cleared. After a few minutes both alerts were on my dashboard again. I was able to pull into an [XXX] ’s and had them check the battery, which was replaced a few months ago, employee stated that the battery was so low, only showing 11.4 that they couldn’t even test it, that she testing the alternator and the computer said it needed to be replaced. The employee stated that most GM replacement alternators for Chevy traverse 2023 are on back order due to so many having to be replaced right at the 3 year mark. We could only get a store brand replacement part due to the back order. Once I bought the part, my husband drove behind me for the 30 minute drive home, we had to pull over twice to jump off the battery and charge it due to the vehicle stalling. Once home we replaced the part and seems to work fine, it has only been 9 days. I have the original part for inspection and receipts of purchase for the new part. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the red "Service Brake Assist Warning" light and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) message were displayed. Additionally, the yellow ABS, Cruise Control, and Traction Control warning lights were illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact returned to the residence and parked the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and agreed to have the vehicle towed from the residence to the dealer. The dealer performed a diagnostic and retrieved DTC: C055F, for the brake master cylinder failure. The dealer informed the contact of Technical Service Bulletin: 25-NA-240; and the failure was associated with the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
I was driving through the tollbooth on the bayway in [XXX] , I stepped on the brake to slow down and all kinds of warning lights lit up in the car showing the brakes were not working. Anything automatic with the brakes failed. I had to stand on the brakes to get the Traverse to stop. The issue was confrmed to be the master brake cylinder I was lucky they had it in stock at Maher Chevrolet in St Petersburg. My grandson was supposed to be in this car the next day driving over the skyway bridge. The safety of children is being compromised. Please issue a recall!!!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Traverse On [XXX] at approximately [XXX], while driving south on [XXX] , my vehicle suddenly shut off without warning resulting in a complete electrical failure. During this event, I lost the ability to accelerate, activate hazard lights, unlock doors, open or close windows, or use the OnStar system. The vehicle restarted briefly but then shut off two additional times before I could safely move it off the road. There were no warning messages or signals prior to this incident. This created a serious and immediate safety hazard, as I was unable to alert other drivers or exit the vehicle during the failure. I am requesting a formal investigation into this issue, documentation as a safety defect, and immediate corrective action. This incident poses a significant risk to driver and passenger safety. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership it was purchased from. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by the service center. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
What is causing the problem is unknown. Vehicle was at a complete stop at red light when releasing brake vehicle lunged forward hitting vehicle in front from behind so yes there has been an accident.. 2nd time was when first starting vehicle in the morning and putting vehicle in Drive when brake is released vehicle lunged forward at 7 miles an hour without touching the gas pedal. Dealer claims they cannot reproduce problem. This is a safety hazard the problem does not give you warning it just lurches forward.
Master cylinder failure at 15,000 miles on 4/13/2026 Safety risk of Potential brake system failure. Taken to dealership on 4/13/2026, as of today 4/16/2026, master cylinder has been replaced but now the vehicle is rejecting the part, per the dealership. ABS light and brake light illuminated at the time of failure. No other car symptoms noted.
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the alarm sounded and the message, "Shift to Park," was displayed even though the gear shifter was in park. The contact shifted from park into several driving positions before the vehicle recognized that the transmission was in park, and the vehicle was turned off. The failure had become a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the gear shifter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
The shark fin antenna cover became loose. The antenna then fell off at some point while driving. This coming off while driving poses a risk to others on the road as it may have fallen off and hit someone else. The only “warning” it gave was stating the emergency call system failure. When googling I found out what the problem may be from. After looking further there are multiple Chevy traverse owners with the same issue after going through a car wash.
Driving down the interstate the main screen went out completely, GPS, radio, controls to temperature for the back. Back up camera works and it shows a Chevy sign. GM dealer states the radio/Onstar module is out completely. This ironically happened immediately after warranty expired.
Shift to Park. Unable to turn the car off even though the car is in park. This was previously fixed in 10/24 and started up in 10/25 a few days after the 1yr warranty. I reached out to the dealership that repaired it in 2024 and was told that I would have to pay for the service as the part is not covered under the powertrain warranty. I reached out to GM for assistance and that was a lost cause. I was told that the repairs will only last 1 to 2 yrs, so this appears that it will be a temporary fix. My car has about 55000 miles on it. To know that I may possibly have to continue to get this fixed, I feel like this should be considered a lemon and they should refund me for the cost of the vehicle or give me another car. GM knows that the Shift to Park is an ongoing issue with this year, make, model and have failed to issue a recall.
431 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 2022–2026. For older model years, see individual year pages.
Traverse Years to Avoid
Best Traverse Years to Buy
Years with fewest complaints and recalls.
Chevrolet Traverse Problems by Year
Frequently Asked Questions — Chevrolet Traverse Reliability
What year Traverse has the most problems?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 499 complaints and 5 safety recalls. See the full 2011 report for specific defects.
Is the Chevrolet Traverse reliable?
The Chevrolet Traverse has accumulated 3,815 owner-filed complaints and 37 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. There have been 2 reported deaths associated with complaints. The 2026 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used Traverse.
What are the most common Traverse problems?
The most frequently cited problem areas are: Air Bags (549 reports), Engine (513 reports), Steering (476 reports), Power Train (413 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.
How do I check if my Traverse has an open recall?
Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
Check a Specific Chevrolet Traverse VIN
Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
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