10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,237 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #17

Feb 182021

Traverse

  • 163,000 miles
Was driving fine and all of a sudden with no warning car would not go faster than 15 mph. Check engine light came on then traction control went off. Across the dash it said "service traction control, service stabilitrack and reduced engine power" the car started shifting between 2 different gears making it extremely scary to try driving to a safe spot with 3 young kids.

- Las Cruces, NM, USA

problem #16

May 092019

Traverse

  • 121,000 miles
Loss of power while driving.. traction control off warning indicator. Very dangerous when this happens at highway speeds and all of a sudden you go from 70 mph to 30 mph and almost get rear ended by other vehicles. See this for exactly what happens: Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=hbvaoiixnxy

- Shawnee, KS, USA

problem #15

May 142019

Traverse

  • 150,000 miles
Stability trac, and traction control. Slowing down speed and car turning off. In motion on city street, passing by expressway.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #14

Aug 022017

Traverse

  • 223,444 miles
In motion on highway uphill the stability track, reduce engine power went on. Suddenly lost power from 70mph to barely 40 mph. Immediately had to pull over on highway emergency lane. Serviced 3 times and problem continues. Very unsafe as the engine looses power. I have had tmc replace, connector replaced, throttle body replace. Big issue everyone is having!! this problem has been going on for over 3 years. Problem gets "fixed" and months later it comes back. Fustrating and has cost lots of $$$$ we don't have to spare. Please view link. [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Kyle, TX, USA

problem #13

Jun 202016

Traverse

  • miles
Takata recall...when im driving my steering wheel seems to lock up...and it also cause a bad shaking.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #12

Mar 182016

Traverse

  • 99,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving 65 mph with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle began to increase to 110 mph without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. In order to decrease speed, the contact shifted the gear into neutral. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

- Gatesville, TX, USA

problem #11

Aug 042015

Traverse

  • 93,000 miles
While driving down the highway, my 2009 Chevrolet Traverse suddenly lost power. I was unable to accelerate and had to pull over onto the shoulder. The traction control light came on and a message on the display read service stabilitrak. This has happened 3 times since the original incident. I have been researching online and this appears to be a pretty common problem among other Chevrolet Traverse owners. This is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed with GM.

- Waxahachie, TX, USA

problem #10

Apr 212015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 103,000 miles
My wife was driving our kids to school when she stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, she realized the car would not move in forward or reverse. I am grateful this happened while she was stopped, however, this is a major safety concern if car is on the highway considering that the probable cause of this is the 35R wave plate within the transmission. Chevy knows there is a possible problem with this, and has issued an extended warranty on this piece, however, this piece is causing more problems than it should.

- Wichita Falls, TX, USA

problem #9

Nov 042014

Traverse

  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving approximately 55 mph, the engine, traction control, and stabilitrak warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle decreased independently to 15 mph. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #8

Nov 022011

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
As we were driving along an on ramp to a highway as we reached 55mph the vehicle was sluggish and would "pull" constantly as we tried to accelerate all the way until we reached 65-70 mph. This started happening more and more frequently even while driving at lower speeds on city streets. Again getting that "pulling" or "bucking" sensation as we tried to accelerate. We took the vehicle to the dealership and they returned it stating they found no error codes and could not duplicate the problem. After another month of the same thing happening almost daily on every commute we took the vehicle in again to the dealership. This time they were able to duplicate the "issue" and said the cause of this problem was the motor mounts which they replaced. This made absolutely no sense and sure enough the vehicle still has the same issue to this very day. 2nd issue is the steering going completely out as you make turns going at slower speeds such as making a left hand turn or turning in to a parking space. As I started making a turn in to a parking space I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car next to the empty space I was trying to go into because it felt like the "power steering" went out and could not turn the wheel at all. We have taken the vehicle to the dealership and power steering fluid and pump are working "fine" according to mechanics. I can not believe there has not been a recall on this issue since many Traverse owners have the same problem which is a major safety concern especially when we are talking about not being able to control a vehicle going around 25-30 mph in a parking lot or making turns in front of oncoming traffic (left turns). Please help with these issues.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #7

Nov 132012

Traverse

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, she attempted to accelerate in order to merge onto the highway however, the accelerator pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard as the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact mentioned that in order to stop the vehicle she had to engage the brakes and shift into neutral. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 59,000.

- Merced, CA, USA

problem #6

Jan 092012

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 20,602 miles
2009 Chevrolet Traverse. Consumer states unintended acceleration the consumer stated as she was driving her son's vehicle, she accelerated to move to the left lane, when all of a sudden she had no control of the vehicle's speed. She attempted to brake, but to no avail. When she gradually removed her foot from the brake, the vehicle accelerated to 80 mph. The consumer put the hazards on and placed both feet on the brake as she tried to hold down the speed. Finally, after two miles of riding the brakes, she was able to exit on the ramp and put the vehicle in neutral and then in park where the RPM's finally went down. The vehicle was inspected and stayed at the dealer for three weeks. However, they were unable to find a problem.

- Oakdale, MN, USA

problem #5

May 142010

Traverse 6-cyl

  • miles
1st. My wife was pulling out of a parking spot and had to stop quickly, then when she proceeded to leave again by letting off the brake - the car rolled forward on a slight incline and hit the car parked next to her. When she removed her foot to the gas - nothing she could do to prevent this incident. 2nd. While in the drive position on a hill at a stop sign or traffic signal, I removed my foot from the brake. The vehicle began to roll back almost hitting the vehicle behind me. We further tested the vehicle on various hills/inclines both in drive and reverse and it continued to roll in the opposite direction of the engaged gear. Apparently, this is a characteristic of the automatic transmission on this vehicle, the service consultant at courtesy Chevrolet of orlando, said this is a flaw in the power train and theirs no known fix. He advised us not to drive it to the mountains if it were him. Since our SUV is for my vacations and primary use, we are very concerned for our safety. We can't afford another vehicle since we had saved up for the down payment for this car. I saw there are a lot of complains of the same case, it was mentioned until someone dies and/or the family files a lawsuit - no recall or action will be done to fix this! please help in address this issue. I set up a facebook page to address this concern: www.facebook.com/chevytraversedeathtrap.

- Apopka, FL, USA

problem #4

Feb 142011

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 24,536 miles
My 2009 Traverse accelerates when it wants to. The RPM are going nuts but the truck is slowing down when you give it gas it does nothing for one or two seconds. Extra passengers and there weight make it even worse. Chevy dealer is baffled. Problem still unsolved. I think that if I keep driving it this way it's going to lead to bigger problems. Chevy should just recall all Traverses with this same problem.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

problem #3

Dec 102010

Traverse

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph the vehicle started to independently accelerate. While depressing the brake pedal the vehicle slowed down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who checked and replaced the front brake shoes and rotors. The repair was covered under the warranty. The first failure happened approximately two months ago and recurred on December 9, 2010. The contact refused to drive the vehicle again. The dealer was not notified a second time. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Farmington Hills, MI, USA

problem #2

Jun 072010

Traverse

  • 17,450 miles
I own a 2009 Traverse that was taken to the garage for what appears to be a hesitation in acceleration. Engine sort of sputters. In a straight acceleration and when in turns. The garage said that this is a common "trait" in the Traverses computer but that it is not an issue or defect. They say that they can "refresh the computer" but that I would "lose 2mpg" when they do it. One tech even said "this is sort of like the Toyota issue". to me (a computer systems engineer) it sounds like the computer has a bug in it and needs fixed or replaced. The thought of losing 2mpg in a SUV is not very desirable but I cannot believe that this engine hesitation is not causing damage to the engine itself. How is this not a potential safety issue if I am trying to avoid a vehicle? my Chevy dealer said that they would call corporate but that "it would take several days". I notice that you already have one complaint re: A 2010 Chevy Traverse. This is clearly a potential safety issue!!

- Burlington, NJ, USA

problem #1

Aug 062009

Traverse

  • 4,000 miles
Since I bought my car, I've had problems with acceleration and deceleration be very erratic. It seems to shift down and up at the wrong times. It's very inconsistent as I travel the same route each day to work, I never know what it's going to do. Sometimes it lurches ahead and the RPM's are all over the place, and downshifts when it really shouldn't. I've taken it in for repair, they put the latest computer chip in it, which maybe helped a little. Still for the most part it's the worst car I've ever driven-as a passenger it feels like the driver is either using the accelerator or brake way too often, when in fact, the driver is just trying to provide a smooth acceleration or braking, but the car has a mind of it's own.

- Barre, VT, USA