2018 Chevrolet Traverse problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (164) · Service Brakes (29) · Engine (25)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Traverse model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
186 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:critical Fasteners 2021-04-08 · campaign 21V246000 · 108 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-10-29 · campaign 20V668000 · 194,105 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Service bulletins (1,109)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,109 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Wheels · 💥 crash“ i was driving along the jackie robinson parkway when, on a curve, the car braked on its own and crashed into a wall, resulting in the total destruction of the vehicle. my son had to be hospitalized. this car had braked on its own before—at speeds of 10 or 15 mph—but i didn’t think much of it at the time; however, this time we were traveling at 45…”
2026-10-14 · Power Train · 148,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet traverse. while driving at 5–8 mph, the transmission slipped. after coming to a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate for five seconds before jumping forward 3–5 feet. several unknown warning lights briefly illuminated. additionally, the vehicle failed to respond while in reverse(r). the contact expres…”
2026-10-10 · Unknown Or Other“sporadic issues when parking. when pressing the push to start button to turn off when in park, it will not turn off. it displays shift to park. sometimes it appears to happen on unlabeled surfaces. …”
2026-10-01 · Fuel/Propulsion System“first issue-cracked catalytic converter caused leaking carbon monoxide inside vehicle. when i was driving i could smell strong, nauseating fuel smell and would have to drive with windows open to try and get fresh air. took it to local shop for repair which cost $2700. after repair did some research and found special coverage warranty for 2018 trave…”
2026-09-18 · Power Train“for months we have had issues with the known issue of “shift to park” which is a huge potential safety risk to myself, my children, and all of my neighbors who are ever remotely close to the vehicle. no dealer can resolve the known issue for this year/make/model. it has slipped from park to drive once but thankfully i was still in the vehicle. ad…”
2026-09-11 · Unknown Or Other“i am submitting this complaint regarding a complete transmission failure in my 2018 chevrolet traverse (vin 1gnevgkw7jj279077). the vehicle's transmission stopped functioning altogether, resulting in a complete loss of propulsion. the vehicle can no longer be driven and requires repair/towing. a sudden loss of propulsion can create a serious safety…”
2026-09-06 · Power Train“the vehicle will not register that it is in park, when the engine is turned off a beeping noise reads shift to park - you have to start the engine and shut it off multiple times, or slam the shifter into place to get it register in park. this happens constantly and is starting to get old, and annoying. it is listed as a known problem on the forum g…”
2026-09-06 · Power Train“car recently started to jolt when accelerating. noticed it firsthand on the highway while on stop and go traffic. it's been doing it more often now when driving around the city. as soon as you accelerate past 15mph, it starts to jolt. the check engine light is not on. i do see that other 2018 chevy traverse have a recall, but my car (when checking …”
2026-08-30 · Power Train“the vehicle will not register that it is in park, when the engine is turned off a beeping noise reads shift to park - you have to start the engine and shut it off multiple times, or slam the shifter into place to get it register in park. this happens constantly and is starting to get old, and annoying. it is listed as a known problem on the forum …”
2026-08-26 · Unknown Or Other“cracked flex pipe on exhaust system…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.