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2018 Chevrolet Traverse

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 302.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

186 reports with mileage · 274 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 194 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

Power Train complaints

194 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Lane DeparturePower Train

Hello this particular vehicle often gives us a message stating that side detection is temporarily unavailable and the main issue is the transmission seems to have severe shufdering issues and sometimes gives a shift to park message ive read others having this same issue being recalled but my vin is not listed! The car is availab…

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Hello this particular vehicle often gives us a message stating that side detection is temporarily unavailable and the main issue is the transmission seems to have severe shufdering issues and sometimes gives a shift to park message ive read others having this same issue being recalled but my vin is not listed! The car is available upon request for any inspections necessary

NHTSA ODI #11709038

Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2025
Power TrainUnknown Or Other

Park to shift keeps popping up on dash while driving. Vehicle will not recognise when in park at times to allow vehicle to be shut off properly. The stability track warning pops up on dash now as well. The check emits comes on with codes for all going back to transmission control module system and when replaced spark plugs we fo…

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Park to shift keeps popping up on dash while driving. Vehicle will not recognise when in park at times to allow vehicle to be shut off properly. The stability track warning pops up on dash now as well. The check emits comes on with codes for all going back to transmission control module system and when replaced spark plugs we found that the PCV (cam cvr to turbo) tube was cracked all the way through where the hard plastic meets metal on the part and had to replace it. This is all after multiple failed parts that had to be replaced dealing with the ac unit and it’s lines. Today is the second time in two weeks that the vehicle has been in operational mode in the middle of a foward motion driving at the time. Luckily this time I was in a housing area and not a major street or on the loop 360 when it decided to stop driving while in motion in drive.

NHTSA ODI #11706203

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2025
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

Transmission issues since 85k miles, park to shift sensor error since owned, rear ideoendent suspension bolts were stripped needed alignment. Car has not performed since ownership.

NHTSA ODI #11704842

Mileage unknown · Nov 30, 2025
Power Train

My vehicle has had the issue of putting the car in park and it says it is not it park, have to wiggle the gear shift around for it to recognize that the car is fully in park. Now the transmission will not go in to reverse. The R on the dashboard is blinking. Yes, it is available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11702101

Mileage unknown · Nov 19, 2025
Electrical SystemPower Train

Shift to park errors over multiple years, shutter when accelerating. Now pressure control solenoid code vehicle will not go in reverse or shift out of first gear. Transmission needs replacement. This is my family vehicle, i have 3 small children and it has turned off at stop lights etc. My families safety has been jeopardized m…

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Shift to park errors over multiple years, shutter when accelerating. Now pressure control solenoid code vehicle will not go in reverse or shift out of first gear. Transmission needs replacement. This is my family vehicle, i have 3 small children and it has turned off at stop lights etc. My families safety has been jeopardized many times driving this vehicle, especially the last time in particular. The vehicle stopped engaging in reverse and then in first would accelarate by itself on the way home from my 8 year olds baseball game.

NHTSA ODI #11700250

Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2025
Electrical SystemPower Train

i am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall becaus…

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i am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall because this is a serious safety issue. One if the vehicle does not completely turn off and you are not aware of the issue then your battery can run out. If you are in a urban/remote area which I am no dealerships for about 50 miles away can be a serious problem being stranded on the I 15 freeway. When you put the vehicle in park sometimes it pops out of gear too. There were no previous warnings prior to the shift to park dash indicator. I am not a rich person. My vehicle just has over 72,000 miles. This should be covered by a recall. Please help.

NHTSA ODI #11699692

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 2025
Power Train

Exhaust weld broken (several times) same as “special coverage adjustment n212356540 front exhaust pipe”. This is a well known problem but gm refuses to fix 2018s which has the same exact problem and components. Chevy “fixed” it once and the weld broke a month later. This problem has been happening on and off for years and I am …

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Exhaust weld broken (several times) same as “special coverage adjustment n212356540 front exhaust pipe”. This is a well known problem but gm refuses to fix 2018s which has the same exact problem and components. Chevy “fixed” it once and the weld broke a month later. This problem has been happening on and off for years and I am finally writing to you so that the word gets out. Gm is taking advantage of people

NHTSA ODI #11698787

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2025
Power Train

Vibrations/shaking when driving. Took vehicle to a mechanic and the entire transmission needs to be replaced. I researched online and this is a common issue for the 2018 model. There where several transmission related recalls but my vehicle was not included in any of the recalls.

NHTSA ODI #11695859

121,000 miles · Oct 27, 2025
Power TrainTires

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while in park, there was an alarm beeping. The message “Shift to Park” was displayed. Additionally, the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The local dealer was not contac…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while in park, there was an alarm beeping. The message “Shift to Park” was displayed. Additionally, the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to duplicate the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

NHTSA ODI #11695840

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2025
EnginePower TrainSuspension

For the past few months now my 2018 Chevy Traverse has had a weird shimmy when changing lower gears. Got it looked at and they said one of the 9 clutches are going out and needs to be replaced for a total of $6664.63. After doing my own research, this is a common problem with the 2018 Chevy Traverse after reading all the complai…

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For the past few months now my 2018 Chevy Traverse has had a weird shimmy when changing lower gears. Got it looked at and they said one of the 9 clutches are going out and needs to be replaced for a total of $6664.63. After doing my own research, this is a common problem with the 2018 Chevy Traverse after reading all the complaints on Social Media and a few Chevy enthusiasts websites. I’ve called the dealership and they refuse to help out at all with the pricing or do anything without a recall issued. If I’d had to calculate the amount of cars effected that already had work done and cars that haven’t had work done yet due to the insane cost, I’d say at least 30-40% of these vehicles have these issues right now that people know about or have already had fixed. The transmission place I sent our vehicle to said he does work on all these Chevys constantly with the same issue. I tried to call corporate and they gave me this site to go ahead and log a safety concern about this problem because it truly is a safety concern. The constant shim and rough feel when switching between lower gears makes it difficult when needing to pull out into traffic unless your lucky enough to get no traffic in your lane. I’ve also noted the start stop problem when it starts back up at a red light it sometimes has issues shifting in between 2nd, 3rd, & 4th gear like it doesn’t want to do it in that order. Feels more like it wants to skip 2nd and 3rd gear which may be fine but it definitely has a shimmy/ grinding feeling. Not sure if the transmission clutch can cause all these problems but after witnessing these issues, I’m definitely rethinking purchasing Silverado 2500’s for my family owned plumbing business. Thank you and hopefully this helps.

NHTSA ODI #11694922

Official recalls

2

21V246000 · Air Bags:critical Fasteners

Apr 8, 2021

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 29, 2020

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.