Metal found in transmission and new transmission needed. 2018 Chevy Traverse
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Traverse years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
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.
What owners actually said
460 reportsI began hearing a rattling noise from my engine area recently. I made an appt with my local Radley Chevrolet dealer. It was noted by the technician that the front exhaust pipe bracket that connects the 2nd front exhaust pipe is broken and tapping against each other causing the noise concern. They listed for me to replace the fro…
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I began hearing a rattling noise from my engine area recently. I made an appt with my local Radley Chevrolet dealer. It was noted by the technician that the front exhaust pipe bracket that connects the 2nd front exhaust pipe is broken and tapping against each other causing the noise concern. They listed for me to replace the front exhaust pipe that goes from under the oil pan to the catalytic converter. Upon researching this issue, this appears to be a known issue for my specific year and make and model. However, upon calling GM they have nothing listed under my specific VIN number. I believe this to be an issue that should be covered under a special coverage or recall given the amount of owners having this same issue.
9t65 auto transmission failed at 115,000 miles. It won't change past 3rd gear, and engine has reduced power. Towed it to the Chevy dealership where we bought it in York SC. They told me it needed a new transmission and it was not covered by any warranty. I then took it to a transmission repair place and was told it needed a …
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9t65 auto transmission failed at 115,000 miles. It won't change past 3rd gear, and engine has reduced power. Towed it to the Chevy dealership where we bought it in York SC. They told me it needed a new transmission and it was not covered by any warranty. I then took it to a transmission repair place and was told it needed a new transmission and the cost was estimated at $7300. I've read lots on the Internet about numerous people having the same issue. There was even a very short term trial program to repair or replace the transmission on some vehicles....had to be low miles and fairly new. Meanwhile, our traverse has been sitting for about a year while I continue to make monthly payments on it.
Issue with my exhaust pipe from catalytic converter code and I seen it has a hole on the exhaust
The vehicle would not shift into park. We were told by the dealer park switch sticking at times.
Catalytic converter going bad and exhaust has broken off from the weld.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 35,532 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that …
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Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 35,532 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 36,986.
When I stopped and ready to park the car, I put transmission to 'P' park position and press button to stop the engine. Even it is in park (P) position, the display shows 'shift to P position' message. I have to restart the engine and change the transmission and put it again 'P' position. Sometimes I had to try few times. I sear…
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When I stopped and ready to park the car, I put transmission to 'P' park position and press button to stop the engine. Even it is in park (P) position, the display shows 'shift to P position' message. I have to restart the engine and change the transmission and put it again 'P' position. Sometimes I had to try few times. I searched the internet and this looks like a common problem, but no recalls on this model.
The E Brake engaged while driving our car, by the time we could safely stop our vehicle, less than a mile, the transmission fluid reached 175 degrees and our vehicle was smoking. We took the traverse to a local service center, they stated this has been a known issue with the make and model of our car. There is a service bulletin…
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The E Brake engaged while driving our car, by the time we could safely stop our vehicle, less than a mile, the transmission fluid reached 175 degrees and our vehicle was smoking. We took the traverse to a local service center, they stated this has been a known issue with the make and model of our car. There is a service bulletin about this issue. The brake actuator is faulty, and allows water to seep into the actuator creating a short to ground the electric park brake actuator.
Every time I turn the vehicle off I get a warning “Shift to Park” but it IS in park. I’ve called the dealership and was told there is no recall or bulletin for my VIN but it is a known issue on other Chevy Traverse’s. The dealership is going to charge me to run diagnostics and repair but since this is a known issue it should b…
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Every time I turn the vehicle off I get a warning “Shift to Park” but it IS in park. I’ve called the dealership and was told there is no recall or bulletin for my VIN but it is a known issue on other Chevy Traverse’s. The dealership is going to charge me to run diagnostics and repair but since this is a known issue it should be a recall.
Official recalls
221V246000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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