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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

What owners actually said

460 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 14, 2022
Power Train

Transmission fails at low speeds (school zones) reengages once stopped. Possible rear end collision due to defect. It’s been happening since the vehicle was new and it’s been repaired numerous times by the dealer to no avail

NHTSA ODI #11447510

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2022
Power Train

My 2018 Chevy Traverse started to have a "shift to park" issue at 49,000 miles. I can not turn the car off because the vehicle states that it is not in park. I have to sometimes literally sit in the vehicle for 10-15 minutes waiting for the car to agree that its in park. Very dangerous. Dealer says it is not covered under warra…

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My 2018 Chevy Traverse started to have a "shift to park" issue at 49,000 miles. I can not turn the car off because the vehicle states that it is not in park. I have to sometimes literally sit in the vehicle for 10-15 minutes waiting for the car to agree that its in park. Very dangerous. Dealer says it is not covered under warranty at I have to pay for it out of pocket.

NHTSA ODI #11446976

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2022
Electrical SystemService Brakes

On January 9, 2022 I was unable to release the parking brake. When I turned the car on, an alert popped up saying “service parking brake”. When I tried to release the parking brake, it would not release. It still made the sound as if it was trying to release but the parking brake was still engaged. I turned the car off and went …

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On January 9, 2022 I was unable to release the parking brake. When I turned the car on, an alert popped up saying “service parking brake”. When I tried to release the parking brake, it would not release. It still made the sound as if it was trying to release but the parking brake was still engaged. I turned the car off and went back into my house for 10 minutes and then came out to try it again. Again, when I turned on the car, it said “service parking brake”. I tried to disengage the parking brake and it wouldn’t release. I pulled the button up as if I was setting the parking brake and pushed it down to release 3 times, with no change. On the 4th try, the parking brake disengaged. I received an email from OnStar Notifications informing me of the issue and directing me to take it to a service center. (Pic of email attached) This component has not been inspected by anyone. I would be willing to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. This issue compromises safety because I have to set my parking brake, as I park on an incline and my truck rolls back a little each time I put it in park, or release the parking brake. It would be dangerous to leave my truck parked without the parking brake, but I can’t have my truck stuck with the parking brake on when I need to leave.

NHTSA ODI #11446809

Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2022
Power Train

Even though the car was shifted to "park" there was an "action needed" message saying shift the car to park. The lights and radio stayed on as well as the Warning bells indicating something needed attention. Even after repeatedly restarting the car and aggressively shaking the shift mechanism, I couldn't get the car to turn off.…

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Even though the car was shifted to "park" there was an "action needed" message saying shift the car to park. The lights and radio stayed on as well as the Warning bells indicating something needed attention. Even after repeatedly restarting the car and aggressively shaking the shift mechanism, I couldn't get the car to turn off. I wasn't able to lock the car doors. I went inside the grocery store and shopped. The car was still "on" when I returned. I was afraid I would run the battery down as everything was still on. I drove home (9-10 miles) and parked in the garage. After switching off the ignition (yellow light still on), I still got the action needed message and the radio, lights were still on. I went inside and returned 20 minutes later and the car was off. This is the fourth time I've had this problem.

NHTSA ODI #11446313

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2021
Electrical SystemPower Train

Electrical ground problem affecting transmission control is evident by a Shift to Park warning that displays on the driver information center and prevents vehicle from being turned off. GM has this problem so we’ll documented that a TSB exists and is on file with NHTSA. The inability to turn off the vehicle when this is enco…

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Electrical ground problem affecting transmission control is evident by a Shift to Park warning that displays on the driver information center and prevents vehicle from being turned off. GM has this problem so we’ll documented that a TSB exists and is on file with NHTSA. The inability to turn off the vehicle when this is encountered is a significant safety issue. We paid out of pocket to have the fix recommended in the TSB applied to our vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11445732

Mileage unknown · Dec 15, 2021
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

When driving on a right hand curve with traffic in the opposite direction lane, the forward collision warning system flashed a large red warning flash on the instrument panel near the speedometer. This was alarming and caused me to put on the brakes immediately, although there was no impending crash. This cause the cars behind…

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When driving on a right hand curve with traffic in the opposite direction lane, the forward collision warning system flashed a large red warning flash on the instrument panel near the speedometer. This was alarming and caused me to put on the brakes immediately, although there was no impending crash. This cause the cars behind me to take evasive action and apply their brakes in an emergency fashion and almost cause several collisions. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11443922

Mileage unknown · Dec 15, 2021
Electrical SystemPower Train

Shift to Park message displays on the Driver Information Center (DIC) when the vehicle has been shifted to Park and the ignition has been turned to the Off position. This causes alarm chimes to go off when door is opened and the battery to drain.

NHTSA ODI #11443920

Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2021
Power Train

Vehicle does not turn off...gives a "Shift To Park" notification even though the vehicle is in park. Play with the shifter and sometimes it will turn off. Restart engine and turn off again sometimes helps but usually has to be done multiple times. If left as is the issue will drain the battery. Cannot leave vehicle in this c…

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Vehicle does not turn off...gives a "Shift To Park" notification even though the vehicle is in park. Play with the shifter and sometimes it will turn off. Restart engine and turn off again sometimes helps but usually has to be done multiple times. If left as is the issue will drain the battery. Cannot leave vehicle in this condition. Late for appointments. Reported issue to dealership on day the 36 mo. warranty was up and they said not in and diagnosed. This is a known issue from multiple Traverse owners yet the car was not in the shop and diagnosed. Issue began 2/27/21 and was reported to dealer 3/1/21 first available open time of dealership service department. The want $207.xx to fix the problem...if the fix helps.

NHTSA ODI #11443139

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2021
Electrical System

When the vehicle is in park the “shift to park” error comes up on the dash board and the car can not be turned off. This appears to be a common issue and a recall needs to happen.

NHTSA ODI #11437371

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2021
Power Train

Car getting stuck in Shift to Park

NHTSA ODI #11436379

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.