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2021 Chevrolet Traverse

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse are lower than the model-year median of 302.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 15 of 89 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

22 reports
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Mileage unknown · May 6, 2026
Electrical System

Alternator fail before 60,000 miles. Had the car almost 3 years and children in it. Apparently a known common issue yet no recall it’s not a reliable car

NHTSA ODI #11736069

75,000 miles · Nov 4, 2025
Electrical System

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 49,000. It was later discovered, after checking the Carfax report, that the mileage was 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11697456

Mileage unknown · Oct 5, 2025
Electrical System

Received a "Service Battery Charging System" dash warning message driving down the highway. Made it home and changed the battery but the issue persists and I can't drive the car. Reading online many complaints/problems with alternator and electrical premature failures. Car is a little more than 4 years old and has only 23,600…

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Received a "Service Battery Charging System" dash warning message driving down the highway. Made it home and changed the battery but the issue persists and I can't drive the car. Reading online many complaints/problems with alternator and electrical premature failures. Car is a little more than 4 years old and has only 23,600 miles. Getting the car to the Chevy dealer tomorrow to diagnose problem and fix. If car were to stall out at highway speeds it could be very dangerous. This problem should receive further investigation by NHTSA. Shouldn't have electrical failures on cars with 23,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11691507

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Radio went blank unable to access screen. Not sure reason. Upon start up couldn’t access any parts of radio. Couldn’t reset and issue still current as of today.

NHTSA ODI #11690062

Mileage unknown · Sep 3, 2025
Electrical System

MY ALTERNATOR WENT OUT AT 40K MILES IT WAS REPLACED AND NOW WENT OUT AGAIN AT 75K. I HAVE GONE THRU 7 BATTERIES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW. THE CAR DIED ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF IN INTERSECTION AFTER GETTING THE NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY REPLACED 3 WEEKS AGO. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!!!!

NHTSA ODI #11684656

20,000 miles · Aug 25, 2025
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. The contact lost power steering functionality and was unable to move over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mecha…

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The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. The contact lost power steering functionality and was unable to move over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the alternator was replaced. The contact stated that it was the second time that the alternator was replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jump-started, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery. Most recently, the vehicle failed to start, and the contact was unable to open the doors. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI #11682997

Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2025
Electrical System

On [XXX], Onstar did an Auto Unlock on my car. After the car was opened, the entire radio panel didn’t work. On June 13th, Bob Johnson replaced the Onstar telecommunications module. Only the radio worked with the screen black for a couple of minutes. Then it stopped working. They stated that they ordered the part, but every tim…

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On [XXX], Onstar did an Auto Unlock on my car. After the car was opened, the entire radio panel didn’t work. On June 13th, Bob Johnson replaced the Onstar telecommunications module. Only the radio worked with the screen black for a couple of minutes. Then it stopped working. They stated that they ordered the part, but every time I call, they haven’t. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11678708

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and h…

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Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and has caused battery drain and confusion about whether the car is fully secured. This issue is clearly known by GM, as evidenced by a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #19-NA-206 and others). It affects multiple model years and has prompted a class action lawsuit. Despite the widespread nature of this defect, GM has not issued a recall. I believe this issue presents a safety concern, particularly for drivers unaware that the car may not fully power down, and due to the potential for battery drain and immobilization. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether a recall is warranted

NHTSA ODI #11657646

Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2025
Electrical System

The vehicle does not recognize when the vehicle is shifted to park. It states “shift to park” when the vehicle is already shifted to park. When this happens and the push to start button is pressed to shut the vehicle off, the vehicle will not shut off which becomes a major issue as the car continues to run and the vehicle’s ba…

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The vehicle does not recognize when the vehicle is shifted to park. It states “shift to park” when the vehicle is already shifted to park. When this happens and the push to start button is pressed to shut the vehicle off, the vehicle will not shut off which becomes a major issue as the car continues to run and the vehicle’s battery will die since the vehicle will not fully shut off. This is a safety hazard because the vehicle can end up with a dead battery when this happens. I’ve looked this issue up online and it is a common issue that Chevy has failed to address.

NHTSA ODI #11653342

Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2025
Electrical System

My car came up with an alert message when I started the vehicle, "Service Battery Charging System Vehicle May Stall". I assumed using my remote start had somehow drained my battery or that the cold weather (30 degrees) was affecting my battery. I began driving hoping the battery would charge once running. Another alert came up, …

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My car came up with an alert message when I started the vehicle, "Service Battery Charging System Vehicle May Stall". I assumed using my remote start had somehow drained my battery or that the cold weather (30 degrees) was affecting my battery. I began driving hoping the battery would charge once running. Another alert came up, "Battery Saver Active". The alerts repeated again. In less than 10 miles from where I first started, I made it to a Les Schwab where I asked them to check my battery. The guy ran out and said my battery had more juice not running. They told me to take it to service repair shop close by. I began driving to the nearest shop and my car jerked/stopped/died, the steering was locked up and I lost complete control of the vehicle but luckily I was not far out of the Les Schwab parking lot and was able to coast into another parking area. I had to have my car towed to the repair shop where they told me it would cost $1,600 to replace the alternator, I luckily have a Platinum Extended Warranty and it appears to be covered. I am so thankful that I was not on a highway at the time and that I took the alert seriously and responded immediately. My 14 year old was in the car with me and it really scared her that the car jerked and stopped. The amount of time I had from receiving the alert to a dead battery was very short. This should not happen and I'm so glad that I was driving versus an up and coming driver (turns 15 next week) that would not have known what to do. I've done my research and this issue has been mentioned in several chats regarding owners experiences for Traverses' around the 30,000 mile mark, my car is at 40,000 miles and was serviced at 30,000. I'm honestly not sure I can ever trust my vehicle after this experience. Others have said that they fixed the issue only to have it happen again.

NHTSA ODI #11638368

Official recalls

3

22V210000 · Air Bags:side/window:curtain

Mar 31, 2022

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles. The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Roof rail air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212352140.

21V817000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 18, 2021

Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Traverse wheelchair accessible vehicles with Power In-floor Ramp conversion. The screw and clip that hold the inner wheel-well plastic shroud in place may chafe against the transmission case, possibly resulting in a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A transmission fluid leak can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the screw and clip, and inspect for signs of contact with the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.

21V472000 · Air Bags:sensor:frontal Impact

Jun 24, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave vehicles. During service by dealers, certain vehicles may have received incorrect air bag calibration software that may affect frontal airbag deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the air bag calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N212340220.

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.