2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Complaints

Third instance of failure on this vehicle. Vehicle does not recognize that gear selector is in Park. "SHIFT TO PARK" warning is displayed when shift selector is firmly in Park.

The gear shifter in my vehicle consistently fails to lock into “Park.” Whenever I place the car in “Park,” a message appears on the dashboard stating, “Shift to Park,” which prevents me from turning off the vehicle. It takes multiple attempts to get the shifter to lock into place and for the message to disappear. This issue is not only frustrating but also poses a potential safety hazard, as the vehicle does not reliably indicate that it is in “Park.”

The issue is with the Traverse Stabilitrak system. The Stabilitrak system controls, includes traction control, emergency brakes, tire monitoring, etc. as I understand it. The Stabilitrak lights has been intermittently coming on for several months. I took the truck to the manufacture and was charged over $1,700.00 to fix the problem. After the repairs, I picked up the vehicle and within three miles of the dealership the issue manifested itself again. The Stabiltrak system light usually indicates as the vehicle waits at a traffic light, and just as I accelerate for the signal change. The vehicle frequently stalls at that point, creating a rear end hazard, and a dangerous situation for me and other commuters. Upon returning the vehicle to the dealership, they claimed not to be able to identify the issue, that they initially charged me over $1,700.00 to fix. The said they could not recreate the problem, although it is a persistent problem that occurs within minutes of the vehicle operation.

After I purchased the vehicle in 2021 I noticed there was a shuddering feeling when accelerating at speeds below 40mph. I found the service bulletin and the dealership flushed the transmission fluid and reprogrammed the transmission. Issue seemed to be resolved, but on 11/4/24 I was pulling my car out of a parking lot after being parked 4 hours and when shifting from park to drive the car lurched forward and made a loud clunking sound. There were no lights on so I drove onto the highway and shortly after the check engine light came on and I could not accelerate above 50 mph. I limped the car to a nearby dealership and they indicated that the transmission was shot and needed to be rebuilt or replaced. It is currently in the shop waiting to be rebuilt. The total cost is around $5,500. Between both transmission incidents I also had an issue with the shift to park and service stabilitrak warning lights. That was fixed before warranty expired, but I am now out of warranty and need to pay out of pocket. Called Chevrolet corporate and was told they'd look into offering financial relief but still haven't heard back from them despite the case being escalated. This is a known issue and is a risk to driver safety. There should be a recall and all expenses should be reimbursed!

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH, there was an abnormal thumping sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the contact noticed a smoky smell in the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the exhaust system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,136.

Transmission issues :hard shifts, shift delays , hesitation upon acceleration, trouble on reverse gear. Engine issues: grinding noises , ticking noises ,check engine light turning on, loss of power engine Vibrating in steering wheel when braking.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the shift gear was shifted to park, however, the contact stated that the vehicle did not turn off as intended. The contact stated that when turning the engine off, a warning light illuminated indicating shift to park instead. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle did not turn off. The contact stated that the failure began a year ago, however the failure has become persistent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Had my traverse for two years, second owner. When I received the car, it had to immediately go into the shop as they couldn’t figure out why all sorts of dash lights where coming on. My car was at the dealership for three weeks and ultimately they replaced the chip, stating that was the issue. Two months down the road, I get the shift to park error message starting. Fast forward to 4 months ago when the stability error message starts to intermittently come on and off. 30 days ago I got the first of the service charging system message and the battery saver mode. My car shut itself down while I was doing 55 miles per hour on a back country road. Every lthing locked up and I had to force a turn to get out of traffic. It was determined my battery was good but alternator was bad. Checked fuses just to be safe all were good. Replaced the alternator with a new one. As of today, I am not able to drive my vehicle because of this same issue. This time I went ahead and replaced the battery and nothing has changed. They are saying it’s my alternator AGAIN. How is this possible that all of us 2018 traverse drivers are experiencing the exact same malfunctions in order and now we have to repeatedly replace the alternator? There is no way 1000s more of traverse owners are all buying “bad” alternators. Something is going on with this and these vehicles are not safe to drive. I can’t even trade mine in because my credit is shot. I pay way too much for this car to not be able to reliably and safely transport my kids to and from school.

Incident Description: On 10/2/2024, I discovered a critical failure in the rear suspension of my 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The rear left control arm had completely rusted through and detached from the vehicle frame. This occurred unexpectedly while my family was backing the vehicle into the driveway from my garage. Had this failure happened while driving, it could have resulted in a catastrophic loss of control, leading to a severe accident with potential for serious injury or fatality to my family and others. This incident raises serious concerns about the safety of 2018 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The premature and sudden failure of a critical suspension component due to rust suggests a potential defect in the materials, anti-corrosion treatment, or design of the control arm. This could pose a significant safety risk to all owners of this vehicle model. I have taken detailed photographs of the failed control arm and the affected area of the vehicle frame, clearly showing the extent of the rust and corrosion. General Motors has issued a safety recall (N212346640) for certain vehicles due to a defect in the rear suspension toe links. These vehicles may have received improper electrocoating corrosion protection, making the toe links susceptible to premature rust and fracture. This could lead to a loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash. The similarity of this recall to the failure I experienced with the rear left control arm onmy 2018 Chevrolet Traverse suggests a potential pattern of corrosion-related suspension component failures in General Motors vehicles.   This recall demonstrates that General Motors has acknowledged and addressed similar corrosion-related defects in other vehicles. It supports my concern that the control arm failure on my Traverse may also stem from a manufacturing defect and warrants a thorough investigation by the NHTSA.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park(P), the message “Shift to Park” was displayed even thought the vehicle was in park(P). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,900.