2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Complaints

AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER. PARKING LOT MANEUVERS, TURNING AT A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT, AND OTHER SLOW SPEED TURNS ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE FOR ME AND ESPECIALLY MY WIFE WHO IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER. I'M NO BODY BUILDER BUT I DO WORKOUT BUT IT IS STILL VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF THE VEHICLE'S TRAVEL AT LOW SPEEDS. THROUGH TRAVERSEFORUM.COM I HAVE LEARNED THAT OTHER TRAVERSE LT AND LTZ DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED OR ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE LS MODELS DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM AS THEY HAVE NO STEERING GEAR VALVE SOLENOID WHICH THE LT AND LTZ MODELS DO HAVE. I HAVE CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID RESERVOIR AND IT IS AT THE PROPER LEVEL. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE WRECKS OR CAUSES A WRECK BECAUSE OF THIS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT STEERING PROBLEM. LUCKILY IT IS ONLY OCCURRING AT LOW SPEEDS. I HAVE ORDERED THIS SOLENOID WHICH IS ON BACKORDER WHICH IMPLIES TO ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. WE ARE HAPPY WITH THIS VEHICLE AND CHEVROLET/GM, HOWEVER, THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GM AS A SAFETY RECALL IN MY OPINION. *TR

THE POWER STEERING DOES NOT WORK I HAVE SEEN ONLINE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, IA LOWER SPEEDS THE POWERING STEERING CUTS OUT NOT I HAVE THE STRENGTH TO TURN THE CAR WITH MUCH EFFORT BUT A WOMAN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE CAR AND IF THEY ARE FACING ONCOMING TRAFFIC SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE HURT THE STEERING ON THE TRAVERSE NEED TO BE FIXED A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE FOR SAFETY REASONS. *TR

WHEN BACKING AND TURNING OUT OF PARKING SPACE, A LOUD CRUNCH NOISE WAS HEARD AND A PIECE OF METAL WAS FOUND TO HAVE FALLEN FROM VEHICLE. THE METAL WAS THE SWAYBAR END LINK BRACKET AND BALL STUD WHICH HAD BROKEN OFF OF THE STRUT ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. INSPECTION OF THE PART REVEALED THAT TWO OF THE THREE FACTORY WELDS HOLDING THE BRACKET TO THE MAIN TUBE OF THE STRUT WERE FAULTY. WELD BEAD WAS PRESENT BUT NOT AT THE PROPER LOCATION TO ATTACH THE BRACKET. THIS WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE STRUT AND THERE IS ONE OTHER COMPLAINT OF AN IDENTICAL ISSUE. *TR

WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING STALL, I COULD HEAR LOUD BANGING COMING FROM THE STEERING COMPONENT (BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL) BROUGHT VEHICLE IN TO GMC DEALER IN MERCED, CA AND SERVICE ADVISOR STATED IT WAS THE RACK AND PINION STEERING THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. STATED THE REPAIR WAS $1400.00. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR RECALL ON WATER PUMP FOUND OUT THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING OIL ON THE LEFT SIDE (THAT WILL BE COVERED UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY) WATER PUMP COVERED BY RECALL THAT WILL BE COVERED. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINT OF THE SAME COMPONENT FAILURE. WHEN IS THE GOVERNMENT GOING TO MAKE GMC LLC REAL ON THIS ISSUE!!!!! PS THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL AT APPROX 50,000 MILES AND COMPLAINED TO NHTSA AND GMC LLC ON THAT ISSUE ALSO. GOING TO USE THE 1400 BUCK TO BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE. JUST HOPE THE NEXT PERSON GETTING THIS VEHICLE DOESN'T GET INJURED. *TR

MAKING SLOW SPEED LEFT HAND TURN STEERING WOULD STIFFEN AND START BUCKING, WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY AND NOW ON A REGULAR BASIS; TOOK VEH TO DEALER AND WAS ADVISED BEARING ISSUE WOULD COST AROUND $900 FOR PART AND WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE FROM THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM IF RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT ACCEPTED AND ISSUE CORRECTED. WOULD BE CHEAPER TO ACCEPT THAN FACE ALL THE WRONGFUL DEATH/INJURY LAWSUITS; *TR

STEERING STARTED TO VERY SLUGGISH WHEN MAKING A SLOW TURN (PARKING, TURN TO DRIVEWAY ETC.) SOME LOW NOISE DEVELOPED AND A LOUD SQUEAKING IN THE STEERING COLUMN FOLLOWED. LOUD ENOUGH TO MAKE PASSENGERS ASK ABOUT IT. WENT TO DEALER AND ASKED IF THEY HAD A FIX. WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE OIL IN THE POWER STEERING REMOVED AND UNIT CLEANED, AND NEW OIL ADDED...........PRICE QUOTE WAS +-$ 230.00. ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL AS THIS SEEMED A LITTLE STRANGE, WAS TOLD NO ! SO I ASKED IF THIS WAS A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM? WAS TOLD NO! THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD RETURN ALMOST AT ONCE. ASKED IF THIS WAS IN ANYWAY DANGEROUS? GOT A NO COMMENT. AM NOW WAITING A CALL FROM DEALER AFTER TELLING SERVICE MG. THAT I HAD MIS-GIVINGS ABOUT LETTING MY WIFE DRIVE AS HE HAD MENTIONED THE POSSIBLE FAILURE OF THE UNIT. TO SAY NOTHING OF THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF ANY RESALE VALUE. *TR

SINCE MID-'10, OUR '09 TRAVERSE HAS HAD ISSUES WITH THE POWER STEERING. WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST SURFACED, IT WAS PRIMARILY LIMITED TO SHARP TURNS INTO PARKING SPACES. THE STEERING WOULD SEIZE AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO TURN INTO THE SPOT. WE TOOK THE TRAVERSE TO THE DEALER IN 10/10 WHEN THE MILEAGE WAS 21,129. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS AN "INTERNAL STEERING GEAR FAILURE (BINDING). THE POWER STEERING GEAR WAS REPLACED AND THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM BLED. THE PROBLEM SEEMED BETTER. THE SEIZING OCCURRED MUCH LESS. HOWEVER, IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS WE NOTICED A RAPID DECLINE. NOW THE PROBLEM HAS SURFACED WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND TRYING TO MAKE A TURN (LEFT OR RIGHT) ONTO ANOTHER ROAD/DRIVEWAY/ETC. THE WHEEL SEIZES SO MUCH THAT MY HUSBAND IS ALMOST INCAPABLE OF TURNING THE WHEEL. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER ON 5/22/13 WHEN THE MILEAGE WAS 61,287. THIS TIME THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS "STEERING GEAR LEAKING". THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT BECAUSE THE PROBLEM WAS NOT PROPERLY ADDRESSED BACK IN OCTOBER 2010 (WHEN IT WAS COVERED), THEY WOULD DO US A FAVOR AND COVER IT AT A PRO-RATED AMOUNT. THE REPAIR (REPLACING THE POWER STEERING GEAR FOR A SECOND TIME AND BLEEDING THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM) ONLY COST US $456 OUT OF POCKET. TWO DAYS LATER THE PROBLEM RESURFACED, AND EVEN WORSE THAN BEFORE. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE CAR ANYMORE, OUT OF FEAR THAT I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN THE WHEEL IF THE PROBLEM OCCURS. I FEAR FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY WHEN WE ARE RIDING IN IT. WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS FRIDAY. HOPEFULLY THIS TIME IT WILL BE REPAIRED. I AM NOT OPTIMISTIC. IT IS INEXCUSABLE THAT THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE YET. THIS WEBSITE, AND SEVERAL OTHERS, REVEAL THAT HUNDREDS -- IF NOT THOUSANDS -- OF VEHICLE OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

I WAS TOLD AT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS SLIGHTLY LEAKING AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED IN THE FUTURE. IT ALSO KNOCKS WHEN EVER I TURN AT SLOW SPEED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,000. *TR

AT SLOWER SPEEDS, DRIVER PERIODICALLY UNABLE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. NEVER HAPPENED ABOVE 40 MPH, BUT GOT MORE AND MORE FREQUENT OVER ONE MONTH PERIOD OF TIME. WAS MOST FREQUENT WHEN TURNING INTO PARKING SPOTS OR WHEN MAKING SHARPER TURN AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS WAS NOT A CASE OF OVERSTEERING. *TR