Complaint volume
452 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Chevrolet Traverse Complaints
452 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, grouped by component category.
452 Total complaints
9 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
3 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 9 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 3 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 186 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 69,149 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, unknown or other, electrical system?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Chevrolet Traverse?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse complaints?
9 Crash
2 Fire
3 Injury
0 Fatality
11 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Traverse complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 114
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 56
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21
ENGINE 20
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 15
SERVICE BRAKES 14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9
452 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | "SHIFT TO PARK" WHEN CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The driver information display indicates the vehicle is not in park when it is shifted in park and engine is turned off. A warning chime goes off and will not stop until the button on the shifter is flipped multiple times. I talked to the service manager and he indicated that many vehicles are showing this fault. The entire shifter assembly would have to be replaced to fix the issue. There is a microswitch on the assembly that is the cause of the problem. My concern is this false indicator could lead to a safety issue for drivers who don't understand the issue. Also why isn't a recall issued by GM since many vehicles have displayed this problem. My other concern is the daytime driving light is intermittent on this vehicle but what else is next to fail electrically. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The vehicles dashboard lit up with a service emergency brake, and then the brakes locked up while the car was in motion on the roadway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When I turn off the vehicle, there is an audible dinging that does not stop and a message "shift to park" on the screen. This warning and message does not stop and therefore would run down the battery if left. I googled a solution before taking to the dealership and it turns out, this is a common failing in many Chevy vehicles. It is a small part located in the shift control, literally a 1 inch strip of flexible metal, that isn't making a good connection to a sensor. Chevy should fix this or replace for free since it is clearly a defect, but instead service departments charge a diagnostic fee ($169) and I was told it would be a $777 fix on top of the fee. With the "shop fees" it would cost $1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the vehicle experienced rough idling while starting. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty EVAP purge solenoid valve. The dealer replaced the EVAP purge solenoid valve. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 69,000 |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | When in park, a warning alerts “shift to park” and doesn’t stop. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to the park position the message "shift to park" had displayed and the vehicle could not be turned off. After wiggling the shifter the engine eventually was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the shifter assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The shifter assembly was replaced and the failure was remedied but eventually, the failure reoccurred. the vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 10,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Aug 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The right rear outside signal light assembly is defective. Shoddy workmanship allowed moisture into the assembly shorting out the LED lighting. The signal, including 4-emergency light stopped functioning. The entire assembly must be replaced. There is not simply a light bulb to change. The replacement cost of over $500 will cause people to not change the assembly thus prolonging the operation of the vehicle in an unsafe manner. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | SEAT BELTS | Middle row bench middle seat belt won’t stay latched in and the seatbelt has been taken in for service to repair locked middle row middle seat belt. Hazard and unsafe for passengers in vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, the message Shift to Park was displayed and the instrument cluster displayed that the transmission was in neutral(N). The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact was unable to park the vehicle successfully after several attempts. The contact drove back to his residence where he attempted to park the vehicle again. The vehicle registered that the gear shifter was in park(P) after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the shifter assembly was replaced under GMC Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-NA-206. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure occurred a second time. The contact was unable to turn off vehicle. The vehicle remained on until the battery was drained. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that he was concerned for his family’s safety as the repairs failed to fix the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,000 |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | When I shift into park, the car does not recognize that the car is in park and the car will not turn off. I had this issue after only about 2 years of owning the brand new vehicle. I contacted General Motors, and since my mileage was out of warranty limits they would not fix it. I took it to a dealer and had to fix it. Now about two years later I’m having the same issue. The car doesn’t recognize that it is in shift and will not turn off fully. It is dangerous because the car won’t fully shut off. And since it is an electronic issue there’s nothing the driver can do to change it. Clearly it is faulty and something like this shouldn’t have to be replaced twice in 4 years. The only people who have inspected it are the mechanics at the Chevrolet dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Attempted to park vehicle in level parking lot. Vehicle appeared to go into Park. Driver Information Center indicated that vehicle was not in Park and provided warning bells. When exiting the vehicle was providing warning more warning sounds and would not stop. Vehicle was in Park, but would have run warnings until battery discharge. Tried cycling vehicle, contacted On-Star and began troubleshooting with them. I was unable to resolve with them and GM support. Took to dealership and after troubleshooting was resolved by following steps in TSB 19-NA-206 which was performed outside of any warranty coverage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Front Axle broke while driving on a busy highway, police and tow truck was called. Police blocked highway while I waited for the tow truck. Truck was towed to Bill Stasek Chevrolet in Wheeling IL. Truck was serviced about three weeks prior at Bill Stasek Chevrolet. No service lights were present at the time of incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission seems to be slipping causing the vehicle to jerk or stutter while accelerating. When accelerating the vehicle will stutter while trying to shift causing temporary loss of propulsion. While reversing and shifting into drive the vehicle may continue in reverse momentarily until the drive gear kicks in. The vehicle is going in for service next week. No lights, warnings or messages are on. There are tons of other complaints online about the same issue involving many different vehicles. The only real safety risk is when trying to merge onto a highway and temporarily losing acceleration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | Rough starting engine, close to stall while idle and stopped on-road. Check engine light activated. 2016 and 2017 model years of Chevrolet Traverse vehicles were recalled for this exact issue. This condition was covered in: Special Coverage Adjustment N192210240 Evaporative Emissions Purge Valve Replacement. Our experience shows that this recall may not have covered the entirety of this issue. It is ironic that we experienced this exact same problem in a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The GM dealership charged us >$300 to repair. The recall covering the immediately previous model year extended warranty and offered free replacement. I am reaching out to NHSTA to make them aware of the issue with the Purge Valve in the 2018 model year Traverse. I contacted GM and they were not able to help, other than stating the original recall did not cover 2018 model years. We believe that it should also cover the 2018 model year based on our experience. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The exhaust manifold is cracked and leaking and the weld on the front exhaust pipe is broken. When using auto start the cabin fills with exhaust fume smell | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN | When it shifts gears (especially I believe first and second gear around 18-19mph and then 27-30mph speed range) vehicle shuddering, shaking like it is driven in a bumpy road. When you accelerate it drives okay. It does the same thing always. There are no warning messages appear on the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I have a 2018 Chevy Traverse that has been running strange lately. The engine seems to run rough hesitating and stalls. Today 4/4/2022 my check engine light came on with code P0496. I turned off engine and attempted to start again. It made a horrible noise like it was struggling to start and the engine revel’s up like the gas pedal was stuck out it wasn’t. I immediately turned car off because it sounded like it was going to explode. I looked it up and seems that 2015-2017 Chevy Traverse has a recall for Evaporative Emissions Purge Valve Replacement but my vin doesn’t show it. My car was manufactured in 2017. Will this qualify to be fixed under recall? It’s a cheap part and appears to be a simple fix, | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the vehicle off while parked, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that a message was displayed on the instrument panel to shift into park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 77,000 |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Shifter doesn't recognize its in park once car is in park and turned off (some cars cannot turn off ) cars cannot be locked. The car continues to ding. The shift assembly has to be replaced. Looking at the internet this has been going on for years. My vehicle is a 2018 Premier traverse with 50,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Shifter doesn't recognize its in park once car is in park and turned off (some cars cannot turn off ) cars cannot be locked. The car continues to ding. The shift assembly has to be replaced. Looking at the internet this has been going on for years. My vehicle is a 2018 redline traverse with 11,000 miles. I had to layover $400 and I purchased an extended warranty! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while parked or stopped at a traffic light, after releasing the brake pedal the vehicle failed to move. The contact had to wait approximately twenty to thirty minutes and restart the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| Jan 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 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 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 warranty at I have to pay for it out of pocket. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE 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 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |