Complaint volume
437 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
437 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, grouped by component category.
437 Total complaints
9 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
2 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, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 183 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 69,391 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
2 Injury
0 Fatality
11 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Traverse complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 108
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 54
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20
ENGINE 18
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 14
SERVICE BRAKES 14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8
437 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, with the gear shift lever in park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired for the same failure, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 45,800 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2018 Traverse. 70k miles. We purchased it brand new at the end of 2017. On [XXX], we were driving home from Michigan the car sputtered and would not accelerate. We were almost hit by a semi that was driving behind us. We were able to pull into a gas station and put the car in park. While sitting at gas station the car shut off and wouldn't restart. No warning lights came on prior to the vehicle shutting down. We had it towed to our mechanic (VIP Automotive- New Lenox, Illinois). The mechanic went through the car and advised that the engine had seized. All fluid levels were fine, no leaks, all scheduled maintenance completed on time. He found metal chunks- not just shavings- in the oil pan. He said he's never seen anything like this and that the catastrophic engine failure had to be due to a defect in the engine. It ended up costing us almost $6,000 to have another motor installed in the car. I contacted Chevy, and was basically told too bad, and that they would not cover or assist with anything. The car was extremely well maintained and I provided a copy of all service records dating back to 2017 when we purchased the car. There are numerous groups on Facebook that have same/similar complaints on the Chevy Traverse (3.6L V6) and Chevy Trucks/SUVs (6.2L V8). I believe they are aware that there are numerous issues with these vehicles and continue to sell them, despite the risk to consumer safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the purge valve needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The purge valve was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the place of employment. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 84,000 |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after his wife had parked the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off as intended. The contact also stated that the vehicle had failed to start while at a gas station. Additionally, the contact stated that upon shifting from reverse(R) to park(P), the vehicle failed to respond and continued reversing. The contact 's wife depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to Main Street Service Station, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the transmission shifter cable; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall, and he had to pay for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 66,000 |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | For the past 3 years my 2018 Traverse will randomly say shift to park and won't let me turn my vehicle off even though I am in park. In the last week it has gotten worse happening almost every time I drive it and not recognizing that I am in park for anywhere from 2-10 minutes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Truck stuck in shift to park | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I recently had my alternator fixed and the torque converter last year. I was having issues with the battery staying charged, car would jerk, radio, heat and air would shut off and come back on, car would go in reverse although I'm trying to go forward, shift to park warning message when car was in park and there are shortages out something that will connect and disconnect the Bluetooth when I'm on calls via Bluetooth. I picked my car up from Love Chevrolet 1/28/2025. Everything seemed fine but the car still jerked when I would take off at lights, make turns or go up hills. The shift to park message is still happening. When I park the car and turn it off the car makes a sound and the warning pops up. The car lights will not go off when this happens. I have to turn the car off and on or take it out of park a few times for it to stop. I'm afraid to leave the car with that warning on because the doors won't lock and I'm afraid it will roll. Love Chevrolet said they didn't see the error message for it while they were driving but it constantly happens to me. Even when I turn the car on to warm it up it gives me that error message. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Shift to Park issue. Car does not recognize the it is shifted into to Park. Shift to Park warning appears and warning bell. Seems to happen quite often and I have noticed that other years have been recalled for this same issue. Makes it quite difficult to Park and Lock the car. Electrical system stays on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P); however, the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle and left the vehicle running until the battery died. The vehicle needed to be jumpstarted the next day. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: PIT5616 (Vehicle Displays Shift to Park Message On DIC When In Park); however, the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 111,000 |
| Jan 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I own a 2018 Chevy Traverse and have been experiencing an issue with the stabilizer trak. When my vehicle goes in idle, occasionally I am getting an alert to check the stabilizer trak. I have reached out to several mechanics and they have all stated that this is a common problem with the 2018 and 2019 chevy traverse. This is a safety issue with this vehicle and I’m wondering how there is no recall for it with it being a common issue found. This issue caused issues with controlling our vehicles, will Chevrolet take action. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Car will not accelerate fast up hills | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,505. | Crash: No Fire: No | 65,505 |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the emissions purge valve needed to be replaced. The contact did research and was made aware of Technical Service Bulletin Number: N232395300 however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting a vibrating and rattling noise while driving. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated while driving uphill and accelerating, the engine backfired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there was an EVAP leak. The vehicle received an undisclosed repair however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to immediately start-up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed because the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the rattling noise became more prominent. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who diagnosed that a weld had fractured on the exhaust pipe. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 65,000 |
| Dec 2024 | POWER TRAIN | I purchased this vehicle in 2022 of October after about a year. I started noticing the car beginning to jerk back. Also, I noticed that the shift the handle when I would put it into park. It would not stay in park. It kept giving me a beeping noise. It kept slipping. At the time it wasn’t doing is it as much but lately I’ve noticed that it’s been happening more frequently so I took it into a mechanic to have it checked and they said it is a defect on the transmission. when I searched it up under NHTSA website I seen that there was multiple defects for this 2018 Chevy traverse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and shifted to park(P), the shift to park sensor failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked; however, the shift to park(P) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the shift to park sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,479. | Crash: No Fire: No | 116,479 |
| Dec 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The vehicle will not shut off and vehicle information screen states Shift to park. When this happens we have 2 options. 1st to sit and wait for the vehicle to turn off(takes over an hour on average), 2nd Disconnect the negative battery connection. The vehicle shuts down nearly instantly. Then reconnect the battery before being able to use the vehicle again | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that when the vehicle started, the engine made an extremely loud sound and smoke came from the exhaust. The contact stated that the vehicle sounded like a motorcycle. While the contact's wife was driving the vehicle, there were fumes from the exhaust entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that his wife had asthma, and the fumes affected her breathing while driving the vehicle. Additionally, the contact's wife was the main driver of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fractured mid-pipe assembly bracket. The contact was informed that the mid-pipe assembly bracket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was scheduled to be taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under an undisclosed Technical Service Bulletin. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not associated with the Technical Service Bulletin. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,835. | Crash: No Fire: No | 88,835 |
| Nov 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | When I turn my vehicle off it says that it’s not in park when it is and it keeps beeping | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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.” | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN | 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! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | 139,136 |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |