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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while at a complete stop and attempting to come out of auto stop, the vehicle would not automatically restart. The contact stated that once the vehicle restarted the vehicle hesitated. The contact stated while the vehicle was stopped at a stop light the vehicle drifted backwards and stalled. The contact also stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed start. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound as if the engine was about to stall. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts and had the vehicle jumpstarted. The contact then continued to drive, and once stopped again at a stop light the vehicle stalled and would not restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer who diagnosed and replaced the alternator. The contact stated following the alternator repair, the "Battery Charging System Service" message was displayed. The contact stated after clearing the message the "Battery Saver Mode" alert was displayed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and diagnosed with a battery and an unknown sensor failure. The battery and the sensors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the States Attorney General and contact the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 149,000 |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the exhaust and smelled a gasoline odor. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Jun 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Passenger tail light kept getting moisture in it causing it to stop working. Local Dealer,GM,Chevrolet and 3rd party show sold out or discontinued. I have a vehicle I am paying for that I can't drive or risk getting a ticket or rear ended everytime I go to work. Item is on backorder with no date for deliveries to start. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission will not go into reverse. While in drive, the transmission will completely stop, thus jerking the car to a stop. Prior to this, there was difficulty putting into park. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The emergency park brake engaged automatically, and the battery had to be disconnect to reset it. When the vehicle is shifted to park, the dash display says shift to park even though the vehicle has been shifted to park. Have to start and turn off engine, the shift lever back and forth for vehicle display message has been cleared. This has happened more than once | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The shifter or gear selector does not sense when it is in park. So it will not fully let the vehicle power down. Example.... if I park, place the vehicle in position Park, the "P" on the dash is illuminated, the "P" on the center console is illuminated, the doors unlock, but system information screen will continue to alert, ringing, with an alert to place vehicle in Park. This is happening now everyday, sometimes take 10 plus minutes before the car senses it is actually in park. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | 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 shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then firmly shifted into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 84,000 |
| May 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | My drivers side quarter panel taillight has stopped working due to moisture in the light (no visible breakage on light), this was in January. This part is on continuous backorder with no ETA of coming back in stock. The light is an LED and therefore cannot replace just the bulb. I travel for work and drive through large cities and have no left turn signal or brake light which is extremally dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The parking brake came on as I was driving and would not allow me to turn it off. It caused my brakes to smoke and they were radiating heat. It is currently at the shop Kelley Buick GMC Bartow, FL | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Shift to park. Car won’t turn off and me and kids are stuck in car. 2nd vehicle this has happened to. This is very dangerous as my car is stuck on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Shift assembly has failed twice - April 2021 and April 2024. For this latest occurrence (April 2024), the vehicle spontaneosly stops registering when I shift into park. When I shift, the vehicle sends a warning to shift into park. There is a safety concern because I cannot determine whether or not the vehicle is actually in park. The GM dealer has determined that the issue is a faulty shifter switch and harness and a faulty shift knob. The issue occurred and was repaired in April 2021. The issue began occuring again, intermittently, in January 2024. Issue became consistent (inability to shift to park) about March 2024. At the same time, the parking brake/stabilitrak began engaging each time the vehicle stops (e.g., at stop lights, etc), which has caused premature brake wear. In April 2024 the following parts were replaced: Shifter switch (Part #84955381) Harness (Part #84733196) Brake rotors Brake pads | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Shift to Park error occurs everytime I put my car into park. It does not turn off and the vehicle remains on until I jiggle the shifter. This has been "repaired" 2x under warranty. Now that it is out of warranty the manufacturer refuses to cover any of the expenses on this known issue with a bulletin per your website (18-NA-297). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | Shift assembly has failed twice - April 2021 and April 2024. For both occurrences, the vehicle spontaneosly stops registering when I shift into park. When I shift, the vehicle sends a warning to shift into park. There is a safety concern because I cannot determine whether or not the vehicle is actually in park. The GM dealer determined that the issue is a faulty shifter switch and harness and a faulty shift knob. Both were replaced. In April 2021 transmission shifter (part #84698649) and jumper harness (part #84733196) were replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The transmission on my 2018 Chevy Traverse went out per the mechanic that recently inspected it. It was just purchased from a Chevy dealership not even 8 months ago. I first noticed the problem a couple weeks ago when my car hit about 25mph getting on the highway then wouldn’t go any faster as I would try to accelerate speed, then it was jerking and was harshly engaging from time to time. Then it finally felt like someone crashed into the back of my car it jerked so hard and then accelerated but only went up to 40mph and wouldn’t go any faster. It would hit 40 mph and then idol at the speed when you would hit the gas to accelerate. No engine light came on or anything at that time. Then a couple days later the shifter would be put into reverse and then not go in reverse when you hit the gas to go. Having two young kids, my husband told me it wasn’t safe to be driving it at all. We had it towed to a mechanic shop to be inspected since we depend on a car for our job. The mechanic inspected it with a diagnostic code reader as well as looking at the transmission. The overall condition is that the transmission is not working anymore. I have done research and for this specific make, model and year there are tons of recalls for the transmission. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving and just passed a vehicle while accelerating when I heard a pop noise, saw a lot of white smoke through my rear view mirror, had the engine light go on and the vehicle stopped working. I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and placed the vehicle in park followed by turning off the car. A person driving by stopped and advised me my vehicle was on fire under the undercarriage. I popped the hood and the engine was also in flames. I was unable to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and the local fire department and law enforcement agencies helped to put out the fire. The vehicle was a complete loss. If it were not for the passer by person telling me the undercarriage of the vehicle was on fire, not sure if I would have known in time to get out of the vehicle safely. The root of the cause is under investigation by my insurance company. 2018 Chevrolet Traverse LS | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission on this year/make/model has a bad track record as shown by numerous Technical Service Bulletins. Car will repeatedly not shift throughout 9 speed transmission TSB: PIP5546C 17-NA-317 PIP5621D 04-07-30-013E 20-NA-138 06-00-89-031 21-NA-201 PIP5697E 18-NA-298 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My quarter panel taillight has stopped working due to moisture in the light (no visible breakage on light). This part is on continuous backorder with no ETA of coming back in stock. Dealer has ordered part but will not give a loaner car. GM acknowledged backorder but will not give rental reimbursement. I have three children I am to put in this car that does not have a left turn signal or brake light. I feel unsafe driving this car as I may be rear ended but everyone I talk to says they can't do anything. What am I to do. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, an abnormal rattling sound was coming from the vehicle without warning. The contact stated that once the engine had warmed up, the rattling sound turned into a chugging sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the bracket used to hold the exhaust pipes together had rubbed against one of the pipes and formed a hole. The mechanic then explained that if not repaired, the catalytic converter would become damaged. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was made to have a diagnostic test performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 117,600. | Crash: No Fire: No | 117,600 |
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Exhaust cracks out creating a hole and cause’s problems with the catalytic converter. This is exactly the same problem as on the 2019 and up traverse that they have issued repairs on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | It has a leak and having electrical issues. Everything else unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I currently own a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse with 63k miles the had a cracked catalytic converter. The catalytic converter was replaced but the dealer also charged me for a flex pipe replacement which they said was broken too. This is a known issue as per GM's own bulletin #PIP5681, yet they refused to cover the repair in it's entirety. GM is entirely covering this issue in 2018-2021 chevy traverse vehicles, but they are refusing to cover the costs of the flex pipe replacement for approximately $600. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | POWER TRAIN | EROR MESSAGE SHIFT TO PARK AND TRANSMISSION SHUTTER ABOVE 70 MILES PER HOUR. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ENGINE | The exhaust system mount bracket broken allowing exhaust system movement resulting in a cracked catalytic converter . The mount bracket broke due to a poor weld from the part supplier. The repair cost $2404.74 on 6/5/2023 at 33.953 miles . Recently I researched this issue and found GM policy # N212356540 on 2019 Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave with exact same issue with coverage to 150,000 miles. My research also found that many other owners of 2018 Traverse complaining about the exact same issue with very similar costs. This obvious emission item should have been covered. l | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ENGINE | My vehicle was getting a check engine code #P0420, took to my GM dealer for service on [XXX]. RK Chevrolet in Virginia Beach, VA. Was told the error was caused by the mounting bracket on the front exhaust pipe had separated from the pipe, resulting in a hole in the pipe. They replaced the front exhaust pipe (85542639) and 2 pipe gaskets (84135650) as well as the muffler section of the exhaust. GM has issued a special coverage [XXX] on the 2021 Traverse for these exact part numbers, and are replacing at no cost. But if the same part numbers are failing on the 2018 (and probably 2019 and 2020) shouldn't they be covering all models with these parts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The rear catalytic converter has a crack in it which causes exhaust fumes to blow right into the cab of the vehicle. I have called and reported. I asked if there was a recall, chevy said theres no recalls. I stated how bad the fumes are and that when quoted, it is over 2000.00 to repair. I have looked into this and it seems to be a common issue with the Traverse. Muffler shops and regular mechanics refuse to touch this issue and state it has to be taken to a dealership for replacement and repairs. I currently cannot transport my children in the vehicle. I drive 10 miles to work and have a headache all day due to the fumes i injest in the drive to work. By the time i get to work i am very light headed and dizzy. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and taken seriously before any fatalities due to the lack of concern or care from Chevrolet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |