Engine. Review the 204 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Steering. Review the 165 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 103 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports4 fire reports15 injury reports

What owners actually said

608 reports

11,500 miles · Aug 12, 2014

Electrical SystemEngineSteering

SERPENTINE BELT SHREDDED, WATER PUMP, BATTERY AND POWER STEERING FAILED TWICE, ONCE IN 2012 AND ONCE IN 2013. SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED AGAIN IN 2013 BECAUSE IT WAS DAMAGED BY A STONE. *TR CURRENTLY HAVE LAWSUIT AGAINST GM TO REPLACE THE CAR FOR SAFETY REASONS. THEY ARE DRAGGING THEIR FEET. LAWSUIT GOING ON OVER A YEAR.

NHTSA ODI #10621623

63,700 miles · Aug 11, 2014

Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,700.

NHTSA ODI #10621462

Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2014

Traction Control System

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2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL FEATURES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN DECREASING ACCELERATION, APPROACHING A CURVE OR STOP SIGN, THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE SKID WITH THE FRONT WHEELS ACTUALLY LOCKING UP. ALSO, WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKE, WHEN HE APPROACHED A CURVE OR STOP SIGN, THE ABS OVER-REACTED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO A SKID. BOTH INCIDENTS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON SNOW COVERED ROADS. WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, HE WENT THOUGH THE STOP SIN AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH WHEN GOING AROUND TWO MODERATE CURVES AT SLOW SPEED. THE CONSUMER READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND DISCOVERED THE TRACTION CONTROL COULD BE TURNED OFF BY FLIPPING A SWITCH. AFTER DOING SO, THE VEHICLE PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY WITH SLIPPERY CONDITIONS AND CONTINUED TO DO SO AS LONG AS THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS TURNED OFF. THE PROBLEM WAS AMPLIFIED BY THE FACT, THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS AUTOMATICALLY ON WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED.

NHTSA ODI #10619598

40,000 miles · Aug 1, 2014

Seat Belts

I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR THE SEAT BELT RECALL. THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED, LEAVING QUESTIONS. HOW DOES REMOVING THE SLEEVE ON THE SEAT BELT AND REPLACING IT WITH SHRINK WRAP PLASTIC MAKE THIS SAFER? THERE IS NOW NOTHING TO PREVENT THE SEAT BELT CABLE FROM RUBBING ON THE SIDES OF THE NOW HOLE WHERE THE SLEEVE WAS. NOT TO MENTION TH…

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NHTSA ODI #10618265

67,000 miles · Jul 31, 2014

Electrical SystemSteering

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ON FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014, MY 2011 CHEVY TRAVERSE STALLED/SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED OUT OF A LOCAL GAS STATION AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY THE CAR BEGAN TO STALL/SHUTDOWN. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER (FORTUNATELY THERE WAS ONE). I TURNED THE AC UNIT AND RADIO OFF. I STARTED THE CAR WITHOUT ANY NOISE. I DROVE APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE, TURNED THE AC BACK ON AND THE CAR STALLED/SHUTDOWN ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME AS THE CAR WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. TO SAY THE LEAST, I WAS EXTREMELY DISTRAUGHT AS THE CAR LOST POWER AND STEERING. FORTUNATELY, (FOR MY FAMILY AND CHEVY), THERE WERE NO CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE AC UNIT AND WANTS TO CHARGE ME ALMOST $2,000 TO FIX! THE AC UNIT WAS "FIXED" BACK IN JUNE 2013 WHILE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. IT IS NO LONGER COVERED BY WARRANTY. MY ISSUE IS THAT THE CAR STALLED/SHUT DOWN. A CAR SHUTTING DOWN AT ANY SPEED IS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. TRAVELING AT 35 MPH CREATES AN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF THE AC UNIT CAN STALL A VEHICLE THEN THIS HAS TO BE AN INHERENT DESIGN/PRODUCTION ISSUE. THERE IS NO ACCEPTABLE WAY THAT AN AC UNIT CAN FAIL AND THUS CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN PUTTING PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER. HOPEFULLY, MY INCIDENT REPORT WILL PREVENT ANY FUTURE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS FROM OCCURRING, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PROTECT PEOPLE'S LIVES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10617905

121,000 miles · Jul 29, 2014

Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000. UPDATED 09/15/14*LJ

NHTSA ODI #10617271

60,000 miles · Jul 21, 2014

Steering

WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A STOP, STEERING ASSIST WAS LOST. ASSIST RETURNED AFTER SHUTTING OFF VEHICLE AND RESTARTING. THE FIRST DAY, IT HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS BUT DURING SUBSEQUENT DAYS, FREQUENCY OF LOSS OF ASSIST INCREASED UNTIL IT HAPPENS ON NEARLY EVERY STOP. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, STEERING EFFORT INCREASES MAKING VEHICLE CO…

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NHTSA ODI #10614920

38,000 miles · Jul 19, 2014

Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineService Brakes

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VEHICLE WAS 2011 CHEVY TRAVERSE W/ AWD WITH HISTORY (FOUR INSTANCES) OF ENGINE OIL LEAKS/REQUIRING ENGINE REMOVAL AND REINSTALL. VEHICLE WAS ON INTERSTATE WHEN AWD/VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHTS WENT ON. DIC INDICATED 'SERVICE STABILTRACK', 'SERVICE AWD' AND 'AWD DISABLED'. AT THAT TIME, VEHICLE WAS 'CHUGGING' BUT SHORTLY AFTER CHUGGING GOT MUCH WORSE TO THE EXTENT THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT ACCELERATE OR MAINTAIN SPEED AT CRUISE, OR WITHOUT CRUISE UP NORMAL HILLS ON AN INTERSTATE. WHEN GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED FURTHER, RPM/SPEED WOULD INCREASE BUT THEN DROP SHARPLY (500-1000RPM) MULTIPLE TIMES AND NO FURTHER POWER COULD BE APPLIED. VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 50MPH AT THE TOP OF A HILL. HAPPENED FOR THE NEXT 15-20 MILES UNTIL IT COULD BE PULLED OVER. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN ONCE RIGHT AFTER ORIGINAL OCCURRENCE, ALL THREE LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF AT POINT AND VEHICLE DROVE NORMALLY AFTER THAT. SERVICE CENTER INDICATED A WHEEL CENSOR (FRONT RIGHT) WAS READING DEFECTIVE INFORMATION. THEY CLEANED 'DUST' FROM THE SENSOR. HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES/RESULTS. SERVICE CENTER INDICATED WHEEL SENSOR WAS BAD, THEY REPLACED (AT MY COST) AND HAD NO FURTHER INSTANCES FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS. SIMILAR SITUATION HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY (7/19/2014, CONDITIONS AND RESULTS). HOWEVER, THE ENGINE CHUGGING WAS MUCH WORSE AND VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY ON THE INTERSTATE, WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OR MAINTAIN SAFE INTERSTATE SPEED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10614739

83,988 miles · Jul 14, 2014

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Traction Control System

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JUNE 2014. WAS DRIVING ON CITY EXPRESSWAY WHEN SUDDENLY "SERVICE STABILITRACK/TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM OFF" CAME ON. OUR SUV SUDDENLY STARTED LOSING POWER. TOOK TRUCK TO CHEVROLET DEALER SERVICE DEPT. SERVICE PERFORMED. TECH SAID HE FOUND NOTHING WRONG. DID NOTE THAT I HAD OTHER RECALLS PENDING ON VEHICLE. JULY 2014. WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 40 AT 11 P.M. AND WAS 80 MILES FROM HOME. I WAS DRIVING ALONE. SUDDENLY "SERVICE STABILITRACK/TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM OFF" CAME ON. SUV STARTED LOSING POWER. WAS UNABLE TO GET ABOVE 65. AT SOME POINTS RPM WAS HIGH THEN LOSS OF POWER. SUV FELT AS IF IT WAS TRYING TO CUT OFF. HAVE READ IN A FORUM ([XXX]) THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF TRAVERSES. WE PURCHASED THIS SUV TWO YEARS AGO AND REALLY LIKE IT AS IT'S PERFECT FOR ME AS I HAVE TO TRANSPORT MY DISABLED IRAQI WAR VETERAN HUSBAND TO AND FROM HIS VA MEDICALS AND WE TRAVEL THE INTERSTATE A LOT. IS THIS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT GM NEEDS TO ADD TO ITS RECALL? WE LOVE OUR VEHICLE BUT NOW HAVE A SERIOUS CONCERN ABOUT THIS VEHICLE'S SAFETY. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #10610277

72,400 miles · Jul 11, 2014

Air BagsStructureSuspensionCrashInjury

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WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN MY TRAVERSE WAS HIT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BY THE TIRE AND FENDER. THE SIDE AIR BAG OR FRONT AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE THAT HIT MY TRAVERSE HAD AIRBAGS THAT DEPLOYED. MY WIFE WAS 4 MONTHS PREGNANT AND DIDN'T HAVE PROPER PROTECTION OF THE MULTIPLE AIRBAGS THIS VEHICLE HAS. SHE INJURED HER KNEE FROM BANGING INTO THE DASH BOARD AND CAUSED GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE HEALTH OF OUR UNBORN CHILD. THE SAD PART IS NOW WE RECEIVE A LETTER THAT OUR CAR IS PART OF THE RECENT SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG RECALL ON THE CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE REASON WHY IT DIDN'T DEPLOY IN THE ACCIDENT IS BECAUSE OF WIRE ISSUES ON THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10609870

Official recalls

21V246000 · Air Bags:critical Fasteners

Apr 8, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.

15V415000 · Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate

Jun 30, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

14V266000 · Seat Belts

May 20, 2014

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.

14V118000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 17, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

12V151000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

Apr 9, 2012

GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, AND GMC ACADIA VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. SNOW OR ICE BUILDUP ON THE WINDSHIELD OR ON THE WIPER MAY RESTRICT THE MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER ARM, CAUSING THE WIPER ARM TO LOOSEN AND CAUSE THE WIPER TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE WIPER ARM NUTS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2012.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA20002 · Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

Opened Aug 31, 2020 · Closed Aug 30, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts; Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:anchorage

On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The subject vehicles included model year (MY) 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as MY 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14V-266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million vehicles. Special Coverage N192219480, issued in June 2019, addressed the subject defect in vehicles that previously received the recall remedy repair for subject recall 14V-266. The Special Coverage allows for component replacement for 12 years or 180,000 miles from the initial sale date, whichever comes first. Special Coverage N192219480 instructed service technicians to inspect the driver’s seat belt anchor cable for any damage to the protective sleeve and if damage was observed, the cable was replaced with a new sleeve as well as a new closeout piece that relocated the cable to mitigate the subject condition. In view of the Special Coverage conducted by General Motors, the high detectability of the subject failure, and the low rate of occurrence, this Engineering Analysis is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov. Please see the attached document “EA20-002 Detailed Closing Summary” for more a detailed closing resume summary.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Seat Belts:front

Seat Belts

RQ19003 · Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

Opened May 28, 2019 · Closed Aug 31, 2020

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:anchorage; Seat Belts:pretensioner

On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform) vehicles.The remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. ODI has subsequently received four (4) Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQ) reporting anchor cable separations with no apparent warning in covered vehicles after the Recall 14V266 remedy had been applied.ODI opened RQ19-003 to assess the effectiveness of the actions GM took in Recall 14V266 and review the full warranty and complaint data related to seat belt anchor cable separations and replacements. ODI continues to receive occasional cable failure complaints both for the subject vehicles and other GM models and model years that have also been previously recalled addressing this condition.Although the cable separation complaint rate is very low, over the past three years ODI has received two (2) additional VOQ?s citing belt cable separations for Lambda platform vehicles outside the scope of recall 14V266, (11217092, 11118075) and complaints for other GM models covered in a number of similar Safety Recalls:* 15V269, 2011-12 Chevrolet Malibu (11181115, 11288168); * 16V209, 2014-15 Silverado 1500, Sierra 1500 (11254364, 10935183, 10953851, 11025376, 11282043, 11288701, 11309884); and * 16V518 2014-16 Caprice Police Pursuit, SS (10905644, 10990669, 11340893).ODI's review of GM's data confirms the low potential failure rate for the vehicles covered by recall 14V266. However, ODI believes that complainants may not recognize accumulating cable fatigue damage from the visual cues available in routine vehicle use.ODI is upgrading RQ19-003 to an Engineering Analysis to more closely assess seat belt conditions and strength levels in the field. This work will include the collection of seat belt samples from a wider range of recalled and peer vehicles for detailed analysis and testing.The ODI reports (VOQs) associated with this RQ19-003 can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 11144704, 11076704, 11185619, 11151922, 11164011, 10967518, 11113486, 11115648

Additional source detail variants (3)

Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Seat Belts:front

Seat Belts:pretensioner