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2018 Chevrolet Traverse

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 302.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

186 reports with mileage · 274 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 194 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

Engine complaints

84 reports
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63,000 miles · Oct 1, 2025
Engine

The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the customer noticed a huge oil leak on the ground where the vehicle had been parked. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed w…

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The contact called on behalf of a customer who owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the customer noticed a huge oil leak on the ground where the vehicle had been parked. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a failed low-pressure oil sensor. The contact stated that the low-pressure sensor had separated. The customer was informed that the low-pressure oil sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact stated that it was the second similar vehicle that was recently repaired for the same failure, with low mileage on the vehicles. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

NHTSA ODI #11690733

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2025
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

My car has twice been fixed with this shift to park message and now it is in the shop once again to be fixed!! And this has also had the torque converter fixed twice now. And it is still doing the same issues. This needs to be something that Chevy is replacing. I am a single mother and can’t afford all these problems and yet I k…

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My car has twice been fixed with this shift to park message and now it is in the shop once again to be fixed!! And this has also had the torque converter fixed twice now. And it is still doing the same issues. This needs to be something that Chevy is replacing. I am a single mother and can’t afford all these problems and yet I keep having to make a car payment and get these things fixed.

NHTSA ODI #11690670

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2025
EngineUnknown Or Other

My 2018 Chevy traverse has a shift to park warning that continues to come on. It makes the vehicle not lock or park and you have to wait till it goes off. Sometimes it takes restarting the car and turning it off again before it will turn off. this seems to be a known problem when you look it up that 2018-2019 traverse are experi…

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My 2018 Chevy traverse has a shift to park warning that continues to come on. It makes the vehicle not lock or park and you have to wait till it goes off. Sometimes it takes restarting the car and turning it off again before it will turn off. this seems to be a known problem when you look it up that 2018-2019 traverse are experiencing this. This should be a national recall for those years specifically.

NHTSA ODI #11690496

Mileage unknown · Sep 28, 2025
EnginePower Train

MAF sensor went bad on my 18 to traverse. I was told not to change the sensor that it was the manifold. Two days later I'm being told that my transmission is bad. I am in process now if getting it rebuilt. Needless to say I'm out a lot of money.

NHTSA ODI #11690189

Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

The vehicle has a design flaw which causes a bracket which connects the 2 pipes which connect to the catalytic converter to fail. Once the bracket has failed, the rear catalytic converter is allowed to vibrate more than designed, adding extra stress to the catalytic converter. Over time, this additional stress causes the catalyt…

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The vehicle has a design flaw which causes a bracket which connects the 2 pipes which connect to the catalytic converter to fail. Once the bracket has failed, the rear catalytic converter is allowed to vibrate more than designed, adding extra stress to the catalytic converter. Over time, this additional stress causes the catalytic converter to fail, releasing harmful gases directly from the engine exhaust manifold with carbon monoxide and other harmful gases into the air and into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This is a know issue that GM has recalled on the 2019 (recall N212356540) and 2021 (recall N222385510) model year Traverse. Other years may have also been recalled that I am not aware of. For some reason, GM has neglected to take ownership of this issue on the 2018 Traverse which shares the same design as both the 2019 and 2021 model years. I have gone to the dealership and contact Chevrolet's customer service multiple times and they refuse to reimburse me for the cost of the necessary repairs. I have already purchased the broken and necessary, ancillary components and repaired the vehicle myself because I did not want to pay the dealership over $2000 in labor which they quoted me.

NHTSA ODI #11680527

Mileage unknown · Jul 5, 2025
EngineUnknown Or Other

Engine light- shifting rough, steering wheel shakes. I took it in to get checked, they replaced something for the emissions. Then told I need a twerk converter. Another place didn’t recommend that & I was told needs a new transmission. I have only had my vehicle 4 years and have kept it well maintenanced.

NHTSA ODI #11671378

108,316 miles · Jun 30, 2025
EngineExterior Lighting

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while his daughter driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop at a traffic light, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the hazard lights were also inop…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while his daughter driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop at a traffic light, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the hazard lights were also inoperable. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 108,316.

NHTSA ODI #11670254

Mileage unknown · Jun 2, 2025
Engine

I have an exhaust issue with my 2018 Traverse that a Chevrolet/GM refuses to cover. I am getting check engine light that points to a leaking exhaust. The cause for these concerns could be a broken or poor weld with lack of penetration on the Bank 2 exhaust flex pipe bracket. It's a known GM issue on the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, …

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I have an exhaust issue with my 2018 Traverse that a Chevrolet/GM refuses to cover. I am getting check engine light that points to a leaking exhaust. The cause for these concerns could be a broken or poor weld with lack of penetration on the Bank 2 exhaust flex pipe bracket. It's a known GM issue on the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 models. GM has a safety bulletin PIP5681 and PIP5681A for this issue. N222385510 is the number for the 2021 recall. The dealership said it will not cover the repair because my vin has no associated recall. GM allowed the repair of the 2020 under the same recall number. This should be covered under Exhaust Warranty.

NHTSA ODI #11664309

Mileage unknown · May 31, 2025
Engine

Metal found in transmission and new transmission needed. 2018 Chevy Traverse

NHTSA ODI #11664093

Mileage unknown · Apr 16, 2025
EnginePower Train

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 a…

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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)

NHTSA ODI #11655010

Official recalls

2

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.

20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 29, 2020

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.