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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 And Engine Cooling complaints

16 reports
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98,000 miles · Feb 2, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, there were exhaust fumes entering the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic was notified of a failure with the exhaust manifold. The local…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, there were exhaust fumes entering the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic was notified of a failure with the exhaust manifold. The local dealer was contacted and informed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the exhaust manifold weld needed to be re-welded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI #11714978

182,000 miles · Sep 26, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be repl…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was previously replaced for the same failure. Additionally, after shifting to park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. After several attempts, the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failures, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 182,000.

NHTSA ODI #11689894

151,000 miles · Sep 18, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was making an abnormally loud sound that became louder over time. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust system needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was making an abnormally loud sound that became louder over time. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust system needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust system needed to be replaced and provided the contact an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

NHTSA ODI #11688078

55,000 miles · Aug 6, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a rattling and squeaking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic, who informed the contact that the exhaust manifold bracket had failed and needed to be replaced along with a sec…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a rattling and squeaking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic, who informed the contact that the exhaust manifold bracket had failed and needed to be replaced along with a section of the exhaust system. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was not covered under the manufacturer's extended coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

NHTSA ODI #11678838

65,000 miles · Dec 16, 2024
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel 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 back…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11630946

88,835 miles · Dec 6, 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 cab…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11629203

139,136 miles · Nov 5, 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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11623641

92,000 miles · Jul 17, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an extremely loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter, observing that the cata…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an extremely loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter, observing that the catalytic converter had detached from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred two additional times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 92,000.

NHTSA ODI #11603024

80,000 miles · Jul 15, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to sound like a lawnmower. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catalytic converter and failed flex pipe failures. The contact was in…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to sound like a lawnmower. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catalytic converter and failed flex pipe failures. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter and the flex pipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and discovered the Manufacturer's Communication Number: 212356540; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was not eligible for repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11602291

50,000 miles · Jun 4, 2024
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel 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 manu…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11592421

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.