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2021 Chevrolet Traverse

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse are lower than the model-year median of 302.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 15 of 89 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

89 reports
Mileage unknown · May 7, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Vehicle with less than 50000 miles has 2 broken flex pipes on the exhaust system that is going to cost me $1,932.66. This should be a warranty recall and GM should allow you to take it to a mechanic of your choice for repairs as the dealerships cannot give you a fair time frame to repair.

NHTSA ODI #11659485

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and h…

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Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and has caused battery drain and confusion about whether the car is fully secured. This issue is clearly known by GM, as evidenced by a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #19-NA-206 and others). It affects multiple model years and has prompted a class action lawsuit. Despite the widespread nature of this defect, GM has not issued a recall. I believe this issue presents a safety concern, particularly for drivers unaware that the car may not fully power down, and due to the potential for battery drain and immobilization. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether a recall is warranted

NHTSA ODI #11657646

Mileage unknown · Apr 24, 2025
Power Train

Car was late shifting into gear. Taken to dealership and replaced tourque cpnverters for 3800. Car gets fluids checked 4,000 miles later transmition is shot fue to leak from gasket on transmition...

NHTSA ODI #11656598

Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2025
Electrical System

The vehicle does not recognize when the vehicle is shifted to park. It states “shift to park” when the vehicle is already shifted to park. When this happens and the push to start button is pressed to shut the vehicle off, the vehicle will not shut off which becomes a major issue as the car continues to run and the vehicle’s ba…

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The vehicle does not recognize when the vehicle is shifted to park. It states “shift to park” when the vehicle is already shifted to park. When this happens and the push to start button is pressed to shut the vehicle off, the vehicle will not shut off which becomes a major issue as the car continues to run and the vehicle’s battery will die since the vehicle will not fully shut off. This is a safety hazard because the vehicle can end up with a dead battery when this happens. I’ve looked this issue up online and it is a common issue that Chevy has failed to address.

NHTSA ODI #11653342

Mileage unknown · Mar 10, 2025
Fuel/propulsion System

1. DRIVER SIDE EXHAUST FLEX PIPE BRAKET 2. Exhaust leak 3. Yes. It has been replicated and diagnosed. 4. No engine light. There was a rattling and increased exhaust noise. A hole in the exhaust pipe at the bracket location was found. 5. This condition seems to be a common problem with this year and make which I am now having to …

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1. DRIVER SIDE EXHAUST FLEX PIPE BRAKET 2. Exhaust leak 3. Yes. It has been replicated and diagnosed. 4. No engine light. There was a rattling and increased exhaust noise. A hole in the exhaust pipe at the bracket location was found. 5. This condition seems to be a common problem with this year and make which I am now having to pay $600 to repair.

NHTSA ODI #11647427

Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2025
Electrical System

My car came up with an alert message when I started the vehicle, "Service Battery Charging System Vehicle May Stall". I assumed using my remote start had somehow drained my battery or that the cold weather (30 degrees) was affecting my battery. I began driving hoping the battery would charge once running. Another alert came up, …

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My car came up with an alert message when I started the vehicle, "Service Battery Charging System Vehicle May Stall". I assumed using my remote start had somehow drained my battery or that the cold weather (30 degrees) was affecting my battery. I began driving hoping the battery would charge once running. Another alert came up, "Battery Saver Active". The alerts repeated again. In less than 10 miles from where I first started, I made it to a Les Schwab where I asked them to check my battery. The guy ran out and said my battery had more juice not running. They told me to take it to service repair shop close by. I began driving to the nearest shop and my car jerked/stopped/died, the steering was locked up and I lost complete control of the vehicle but luckily I was not far out of the Les Schwab parking lot and was able to coast into another parking area. I had to have my car towed to the repair shop where they told me it would cost $1,600 to replace the alternator, I luckily have a Platinum Extended Warranty and it appears to be covered. I am so thankful that I was not on a highway at the time and that I took the alert seriously and responded immediately. My 14 year old was in the car with me and it really scared her that the car jerked and stopped. The amount of time I had from receiving the alert to a dead battery was very short. This should not happen and I'm so glad that I was driving versus an up and coming driver (turns 15 next week) that would not have known what to do. I've done my research and this issue has been mentioned in several chats regarding owners experiences for Traverses' around the 30,000 mile mark, my car is at 40,000 miles and was serviced at 30,000. I'm honestly not sure I can ever trust my vehicle after this experience. Others have said that they fixed the issue only to have it happen again.

NHTSA ODI #11638368

Mileage unknown · Jan 21, 2025
Electrical SystemPower TrainSteering

The battery wasn't being charged which caused some problems. However, it was the alternator that was bad. Since the battery wasn't being charged and the alternator was failing, there were problems with steering and engine power which almost caused a collision at highway speeds.

NHTSA ODI #11637348

Mileage unknown · Jan 16, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Around 8-19-24 I started noticing liquid on my garage floor. It had a slight oil consistency to it. I brought it in to a local auto shop who inspected it and confirmed the radiator was leaking randomly. There was no visible damage to it and no reason it should have started leaking when only 3.5 years old and only had 53k miles o…

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Around 8-19-24 I started noticing liquid on my garage floor. It had a slight oil consistency to it. I brought it in to a local auto shop who inspected it and confirmed the radiator was leaking randomly. There was no visible damage to it and no reason it should have started leaking when only 3.5 years old and only had 53k miles on it. No indicators of any kind prior to the leaking starting either. It started leaking a little bit one day and each day it started leaking progressively more.

NHTSA ODI #11636361

Mileage unknown · Dec 20, 2024
Seat Belts

My front passenger seat belt has started to not latch. I have to push the button and insert the seatbelt in order for it to latch. Sometimes it will release on it’s own.

NHTSA ODI #11631717

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 2024
Electrical System

3 times in 5 days, 2021Traverse completely shut off. 2 of those times were in a busy intersection. I couldn’t even turn my flashers on and had to manually unlock my door to get out. Fortunately the third time was in my driveway. I called AAA to tow it to dealer. This is a severe safety issue and hopefully will be covered un…

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3 times in 5 days, 2021Traverse completely shut off. 2 of those times were in a busy intersection. I couldn’t even turn my flashers on and had to manually unlock my door to get out. Fortunately the third time was in my driveway. I called AAA to tow it to dealer. This is a severe safety issue and hopefully will be covered under my warranty and the extended bumper to bumper warranty.

NHTSA ODI #11624477

Official recalls

3

22V210000 · Air Bags:side/window:curtain

Mar 31, 2022

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles. The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Roof rail air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212352140.

21V817000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 18, 2021

Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Traverse wheelchair accessible vehicles with Power In-floor Ramp conversion. The screw and clip that hold the inner wheel-well plastic shroud in place may chafe against the transmission case, possibly resulting in a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A transmission fluid leak can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the screw and clip, and inspect for signs of contact with the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.

21V472000 · Air Bags:sensor:frontal Impact

Jun 24, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave vehicles. During service by dealers, certain vehicles may have received incorrect air bag calibration software that may affect frontal airbag deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the air bag calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N212340220.

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.