general problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse - part 1

While driving home smoke began to fill up my vehicle. I noticed it was coming up out of the floorboard where the battery is located as well smoke was billowing from the arm rest. I rushed home before anything else could have went wrong while in traffic barely able to see through the dangerous ploom of smoke.

Power lift gate quit holding. It raise up then snaps back down and hits you in the head.

Check engine light keeps coming on and off. The code is p0008 for timing chain.

The vehicle is making a noise when starting, pressing on the gas and when turning to the left or right. After checking the specific code p0017, and diagnostics from dealer its was the timing chain, steering gear and pump assemblies are the issue with my 2011 chevy Traverse. Looked up the warranties still applicable for this vehicle, special coverage 14582 (throttle, timing chain etc. ), 14329 (power steering) and special coverage n192219480 (seatbelt pretensioner).

The rear support for lift of door failed- vehicle was stationary the driver side windshield wiper failed - vehicle was in motion on highway a/c blows freon through vents- stationary, in motion- has been in shop 3 times condenser, a/c lines have been replaced- still does not hold freon for long.

My truck seems to always brake down from the ac there is alwasy this hissing niose and I have ready a lot of other complaints on the ac also not working the freon does not last very long and I take it with a specialist and they tell me there are no leaks. I an very fruatrated already because I have 5 kids and my kids are always complaining of how hot ita gets in the back seats.

Takata recall, I was driving my car down an interstate and the coolant had leaked out and overheated my car I have done had each hose and housing and the thermostat and the reservoir take replaced in it about 2 months ago. It's is now doing the same thing again it started again while I was on a highway.

This is toward Chevrolet and any other vehicle makers that require excessive use of dealerships for minor maintenance. I have commuted 40 miles daily for 18 years, I have previously owned Ford vehicles and had no issues with doing minor repairs myself. With my chevy vehicle I have to take it into the dealership or repair shop to change a simple headlight because of the greedy design of the vehicle. They did this on purpose so they could make more money at the dealership after sales. In the past when I drove fords if my headlight went home I would stop a couple blocks from my work and pop one in. I stopped on exit ramps and added a new one many timed, keeping a extra in my glove box like a prepared driver. With my Traverse I have go in and have the tire taken off and the wheel wheel plastic off to change the headlight. This is completely unsafe and ridiculous. I've complained to chevy without a response. This needs to change to save lives. It is very dangerous for long commuters. Imagine being on vacation and having to spend a day of it at a dealership getting your headlight changed for $125. 00. We live in mn and frequently have to change bulbs due to --60 degree wind chills. It's impossible to keep up with, and should be illegal. When you spend $30k-50k on a vehicle it should be safe and easy to maintain safety. Don't even get me started on having to pull out the flooring of the 2nd row to change a battery.

Out of no where my air bag lights came on. The sensor in the passenger seat isnt detecting weight and stays off all the time now, also my service airbag light is on for the driver as well. I am also having power steering issues as well. My power steering fluid is full, no leaks but the steering is hard to turn. Had the steering pump checked and was told nothing was wrong with it. My last issue is with the speakers they cut in and cut out all the time and nine times out of ten I only have my tweeters for sound. Very disappointed with chevy right now.

While the vehicle is stationary or being driven the traction control turns off, the stabilizer goes out, and the engine power reduces. I was on the highway and I lost power going from 65 mph down to 25-30 mph. I had to pull over and shut off the car, waited for 15 minutes and started driving again. I hadn't gone far and all the warnings came up again and power was reduced. While driving in town the same thing happens and I can be going 25 mph and the power goes down to 10 mph. Warning lights say traction 'control off, stabilizer off, engine power reduced. All of this happens while the vehicle is stationary or being driven!!!.

I am having problems with freon remaining in my car. It has been flushed and tested several times for inconsistencies and there seems to be none. Please help me with this problem.

Approximately 2 weeks ago after hitting a very small pot hole I noticed a loud noise when I would turn the steering wheel to the right only 3 days after that it's still to right and never to the left but does make some noise straight. Called our dealer for an appointment but it's going to be a while 5-15 and they checked and no recalls are on our car but I've read numerous safety issues about these vehicles. Last week while it was raining I noticed my car felt like it was sliding or skating once again called dealer was told still can't help any sooner. Now today while windy and raining it was awful literally a fight to keep it in the road it was swaying and most definitely did not feel safe. Myself and my husband have 3 sons and he works for the state of ky forestry dept. Fighting wildfires and works a lot and is sometimes out of state for 21-40 days straight so he's not here much to check things out. Our boys are all into sports and other after school programs year round with lots of traveling involved. My concern is from all the suspension issues I've read that there was a recall on my car but says 0 which doesn't seem right. I wanna be sure that my family will be safe when in this vehicle and as if right now it sure doesn't feel like it. Please help me find more info because hitting a pot hole (very small bump zero damage) shouldn't cause all these problems requiring my family to have to spend a ton of money to fix. This isn't good business and I would hope Chevrolet would care if the safety of a whole family would be in jeporady over something that shouldn't be wrong with my vehicle that by the way only has 79000 miles on it. Hope someone gets in contact with me thanks have a great day.

I started my SUV and put it in reverse to back out of my driveway. Upon trying to turn, noticed my steering wheel was completely locked up. Tried braking so I wouldn't roll into the street with my children. Brakes were extremely resistant and hard to press down. I then put it into drive to try to get out of the street and my gas pedal was not working. I was unable to move forward, unable to steer, and barely able to brake. Turned off the vehicle. Tried again 2 minutes later, same problem persisted. Turned off vehicle and exited while car was in the middle of my neighborhood street. 15 minutes later the issues seemed to no longer be a problem and I was able to move my vehicle back to the driveway.

Acutator went out, apparently it's pretty common in these.

While driving down the road, the car will begin to make a beeping noise three times, the traction control light comes on the following messages appear: service traction control, service stabilitrak, power engine failure. At this time, the vehicle will drop speed at an alarming rate and will not go over 10 mph. Gm/chevy denies any wrong doing and act like they know nothing about this issue yet its all over the internet! the dealerships guess at what to fix costing the car owner out of pocket for it to continuously happen. This vehicle is a death trap! this vehicle has done this numerous time to me beginning in April of 2017.

A number of months ago, while I was driving on the highway all lights on the dashboard went on an a message displaying "reduced power engine" was displayed. At the same time, that is exactly what happened. , the engine power was reduced for few seconds and then everything went back to normal. Months before the described incident, I received a letter from Chevrolet describing this issue and stating about an extended warranty to cover this issue. I went to the dealership and I was I will be charged roughly $150. 00 to detect the issue and, if and only if, certain codes were displayed on the scan, it will be covered by the extended warranty. Since it was expensive I decided to go to another place and the scan for free and obtain the codes. No codes were displayed. Since 4 months ago the engine shutoff while the vehicle is moving, to start the engine is required to stop by any possible way, and restart the engine. Once again, all lights on the dashboard turn and the vehicle completely shutoff. This had happened at least six times in the last 4 months. In all of this incidents I can not tell if the "reduced power engine" message is displayed since the priority is to stop the vehicle. I took the vehicle couple weeks ago to the dealership and I was charged about $150. 00 to diagnose the problem. The feedback from Chevrolet was that nothing was with in the vehicle. It is inconceivable that I was charged that much by Chevrolet to come back with a response that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. Chevrolet is well aware (the letter received in the past) there is an issue with the vehicle. Furthermore, the internet is plenty of people describing the same issue with the Traverse. I do not know the parameters of NHTSA to call when should be a recall , but based on the letter that Chevrolet sent, and the multiple complains suggests it might be.

To whom it may concern, I own a 2011 chevy Traverse and the timing chain broke on my wife last weekend. This was very scary for her and my kids as they were on a mountain going into a curve. She lost all control of steering and brakes. I was wondering if there are any recalls and or help from gm on getting this car repaired. To make a long story short, I am just glad my wife and kids were fine. The outcome could of been different as they described it to me. Please get back with me ASAP on this matter. I would appreciate it, by towing this back to my house and to the shop it has been a nightmare. I think it caused the motor to mess up as well. So, I am looking for help in this matter. Looks like the design of this is questionable on how this care was made and causes serious problems when a timing chain goes out. The vehicle was in motion.

Service air bag light came on and displays on my dashboard. Was told the seat module was bad and needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,271. 00 who would think this goes bad and costs this much too replace. This is the first gm car I ever had this issue with and I have owned quite a few over the last 20+ years.

2011 chevy Traverse. Sporadically decelerates while driving, flashes traction control off and service stabiltrak, check engine light. Pull over and let it "rest" for 15 minutes, it will resume driving. Have already had this issue "repaired" from chevy store10 months ago. Mostly occurs while in motion, once while driving 70mph on hwy decelerated to 35 mph and almost caused accident. Now dealership is suggesting I make another expensive fix, which may or may not fix the issue. This car is a lemon!!!! today we are blocking traffic in a parking deck because it has decided to happen again, no drive, but reverse works fine.

Left lift gate support malfunctioned. It leaked all the gas out and and slammed shut nearly missing me. I got an abrasion on my knuckle on my right index finger. The vehicle was parked, my family were unloading groceries. I bought replacements with my own money and have the receipt. Cashier at auto parts store said to check for a recall on faulty gas struts aka lift supports.

Driving on the interstate in 95° temperatures when the front passenger side vents began blowing hot air but the driver's side was still blowing cold air. We had to open the windows as the car got hot very quickly. This distraction could've caused an accident from addressing the situation. We've seen many others having defective blend door actuators.

I just recently purchased this 2011 chevy Traverse last night from the dealer. My first time buying a used vehicle. Within 3 months, my heat stopped working in my vehicle. I purchased the vehicle at 40,000 miles. Brought it to the dealer, and asked if there was anything they can do as I just purchased this vehicle not too long ago, and they stated there wasnt any recall. I would have to pay out of pocket to have this fixed. Just recently this month I have been having an issue with a whining noise when I am driving, and when I am turning the wheel. I took my vehicle to a mechanic and they filed all of my fluids, including power steering which was low. Found out that I have a leak. I started doing some research on this, and found out that all of the 2011 chevy Traverse vehicles had this same issue. I am going to contact the dealer today to see what they can do, as I didnt purchase an extended warranty with this vehicle. Should this not be something that is covered under Chevrolet if the majority of these vehicles are having this same issue?.

Vehicle had error messages, service traction control, traction control is off, service stabilitrax, engine power is reduced. Vehicle was slow to accelerate and experienced decreased speed. Vehicle vibrating while idling. Was told by dealer not to continue to drive the vehicle because others with same error messages stalled out while driving the vehicle, could not get the car restarted and had to be towed. The sudden slow acceleration and decreased speed are safety issues which need to be addressed by GMC before someone gets killed or seriously injured. Dealership said codes were p2176, p0121 and p0221 all related to tps sensor. Replaced throttle body, total cost $607. 42. Not covered under power train warranty or extended warranty. According to a blog, in approximately 2009 GMC stopped covering the throttle body under the power train warranty even though vehicles manufactured after 2009 continue to have the same issues. Additionally, blogs indicate that even when the problem gets fixed by the dealer (at the owner's expense), the same issue tends to arise again. This issue needs to be addressed with a recall by GMC as soon as possible with the owner's duly compensated for any costs they may have incurred.

While driving, the vehicle suddenly showed alerts reading traction control off, service traction control, service stabilitrak, and engine power reduced. At this time the vehicle immediately slowed down to 20mph. Thankfully my toddlers were not in the car and I did not have traffic behind me so that I could safely pull over to the shoulder. I turned off the vehicle for a few minutes and restarted again, at which time the same errors returned with the exception of engine power reduced, so that I could at least make it home. I immediately called my chevy dealer who completes all service on my vehicle, and I was told that this is a common problem, especially in the cold temperatures as oil tends to accumulate in the throttle body and freeze up, making the sensor go haywire, leaving the throttle unable to compensate for the changes, and the warnings to occur. I was told it would not be covered under the powertrain warranty and that there was no recall. I was also told that it wasn't a big deal and it should be fine when it warms up. I guess we differ in our opinion of whether a car shutting down in the middle of the highway or with my children in the car is a big deal. I guess we also differ in our opinions about whether a $40k vehicle should function in freezing temperatures that occur for four months of the year in the northeast. Chevrolet has issued recalls for this very issue with many other vehicles and some years of Traverses but not all. Chevrolet, you need to stand behind your vehicles. . . Take responsibility for the $100 part that can very easily be fixed in 15 minutes time instead of forcing customers to drive an unsafe vehicle or shell out upwards of $600 to make the repair. I love this car, probably my favorite vehicle I have ever owned, but this is a major problem.

The heat on the passenger side has stopped working. The air continues to blow without raising the temperature to the degree shown on the dash.

2011 Chevrolet Traverse- I bought the truck in 2013 certified, pre-owned for roughly $35k all in from robert Chevrolet. Have had several electrical and mechanical issues with it over the past 2 years. Windows have stopped working numerous times, mirrors as well. Left tail light has gone out 3 times, headlights have had issues as well. Most recently my passenger side step rail snapped off as my 13 year old 115 lb daughter stepped on it. I have 4 children, my youngest is one and a half years old and one concern I have is that the other side rail snaps off and as my wife is putting my son in car they fall on concrete if that rail should snap as well. In general, I do not trust this car or feel safe in it at all. The electrical problems scare me the most, god forbid there should be some kind of short and steering or something worse goes out and my wife crashes with one or all of my 4 children in the car. . My sales rep at robert Chevrolet has been contacted on several occasions, for a year has been telling us to come in after several complaints. Finally I took off of work and told him he needed to take a look at this unsafe vehicle and it needed to be addressed. They assured me they would take care of it, even suggested he would take me out of the car and eat the bulk of the loss. Needless to say they did none of that, indicated everything that's wrong with the car is wear and tear. I bought an extended policy on the vehicle as well, basically nothing is covered. And to boot, they suggested I pay 1200-1500 to fix the vehicle. Again I stress, the money isn't the biggest issue, I'm concerned about the safety of this vehicle.

The seat frame that secures the third row passenger seat and bolts the seat to the body of the vehicle has begun to rust.

The rear view mirror that contains a backup camera looks very cloudy/foggy and is visible hard to use. Also the second row seats (driver and passenger) seat belts are no longer buckling properly. My 11 year old seats back there and everytime we hit a bump the seatbelt pops out of its buckle.

In late April of this year, driver and front seat passenger in 2011 Traverse were hit head on by another driver. The front impact was distributed relatively evenly to the front end of the vehicle, with the passenger side sustaining slightly greater damage. Both front-side airbags deployed. The driver side front airbag deployed. The passenger side front airbag did not deploy. Although two individuals were injured in the crash, the passenger sustained significantly more injures, was life flighted to hospital where she ultimately had to have her speen removed, among sustaining other injuries. I suspect this to be an issue with the airbag sensor, mechanism of airbag deployment, or other currently unknown defect.

My issue started when I was making left hand turns it would sound like the engine would make a loud noise with some grinding noise. Then it started happening with right hand turns as well. Took it to the dealership today and they believe that it is the transmission. After doing some research I found alot of similiar issues. This needs to be fixed by gm. I am curious to see how this is handled by gm and the dealership. Basically it should be a no brainer, the vehicle is 4 years old, transmission should not go out that fast. Already filed a complaint and cantacting gm this afternoon as well. I have a feeling this is going to be a fight. Below are other issues reported to NHTSA, I stopped looking after page 3 took car in for odd noise in steering. Was told pump was bad and seal was bad. Appears that this is a common issue with this type of vehicle and no recall has been made. Its not just one or two cars, after research is hundreds of cars. Nhtsa id number: 10567931 loud whining sound coming from front end. When turning steering wheel slowly you can hear a loud scratching noise. Bought the car brand new and only have 17k miles in 3 years. Entire steering column had to be replaced. Power steering fluid leaking. Nhtsa id number: 10566861 the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that there was an abnormal vibration in the steering wheel when turning in either direction. The contact also indicated that the vehicle was stationary. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the power steering fluid and pump were replaced but the failure was not remedied. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 20,000. Nhtsa id number: 10555889 power steering has issues at low speeds when turning. Dealer cost to replace pump and gear is 2,500! NHTSA id number: 10520885.

Condenser and all belts had major leaks for no apparent reason. Lost all refrigerant in less that 24 hours.

Traveling at 70 mph, suddenely traction control light came on, then engine powered down, I find that this is a common problem with this car, why isn't something being done. This has happened 4 times since March 5, 2014. At shop now will cost me over $500. 00 to replace the throttle control. This needs to be a recall.

While driving down the highway at high rates of speeds, all of a sudden the dashboard display lights up with all kinds of messages. It says to check traction control and reducing engine power. The engine reduces power and when you step on the gas it doesn't go anywhere. This happened a few times. At first I thought maybe it was ice buildup but after it happened a few more times I looked online where I came across a forum and found out there were hundreds of other chevy Traverse owners who had the same problems. It happened on the highway when I was driving and I almost got smashed from behind by people going over 70mph. The car would barely move. The Traverse was only 2 years old. After taking it to the dealer they stated it was the throttle body. It wasn't covered under warranty. I believe it should've been since the throttle body is part of the engine. How can a vehicle 2-3years old and have a 100,000 mile power train warranty not be covered. After talking to a few chevy people I found out this has happened to other types of gm vehicles too. They stated there has been bullentins put out on earlier models but never a actual recall. I called gm corporate but they didnt want to hear it. Very serious problem that needs to be addressed.

The heat was not working. Blowing only cold air.

I was trailering a boat on tandem axle trailer within the trailering rating for the Traverse, but near the nigh end. It was raining and we hydroplaned but the hydroplaning stopped after a second and we continued. Then it happened again and we slowed down and it didn't happen any further. I've trailered with my 2004 silverado many times and don't believe this would have happened with it. This was the first time using the Traverse and I thought it was working okay, except for the hydroplaning. I think what may have happened is that the trailer was pushing down on the back of the vehicle lifting up on the front and thus reducing traction with the front wheels. I don't think the tongue weight was too high or excessive. At any rate, I don't know if I was just being unsafe by traveling that speed with the rain, or if the rating for the Traverse's trailering tongue weight should be reduced or if someone should have to initial a safety document anytime they put a hitch on their vehicle stating they understand the extra hydroplaning possibilities while trailering or what. But I wanted to report what happened in case it is happening to others as well. I also had trouble pulling my boat out of the water with only 2wd. I had to get an assist from another vehicle. If it was only for the hydroplaning issue, I would trailer with this vehicle again. However, without 4wd to pull the boat out of the water, there is no way I will use it again. (and that also speaks to the traction being less when the tongue has some weight on it. ) the dealership should have advised me to get 4wd since they knew I would be trailering a boat.