general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse - part 1

When car is shifted into park, it does not register that. It is in park. Therefore the car keeps beeping, and you cannot leave the car in this position. This is the second time that we have had to address this problem once in 2021 and now in 2026 I believe that general motors should fix this problem without the consumer being charged to have it corrected.

After refueling we re-entered i495 northbound. While traveling in the fast lane of traffic my vehicle shut off. I lost all power, including the ability to use on-star. The vehicle refused to start for thirty minutes. This problem repeats within a mile of refueling. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer. The first time the said it was a sensor in the stable trak. This last time they claimed a bolt on the battery was loose. There was no pre-warning the car just stopped in rush-hour traffic on the busiest highway in America.

My 2018 Traverse has had several issues the past few years such as the electrical components in the car turning on and off randomly, a shift to park message which has been fixed twice, and the most current problem is the transmission. I was out of town 160 miles away with my family of 6 and we were about to drive home when the engine started to sound forced while I was driving. It wouldn't go past 30 mph and I had to quickly and safely get off the road and look for a mechanic. Had we already gotten on the freeway my family would have been in much more danger. After driving cautiously to 2 mechanics they referred us to a transmission service location. We had to leave the car there for several hours and came to find out that the transmission needed to be replaced and it would cost anywhere between $4,000-$9,000 depending on if they try to fix our transmission or replace it with another transmission and the cost would depend on the warranty years. We ended up getting it towed home so that our local mechanic can take a look at it. We still haven't gotten it fixed because the repair cost is so high and we can't afford it. For being a 2018 and only having 65,000 miles we should not be having transmission issues. We also took it in to our local chevy service dealer who confirmed the transmission needs to be repaired or replaced and an accurate cost is unknown until they open it but the first estimate was $10,000. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I did see there was a recall for transmission issues for this make and model but it doesn't come up for my VIN. I really hope that Chevrolet can apply the recall to all VIN numbers affected because it is a very costly repair and has put my families safety at risk. It should not keep happening to others.

The shift to park started popping up randomly for a month now does it every time I try to turn my car off. I have to wiggle, push the button and more times than not I have to turn back on the car and move gears to see if that will help (which it doesn't). Super annoying.

The car has a "shift to park" error message. We noticed a recall for other 2018 Traverse vehicles and wonder why ours is not covered. Car will not shut down completely. Battery is drained. Dealer is requesting $767. 43 to repair when other GMC/chevy vehicles are identified in a recall.

After shifting from drive or other gear to park, vehicle will not register vehicle is in the "park" gear. Vehicle is in the "park" gear and will not move but is not turning off. "shift to park" is displayed on the display. Vehicle will not shutdown the display system and keeps beeping. The issues worsens over time and continues to drain the battery. The vehicle is kept on.

I am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall because this is a serious safety issue. One if the vehicle does not completely turn off and you are not aware of the issue then your battery can run out. If you are in a urban/remote area which I am no dealerships for about 50 miles away can be a serious problem being stranded on the I 15 freeway. When you put the vehicle in park sometimes it pops out of gear too. There were no previous warnings prior to the shift to park dash indicator. I am not a rich person. My vehicle just has over 72,000 miles. This should be covered by a recall. Please help.

The chevy suffers from the "shift to park" issue due to a faulty park switch in the shifter assembly, which is an electrical issue. Apparently gm does not cover this repair but it is dangerous as the car does not shut off even when engine is off and the gear is in park.

Shift to park errors over multiple years, shutter when accelerating. Now pressure control solenoid code vehicle will not go in reverse or shift out of first gear. Transmission needs replacement. This is my family vehicle, I have 3 small children and it has turned off at stop lights etc. My families safety has been jeopardized many times driving this vehicle, especially the last time in particular. The vehicle stopped engaging in reverse and then in first would accelarate by itself on the way home from my 8 year olds baseball game.

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.

Shift to park sensor refusing to acknowledge that car is in park and will not allow car shut off.

Frequent symptom is an "action required: shift to park" message on the dashboard. Which is preventing my vehicle from shutting down properly, and causing the battery to drain, and hinder my car's ability to start in addition to getting trapped in the vehicle because the vehicles fail to shift to the ‘park’ position preventing me from being able to exit the vehicle. This is a known issue affecting various gm models which one being my 2018 Traverse by gm but not willing to make official recall of the issue. There is a class action settlement due to this issue that was not privileged to me as an owner of a used vehicle included in this notice and have.

The vehicles fails to recognize it’s in park and does not shut off. Shift to park indicator turns on. Frequently have to park on incline and worried the vehicle will roll. The vehicle will not completely turn off and this has caused the steering to lock. When the vehicle finally turned off, then turned it back on we couldn’t get the steering wheel to unlock. Had to drive it with what felt like no power steering for a period of time. Shift to park indicator blinks and warning light appears that says no remote is detected, yet the remote is in the vehicle. Been in a situation where had to quickly get in to a dr but the vehicle wouldn’t turn off so had to leave the vehicle running. At that point anything could happen, but had to take care of a sick child.

Truck stuck in shift to park.

I recently had my alternator fixed and the torque converter last year. I was having issues with the battery staying charged, car would jerk, radio, heat and air would shut off and come back on, car would go in reverse although I'm trying to go forward, shift to park warning message when car was in park and there are shortages out something that will connect and disconnect the bluetooth when I'm on calls via bluetooth. I picked my car up from love Chevrolet 1/28/2025. Everything seemed fine but the car still jerked when I would take off at lights, make turns or go up hills. The shift to park message is still happening. When I park the car and turn it off the car makes a sound and the warning pops up. The car lights will not go off when this happens. I have to turn the car off and on or take it out of park a few times for it to stop. I'm afraid to leave the car with that warning on because the doors won't lock and I'm afraid it will roll. Love Chevrolet said they didn't see the error message for it while they were driving but it constantly happens to me. Even when I turn the car on to warm it up it gives me that error message.

I am experiencing and "shift to park" notification on my dashboard when my vehicle is in park. This causes my vehicle to stay in accessory mode where ally electrical stays on when I am attempting to turn the vehicle off. Due to the inability of fully turning the car off, my car battery can potential drain out. I have experienced the issue for up to 30 minutes before the notification clears. This is an intermittent issue and comes and goes every few months. When I take it in for service, I'm told the issue can not be recreated and I am stuck with no resolution.

I own a 2018 chevy Traverse and have been experiencing an issue with the stabilizer trak. When my vehicle goes in idle, occasionally I am getting an alert to check the stabilizer trak. I have reached out to several mechanics and they have all stated that this is a common problem with the 2018 and 2019 chevy Traverse. This is a safety issue with this vehicle and I’m wondering how there is no recall for it with it being a common issue found. This issue caused issues with controlling our vehicles, will Chevrolet take action.

The vehicle will not shut off and vehicle information screen states shift to park. When this happens we have 2 options. 1st to sit and wait for the vehicle to turn off(takes over an hour on average), 2nd disconnect the negative battery connection. The vehicle shuts down nearly instantly. Then reconnect the battery before being able to use the vehicle again.

Had my Traverse for two years, second owner. When I received the car, it had to immediately go into the shop as they couldn’t figure out why all sorts of dash lights where coming on. My car was at the dealership for three weeks and ultimately they replaced the chip, stating that was the issue. Two months down the road, I get the shift to park error message starting. Fast forward to 4 months ago when the stability error message starts to intermittently come on and off. 30 days ago I got the first of the service charging system message and the battery saver mode. My car shut itself down while I was doing 55 miles per hour on a back country road. Every lthing locked up and I had to force a turn to get out of traffic. It was determined my battery was good but alternator was bad. Checked fuses just to be safe all were good. Replaced the alternator with a new one. As of today, I am not able to drive my vehicle because of this same issue. This time I went ahead and replaced the battery and nothing has changed. They are saying it’s my alternator again. How is this possible that all of us 2018 Traverse drivers are experiencing the exact same malfunctions in order and now we have to repeatedly replace the alternator? there is no way 1000s more of Traverse owners are all buying “bad” alternators. Something is going on with this and these vehicles are not safe to drive. I can’t even trade mine in because my credit is shot. I pay way too much for this car to not be able to reliably and safely transport my kids to and from school.

Transmission issues since 85k miles, park to shift sensor error since owned, rear ideoendent suspension bolts were stripped needed alignment. Car has not performed since ownership.

When putting my car in park and shutting off. My Traverse says warning shift to park when I am clearly in park. I cannot lock my doors and horn beeps. It continues to ding with warning!.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the driver’s side taillight was blown due to water entering the taillight assembly. While driving approximately 40-45 mph, the battery failure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the following day while driving approximately 40-45 mph, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery warning light remained illuminated along with the check engine warning light. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,700.

This concerns a defective transmission control (shifter) assembly. The defective shifter assemblies prevent the vehicles from detecting when the driver places the car in “park. ” as a result, the vehicle goes into accessory mode and one cannot shut off or lock the vehicle, the instrument cluster displays a “shift to park” message even though the gear shifter is already in “park,” and the battery drains. Because one cannot reliably turn off their vehicles when reaching their destination, the defect substantially impairs the vehicles’ ability to provide safe and reliable transportation. Shifter assemblies are not expected replacement or maintenance parts and absent a defect should not require replacement. Nonetheless, gm had knowledge of the defect and gm fails to repair the gm known defect. Chevrolet service department has confirmed the defect.

When driving my vehicle with the air condition on after about 25 minutes, the audio system completely goes out. No sound from the stereo, the backup camera alert, the blind spot alert, the "clicking" sound from the blinkers, all chimes, everything. The mechanic looked at the car and stated that this is a result of the condensation from the hvac system entering the active noise cancellation (anc) module through the module vents. He stated this should have been a recall as it is an extreme safety hazard as it prevents any audio alerts of the blind spot or backup camera warning systems. He states the anc module should be replaced and a secondary shield should be installed to prevent this in the future. The sound eventually comes back once the condensation dries up but once the air condition comes back on again shortly all the sounds go out again.

The emergency park brake engaged automatically, and the battery had to be disconnect to reset it. When the vehicle is shifted to park, the dash display says shift to park even though the vehicle has been shifted to park. Have to start and turn off engine, the shift lever back and forth for vehicle display message has been cleared. This has happened more than once.

Shift to park. Car won’t turn off and me and kids are stuck in car. 2nd vehicle this has happened to. This is very dangerous as my car is stuck on.

It has a leak and having electrical issues. Everything else unknown.

My quarter panel taillight has stopped working due to moisture in the light (no visible breakage on light). This part is on continuous backorder with no eta of coming back in stock. Dealer has ordered part but will not give a loaner car. Gm acknowledged backorder but will not give rental reimbursement. I have three children I am to put in this car that does not have a left turn signal or brake light. I feel unsafe driving this car as I may be rear ended but everyone I talk to says they can't do anything. What am I to do.

I was driving on the highway and without any warning, the acceleration did not work in my car. I coasted to the side of the highway and waited for over an hour for a tow truck to arrive. Chevrolet replaced the transmission. I was told Chevrolet would consider rebates if I go through a Chevrolet dealership to fix it. They charged $2,000 over other shops, but only offered $200 off. They also took over a month to repair my vehicle. I wish I did not use them for repairs. Also, during heavy rains, the car leaked water through the electrical components in the roof. We intervened several times, but water persistently came through. Finally, we purchased the car at under 30,000 miles and immediately needed to replace the exhaust and shift to park feature. The car would not recognize when I was in park and could not turn off.

When I put my car into park and turn it off I’m shift to park error code. So the car stays on and won’t turn off. I turn the car on and off shift the gear and nothing happens. I have to sit in the car a hope that it goes into park. See photo.

So since 8/02/23 when the vehicle had 54,000 miles it began to give electrical problems. I bought the car 01/16/23 it had only 26,000 miles. The service battery charging system light and battery saver mode went on and also the reduced steering light which began to shut the car down I immediately pulled over. Took it to gm dealer they tested battery was dead then charged it checked alternator it failed so they replaced alternator. 7 days later 8/10/23 the car is still running rough idle. Had savi code p0496 evap flow during non purge replaced purge solenoid. The car still the engine slightly was not 100 percent fixed I told them every time it wasn't good. 02/12/24 I took back to dealer engine running rough and every time I put gas it was hesitant the transmission I am assuming check engine light was on code p0496 the gm dealer diagnosised and replaced canister purge solenoid. So 2/28/24 battery saver mode light came on andservice battery charging vehicle stalled out checked alternator failed replaced alternator. 6/25/24 took to another gm dealer and the diagnosised it check engine light was on and told them my car wasn't starting well after I filled my gas and rough engine. Told me to come back 7/03/24 to do evap canister check engine light was on they found evap leak from from evap canister charged me 508 dollars. So I took vehicle from dealer towards hone filled up gas car would not start problem was not fixed called dealer immediately manager said get here before they close I did and manager left but on service guy got the master mechanic to look at it he said it's purge valve the next day they were closed due to 4th of July so was told to take back on 7/5/24 to replace purge solenoid. The gas issue was fixed but now the transmission is worse when I accelerate it stutters bad I been telling both dealers was told they can't look at vehicle unless check engine light was on so 3 faulty purge valves 2 alternators replaced and car stutters worse shift to park light.

Side detection unavailable alert keeps coming and off on, when car is started. The alert comes and goes.

Shift to park error comes up when park to shut down. Does not allow shutdown of the car without beeping notices. Not allowing doors to lock or driver to exit. Must be fairly common as google shows a lot of workarounds or how to fix a clip under the shifter knob down in the console.

The car will not turn off 85% of the time. When I put it in park and hit the start/stop engine button the vehicle does not turn off. It shows a message "shift to park" but it's in park.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the interior and exterior lights remained illuminated. Additionally, the radio remained on, and the horn sounded off. The instrument panel displayed the words "shift to park," which, the contact performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.