general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse - part 1

The vacuum pump had a catastrophic failure. This led to failure of assisted breaking, and caused brake pedal to go rock hard while driving on the roadway. Metal shards from the vacuum pump broke off, and has now entered the engine. Chevy knows this vacuum pump is flawed, but did not include my model of vehicle in the recall. Even though it uses the same part. I received a “brake assist” message on the dash about 15 seconds prior to the loss of brakes. I had my wife and two kids with me, and this jeopardized their safety. Further research on the matter states this is a known issue at gm, but for some reason my year and model were not included.

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.

Noxious emissions fill passenger compartment while at idle, or when using remote start. Cannot drive with windows closed, or with recirculation on. Passengers feel, "sleepy". Bracket holding flex pipe fails at the same point in several different Traverse vehicles. The 2018 model we have, is not covered by a recall, even though the 2019 of the same design and fail point, is. N222385510 gm is addressing this on only select models, even though the same issue is applicable to other models, and the same part numbers are the cause and or affected.

Ome customers may complain of a rattle or exhaust noise, a cel/mil on, or repeat concerns of lean codes or converter failures. The cause for these concerns could be a broken or poor weld with lack of penetration on the bank 2 exhaust. Issue is exact same as listed in bulletin pip5681a.

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.

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.

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.

I purchased a 2018 chevy Traverse with 6 miles on it. I keep my vehicle in mint condition and maintenance as needed and required. Recently in the past few months my car has been bucking when shifting gear engages in an automatic transmission. I took to dealership, and they stated it was the torque converter, and my vehicle has exactly 20,270 miles only. Not even passed the 36,000 marks but over 36 months. I bought an extended warranty thru dealership which now sending someone to dealership to verify that this is infact a torque problem which were found 2017 and 2019 but not 2018 is hard to believe. They will be keeping it for 7 days and already had a recall for 2017 and 2019 so are they stating it only occurred in those years, and they fix the 2017 but then it skipped 2018 and jumped to 2019. Why have I not received any recalls since I buy most of the GMC vehicles and lived in the same home for 35 years. Its awfully strange that I never receive any recalls when I owned silverado truck, savana high top van with special needs lift, pontiac torrent, chevy Traverse. The warning lane change or the blindspot warning shut off too. Was told to wash the window on the front and on the camera back and did not clear the sensors. Was told to check transmission fluid and it was fine and I do oil changes since my dad taught us every 2500 -3000 depending on driving and if only little mileage check it anyway monthly with the dip stick. Like I stated I keep my car in mint condition and safety is number one issue in family due to the special needs son riding in it.

Exhaust pipe bracket that is welded to both exhaust pipes broke off allowing firewall side catalytic converter pipe to crack near the head of the engine.

For the past few months now my 2018 chevy Traverse has had a weird shimmy when changing lower gears. Got it looked at and they said one of the 9 clutches are going out and needs to be replaced for a total of $6664. 63. After doing my own research, this is a common problem with the 2018 chevy Traverse after reading all the complaints on social media and a few chevy enthusiasts websites. I’ve called the dealership and they refuse to help out at all with the pricing or do anything without a recall issued. If I’d had to calculate the amount of cars effected that already had work done and cars that haven’t had work done yet due to the insane cost, I’d say at least 30-40% of these vehicles have these issues right now that people know about or have already had fixed. The transmission place I sent our vehicle to said he does work on all these chevys constantly with the same issue. I tried to call corporate and they gave me this site to go ahead and log a safety concern about this problem because it truly is a safety concern. The constant shim and rough feel when switching between lower gears makes it difficult when needing to pull out into traffic unless your lucky enough to get no traffic in your lane. I’ve also noted the start stop problem when it starts back up at a red light it sometimes has issues shifting in between 2nd, 3rd, & 4th gear like it doesn’t want to do it in that order. Feels more like it wants to skip 2nd and 3rd gear which may be fine but it definitely has a shimmy/ grinding feeling. Not sure if the transmission clutch can cause all these problems but after witnessing these issues, I’m definitely rethinking purchasing silverado 2500’s for my family owned plumbing business. Thank you and hopefully this helps.

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.

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.

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.

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

Car will not accelerate fast up hills.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the emissions purge valve needed to be replaced. The contact did research and was made aware of technical service bulletin number: n232395300 however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.  .

2018 Traverse. 70k miles. We purchased it brand new at the end of 2017. On September 22, 2024, 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.

The issue is with the Traverse stabilitrak system. The stabilitrak system controls, includes traction control, emergency brakes, tire monitoring, etc. As I understand it. The stabilitrak lights has been intermittently coming on for several months. I took the truck to the manufacture and was charged over $1,700. 00 to fix the problem. After the repairs, I picked up the vehicle and within three miles of the dealership the issue manifested itself again. The stabiltrak system light usually indicates as the vehicle waits at a traffic light, and just as I accelerate for the signal change. The vehicle frequently stalls at that point, creating a rear end hazard, and a dangerous situation for me and other commuters. Upon returning the vehicle to the dealership, they claimed not to be able to identify the issue, that they initially charged me over $1,700. 00 to fix. The said they could not recreate the problem, although it is a persistent problem that occurs within minutes of the vehicle operation.

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!.

Bracket on the exhaust flex pipe bracket broke. This is a known issue by gm (pip5681c) that covers 2018-2022 chevy Traverse and special coverage notices have been issued for at least the 2019 (n212356540) and 2021 (n222385510). I called gm today and they said my 2018 Traverse would not be covered even though it is a known issue and had a bulletin issued on it. If this is a known issue for several years (including 2018), why wouldn't the 2018 model be included and covered?.

My vehicle has not reached 100. 000 miles and my transmission needs to be replaced.

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.

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.

My vehicle was getting a check engine code #p0420, took to my gm dealer for service on 1/26/24. Rk Chevrolet in virginia beach, va. Was told the error was caused by the mounting bracket on the front exhaust pipe had separated from the pipe, resulting in a hole in the pipe. They replaced the front exhaust pipe (85542639) and 2 pipe gaskets (84135650) as well as the muffler section of the exhaust. Gm has issued a special coverage n222385510 on the 2021 Traverse for these exact part numbers, and are replacing at no cost. But if the same part numbers are failing on the 2018 (and probably 2019 and 2020) shouldn't they be covering all models with these parts.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle would shake either upon start of the vehicle and while idle as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a code reader was used which determined that the purge was defective. The contact spoke with a dealer and the dealer confirmed that there were no recalls on this vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

N222385510, the exhaust system separated from the car. There are current recalls from gm for 2019-current Traverse models with the exact same issue. Our 2018 has the exact same problem and our local gm dealer verified it, but they will not cover this expense. We were quoted $2,000 + for the fix, gm customer care has been no help.

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 exhaust system mount bracket broken allowing exhaust system movement resulting in a cracked catalytic converter . The mount bracket broke due to a poor weld from the part supplier. The repair cost $2404. 74 on 6/5/2023 at 33. 953 miles . Recently I researched this issue and found gm policy # n212356540 on 2019 Chevrolet Traverse and Buick enclave with exact same issue with coverage to 150,000 miles. My research also found that many other owners of 2018 Traverse complaining about the exact same issue with very similar costs. This obvious emission item should have been covered. L.

Electrical codes saying power steering failure which could cause loss of control of vehicle catalytic converter failure - leading to oxygen sensor failure and burnt spark plugs. Engine sputters. If you look online its non-stop reports of this same year having the same issues of catalytic converter failures. Health concern, emissions concern, safety concern. Gm needs to recall and replace these.

"shift to park" when car is already in park.

Transmission issues :hard shifts, shift delays , hesitation upon acceleration, trouble on reverse gear. Engine issues: grinding noises , ticking noises ,check engine light turning on, loss of power engine vibrating in steering wheel when braking.