Automatic Emergency Braking Problems of Chevrolet Traverse - part 1

I turned my vehicle on and my brakes, abs, traction control and anti collision lights all came on. Upon research this is a known problem in 2025 and a recall in 2024. It did in fact end up being the master cylinder and brake system that faulted.

See all problems of the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

While driving on the interstate, the anti-collision system activated when a car swerved in front of the vehicle. The vehicle stopped and resulted in a brake failure after that. All brake warning lights came on the dash, message stating brake failure and drive with caution and limited speed was displayed. Brakes were no longer working properly.

The vehicle has been brought to an authorized dealership for numerous service visits related to electrical system issues that ultimately affected the braking system. During one service visit, the vehicle was returned to me with multiple active dashboard warning lights illuminated related to the braking system, including electronic stability control and automatic emergency braking. I questioned the presence of these warning at pickup and was advised by the dealer that the vehicle was safe to drive and that the warnings would clear on their own. After driving the vehicle for a short period, I became uncomfortable continuing to operate it with brake-related warning lights still active and returned it to the dealer. Upon further diagnosis by a service technician, it was discovered that the vehicle has significant brake system defects requiring replacement of major components, including the brake control module and master cylinder. During diagnosis, the brakes locked and the parking brake would not disengage, rendering the vehicle undrivable. No collision or injury occurred. However, the vehicle was released to me with active brake system warnings and later found to have serious brake defects. Due to the safety-critical nature of the braking system and the repeated electrical and brake-related service history, I am reporting this for documentation and review.

I started the vehicle to move it to a different place in my driveway and after putting it in reverse, it notified me that the abs was not working. I could not stop the vehicle without pressing the brakes very hard and even then it was still rolling backward slowly. I quickly put the vehicle in park before the car rolled into my house.

2025 Traverse abs brake system failed, and master cylinder broke at 12k. All of the safety features, lane departure, forward crash detection, blind spot, automatic braking system all stop working with no signs that it was failing! extremely unsafe! Traverse are meant to be family vehicles, well with major functions failures this kind of problem is going be recipe for disaster if not recalled ASAP.

Brake assistance failure. Brakes failed! esc service I was able to set it up for inspection could of caused a accident hurting other people or hurting my family, I use this vehicle to transport my 2 babies vehicle would not brake properly could have cause serious injuries for my vehicle not yet has not been inspected it was towed, from what I have heard from current Traverse owners they have experienced this same issue with even lower milage no warning lights no indications of failure just happend instant twice.

This vehicle is unsafe for two reasons. First, it slams you on brakes and puts you in park at random times. Middle of road, parking lots, etc. This puts you at higher risk of someone hitting you. The second thing is when pressing the gas when taking off after a stop, the rpm’s jump up and the engine revs up, but the car is barely going. Not safe when crossing intersections along with many other times. Both of these puts mine and my families safety at risk along with others on the road. No warning signs, lights, etc. Car is in shop for second time. First time on November 28, second time on December the 11. Still no answer on a fix. Just that they think they may know the cause. The dealer has gotten the car to reproduce these issues.

We drove the car to the store and everything was fine we went in to shop. We came back out and I turned the car on and my dash board had lights on. My brake light will not turn off . My abs light is on. My forward collision light is on . . I am getting a notice to service esc, and a separate one saying service brake assist . I ran a onstar diagnostic and it came back everything is good. I have not brought it into the dealership yet for them to look at it I will be calling . I have multiple children and I was so scared my brakes were fulling going to give out on my 20 min drive home. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened we could have hurt someone else on the road and ourselves.

The master cylinder and abs braking system failed, rendering the vehicle inoperable and leaving my family stranded approximately 285 miles from home. This represents a serious safety defect, as the braking system malfunctioned while the vehicle was in operation. The dealership has confirmed the issue, and the vehicle has remained in their possession for over two weeks awaiting parts and repair. During the failure, multiple warning indicators illuminated, including the abs, service esc, and brake system lights. Once the brake system engaged, I was unable to release it or drive the vehicle any further.

The service esc, service brake assist came on. The abs light, brake light, crash light and lane assist light are all on. The dealership said it is the brake master cylinder and module with fluid that is the problem and it is on national back order.

Emergency brake engaged while driving in reverse causing the vehicle to abruptly stop 3 times leaving the driveway. This continues to occur as we left the house moving forward decelerating the vehicle. My [xxx] infants were in the vehicle causing them to scream, and this defect could have easily caused a crash. I no longer feel safe driving the SUV. We proceed to call the dealership we purchased it from (rick hendricks Chevrolet of naples) spoke with management the guys name was jack. He said this is an ongoing issues they are working on and told us to bring it in. I’m not driving this vehicle on the highway an hour away so we are now escalating the situation to headquarters. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

Master cylinder needing replaced confirmed by dealer. Abs. Traction control forward emergency braking system service lights appear on dash and the systems are disabled saying service soon. Adaptive cruise control disabled super cruise disabled.

"phantom braking" with over 13 events the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse lt unexpected and abrupt activated the automatic emergency braking (aeb) system when there was no obstacle, vehicle, or collision risk present! if an mac truck was behind us tailgating at the time we would have been killed! the dealer is downplaying the issue acting like they have never seen this before. They question is we know what aeb is and how it works "we do!". On top of that the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse lt breaks are completely defective. Deal inspected them on 6/25/2025 then we purchased on 8/14 drove it for 2,290 miles and they claim the breaks needed replacement. So we paid for that and still the breaks make a bad grinding sound and it is hard to stop the SUV. Please investigate ;(.

On Aug 15th, 2025 I went to pick up my children from school. As I picked up my child and turned the vehicle on to go pick up my second child, the car notified me on the dash board of 4 icons. Brake, abs, traction and collision. Service esc and brake assist service needed. I was very concerned when I went to drive and when I gently eased into the brakes I could hear a small noise, every time I pressed the brakes. My second childs school is about 4 minutes away. I called Chevrolet dealership where I purchased it from in February, explained everything and they said I needed to take it in to a Chevrolet dealership near me. I called the nearest chevy dealership and they said to bring it in the same day or the next day. Saturday Aug 16th, 2025 at 8am I was at the dealership. They checked to see what codes ran up and if it was safe to drive, they pulled 4 codes and told me it wasn't safe and I needed to leave it for 10-14 days minimum. They said they could not provide me a vehicle / loaner. I had already called Chevrolet customer service the day before to receive assistance with a temporary vehicle as the dealership had told me they had no loaner to provide. I explained to Chevrolet customer service that I am a disabled & handicap veteran with children. I do not have a secondary vehicle and it is a necessity as I drop off and pick up my children and attend medical appointments. The employee was able to open a case for me and send it to the regional person around my area. No one has called me. Today Saturday, I dropped off my vehicle and picked up a rental according to the guidelines provided by the Chevrolet employee for reimbursement a gm vehicle under $44 a day. This is a huge inconvenience , unacceptable from a new 2025 vehicle. Ot has put me in a hardship position financially. The hassle, my Traverse has handicap plates and my rental does not. Very upset and frustrated. I need as much support and help from gm / Chevrolet to resolve this safety issue for my children.

Car had service brake assist warning along with 3 or lights on dadhboard. I was told master brake cylinder needs replacing.

We have experienced phantom aeb warnings and braking (60+ warnings w/o braking, around 10 brake activations) since owning the vehicle a little over a year now, purchased new. We took it into the dealer in may to have it addressed and they determined the aeb system was inoperable due to a defective front camera (windshield). After replacement and reprogramming, we picked up the vehicle and noticed a decreased sensitivity to our rear/side alerts and zero forward aeb or proximity alerts of any kind. Not car, pedestrian, object or wall. Forward aeb alerts were completely disabled. Additionally, the vibrating safety seat which was previously inoperable (we assumed our car didn't have it) was on and functioning for all side/some rear alerts. We took the car back into the dealer and after 5+ days they determined it was a "faulty batch of cameras" and they replaced the front facing camera again. Today, we picked up the vehicle, being told everything was tested and reset so functioning properly- with our 3rd new forward camera. Yet, the aeb system was clearly inoperable again, zero front facing aeb/collision/proximity alerts - even though all settings 'on. ' rear alerts still seemed delayed and less accurate than before we brought the vehicle in the first time. I returned the vehicle to dealer and demonstrated again. My service rep agreed - it does not seem like it's just the front facing camera and must be a larger issue electronic issue. To date, I've been in contact with gm corporate executive team and have very little real concern or amelioration of these qc issues with the vehicle. We have spent over 20 days in the shop within 12mo. They refuse to acknowledge that there significant defect with the vehicle to warrant repurchase. These safety issues are only part of what appears to be serious qc deficiencies that put my family at risk. My wife and kids are in this car 98% of the time. I have video documentation from both camera repairs if you want to see them.

On July 31st, while backing up on a clear road in rain the brakes locked suddenly. The brakes applied & a message saying emergency parking brake engaged. Must be manually released. This happened twice in a 30 second period before there was enough room for me to pull forward out of the spot. I called the dealership on August 1st to see if this was a known issue and they said no. Brought the car in on August 2nd. They scanned for errors & found a message lost communication with parking assist control module with 9 other error message. They said this was not a known problem and to them it appeared to fix itself but would let me know if there was any way to fix. Car has just been in for regular multi point inspection on July 24th. On August 20th went to get in the car but none of the key fobs would open it. Called two dealerships but neither could come up with answer. Chevy roadside was called & came to get into the car and ended up jumping it. At that time the battery was tested and it appeared fine. It was recommended to run it for a half hour. I ended up driving it for an hour with no extras on. On August 25th the next day I went to drive it the battery of this 1 year old car was dead. Called the two dealerships to see what could be done & was told to bring it in. Called chevy roadside assistance who dispatched someone to open the car and jump the battery. This person found the battery was not holding a charge & said nothing when I said I was driving it to the dealership. Got 3 houses away & a message that the brakes have failed. Press hard to brake popped up. In addition the steering locked up. I missed hitting a lady with a kid in a stroller by 6 ft but managed to get it to the curve & with 3 pushes into park. It was towed to the dealership. When it arrived at the dealership the brakes locked up so it would not back up off the flatbed. It had to be forced off. Dealer blames poor battery but can't explain July 31st or why battery readouts say okay.

Abs and esc and brake lights came on. Collision beeping and warning went out. Brake pedal vey late to respond to braking. This vehicle is unsafe. It has been sitting and the chevy dealer for 2 weeks now with no information given to me about when it will be fixed. I call the dealer every other day and they just say that chevy will be shipping parts. This is clearly a nation wide problem with this vehicle. I’ve read numerous articles online about people with the same problem and have contacted an attorney.

After 4k miles, master brake cylinder failed, with no replacement . Expecting 4-6 week delayh.

Purchased new 25 Traverse. Driving from ar to ok, stopped at a store, parked car. Upon returning to car, start ignition and red "brake" light illuminated as well as abs, traction control and forward collision icons all lit. "service brake assist, service esc, rear auto brake and park assist unavailable" warnings all show on the dash. Vehicle had 2747 miles at time this occurred. Systems check on dash showed all tires not registering on the vehicle and the vehicle icon illuminated orange. Vehicle needed to "relearn sensors. " vehicle has several clicking noises in the dash after shutting off. Vehicle brake pedal clicks when depressed at low speeds (as in driving in a parking lot) these noises and issues were not occurring prior to this vehicle stopping at the 2747 miles. Vehicle is unsafe to drive as this is the main stopping system, we were 300 plus miles from home when this happened.

While backing out of a driveway into an unobstructed road with no oncoming traffic from either side nor any pedestrians or cyclists approaching, the automatic emergency braking system applied the brakes and then locked up leaving the vehicle as an obstruction in the road. To disengage the locked brakes required a large amount of pressure on the accelerator pedal bringing the engine rpms up to a sufficient speed to disengage the automatic emergency braking system. Had there been traffic approaching what would have been an otherwise safe amount of time to bring the vehicle into the flow of traffic would have been insufficient and may have caused an accident. There was no warning indicating any of the vehicle sensors detected an approaching object or obstruction. This is the second incidence of the occurring in the last week.

I rear ended a car on 3/12/25, and my automatic emergency braking system light was on at the time. When my car was returned to me, I set the braking system off, so the light was still on, but when I tried to turn the system back on in June, the light came on and told me I needed to get it serviced. As it wasn't a priority to have the automatic emergency braking system, I didn't take my car into the dealership until August 18, when 3 more dashboard indicators came on. The dealership stated they would be waiting on a part for my brakes, but it is on national backorder, with no eta. It has been in the shop for over 4 weeks (it was dropped of 8/18, but lights came on 8/10).

I am writing to report a serious safety concern with my newly purchased. I believe this issue, if unaddressed, could lead to accidents. Specifically, when I am stopped at a stop sign with another vehicle behind me and the light changes to green, I begin to drive forward. However, as the vehicle behind me starts moving toward me, my car suddenly and violently applies the brakes. The force is so strong that it feels as if I've been rear-ended. This abrupt braking creates a dangerous situation as it increases the likelihood of me being rear-ended by the car behind me. It is important to note that I am in "drive" mode and moving forward, not in reverse, so I would not expect the car to brake under these circumstances. This issue is not isolated, and I have experienced similar sudden braking on several occasions, but this scenario is the most concerning due to the potential for accidents. I took the car to the dealership, assuming it might be a programming error. However, the dealership informed me that this is a known issue with this model, but no recall has been issued to address it. I strongly urge the ntsb to investigate this matter further, as I believe it poses a significant safety risk to drivers and passengers. Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Recurring failures related to brake system. When reversing, the rear brake assist system slams on the brakes for no reason even though no obstacles are present. This startles everyone in the vehicle and nearby traffic. On other occasions, the vehicle shows an error on the instrument cluster stating "rear brake assist unavailable". More recently, a persistent error began appearing on the instrument cluster stating "service brake monitor", indicating a failure of the brake pad sensor. On top of all of this, the brakes are noisy and squeaky to the point where it wakes up my neighbors.

Lately this car has been signalling , to brake sooner because a vehicle is near but there is no vehicle around. While driving today we pulled out of a parking lot and entered main road the car stopped and it felt like a vehicle slammed and hit the rear end. My husband is assuming transmission went out. Our Traverse wouldnt accurate over 16 mph. (while driving) very dangerous!!!!.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

On multiple occasions now this vehicle has applied automatic braking for no apparant reason. The vehicle has applied an extreme braking scenario. And applied the full brakes causing the vehicle to skid and extremely jar the interior passengers. This automatic braking was almost like driving the vehicle into a wall as it was immediately stopped. In the latest instance the vehicle behind me was barely able to avoid running into the rear of my vehicle.

The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse includes front pedestrian braking and rear cross traffic braking as part of its standard advanced driver assistance systems (adas). However, these systems tend to malfunction on rainy days when the sensors become wet. In such conditions, the vehicle may brake abruptly even when there are no hazards in front or behind. For example, while attempting to drive around a vehicle waiting to make a left turn at an intersection, my Traverse suddenly stopped in the middle of the intersection, incorrectly detecting a potential collision. Another frequent issue occurs when backing out of my driveway on rainy days. The system applies the brakes, mistaking raindrops for obstacles. Due to these recurring problems, I have deactivated the safety systems and now drive without them enabled. This situation not only creates inconvenience for me as a driver but also poses risks to other road users if the vehicle stops unexpectedly in traffic. Additionally, repeated hard braking can lead to premature wear of braking components.

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

Transmission issue: dealer was not able to replicate issue due to it only happening periodically. When putting into drive mode and going to accelerate it feels as if the transmission is slipping and give a big jerk. Also will sometime make a loud noise like tranmission is "dropping". Or when foots off gas peddle after going at a steady speed then go to accelerate again it will jerk. Dealership said that is normal as there is a "learning phase" which I've owned several new vehicles n never experienced this before. No warning lights have been shown. Reverse automatic breaking issue: several occasions while reversing vehicle will slam into park mode when nothing is behind me. Brought to dealer, dealer said to shut off the notification. However, I don't want to have to shut it off. Tech did experience this once while attempting to reverse vehicle. But service advisor said there is no fix for this issue. Very startling to anyone in vehicle when it quickly locks up.

I was hit by another car who ran the red light. No airbag deployment at all, in serious crash. Whole front end hit without airbags going off. The engine was smoking and the brake would not work after inpact to keep it from rolling.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

1. When reversing, the emergency braking is very sensitive. On 6/20, it was pouring rain and every time I tried to back out the car kept slamming on the brakes thinking there was an object in the way. It also happened when we were leaving an appointment that same day. It wasn’t pouring rain, but rain was dripping down the back of the car and the car slammed on the brakes at least 5 times trying to back out. This also happened before when backing put of a parking spot and there was a shadow behind my car. The car kept slamming on the brakes thinking there was an object there. 2. Very jolting and unexpected movements. Not safe when trying to back out. 3. Unable to reproduce at the dealer. Took to the dealership on 6/20 after this happened. It was no longer pouring rain at that time, so was unable to reproduce the issue. 4. No inspection. The dealership did look at the sensors to make sure they weren’t pushed in or obstructed. 5. No warning prior to the issue.

While practicing parallel parking in the vehicle for about 1 hour, upon leaving the parking lot, there was a message that popped up on the dashboard reading, “service brake assist”. When driving the vehicle out the parking lot, the brakes were hard when pressing and the vehicle took a while to brake. I found myself braking at a far distance in order to stop the car at the nearest stop light. I turned my emergency lights and drove carefully home, since the engine light came on, which I parked and turned off the car. The next day, I turn on the vehicle and the engine light is still on, I take it to the local auto zone for a code, code p0556 is showing brake booster pressure sensor. I then call the dealership, they tow the vehicle and upon arrival they run diagnostics and text me the following message: “ buckalew Chevrolet: they looked into all of those. They'd have been induced by the parking brake situation, however eveything in the computers have moved to "history" standing which means the vehicle no longer deems it an issue. If a code is not active or current, there is not much I can do with it. It shows us what the computer saw as having an issue, but not what the issue is or how it occured. Without us being able to duplicate it or it actively giving a signal that we can measure, we are kind of stuck without a paddle. ” they next say they don’t find anything and they cannot fix it, there I have to go pick up my vehicle. Therefore I do, but the following weekend I go practice parallel parking again, and the issue happens all over again with the emergency brake assist turning on by itself, I continue to have braking problems. “steering assist is reduced drive with care” reads on the dashboard, I call the dealership, they say I have to bring the vehicle in when it’s actively having the issue, and I explain that once I turned off the car, the dashboard message disappeared. No response, no resolution. The dealership just brushed it off and said it was nothing.

The parking brake came on as I was driving and would not allow me to turn it off. It caused my brakes to smoke and they were radiating heat. It is currently at the shop kelley Buick GMC bartow, FL.

While driving the traction control, stabilitrac, all wheel drive, and abs systems will turn off and says to survive them. We have had the vehicle in to 3 different mechanic shops and the issue still persists. Each time a different "fix". This time the wheel speed sensor in the rear was replaced. We have had the other rear wheel speed senor replaced previously as well as the rear wheel bearing hub assembly.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

Defect includes issues with the electronic stability control (esc) system and the electronic-brake control module (ebcm). These issues can cause the driveline protection system to activate unexpectedly. When I initiate gas after a stop the "stabilitrak" alarms and sometimes emergency brake initiates. It is available for inspection upon request. Your safety is at risk from alarm sounding repeatedly at recurring stops. You also sometimes have to release the emergency brake or parking brake as it is initiated unexpectedly. This happens at a stop to start or accelerate but while you are actively driving. The dealer cannot reproduce they tell the customer. Inspected by dealer. Stabilitrak error messages on dash when it occurs. This first appeared a year ago roughly 12. 16. 2023. It happens mostly when the outside temperature is cold like below 50 degrees.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.