Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Traverse - part 1

Shift to park warning comes on every time I put my car into park. I can give the gear shift a hard tap so it can go into park and my car will turn off. I feel like after a period of tapping the great shift it will turn into a bigger problem.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

Each time I drive the vehicle, the transmission has a shudder to where it almost stops pulling. To me, this could cause an accident due to it failing when in heavy traffic. These transmission issues on these vehicles need to be recalled and corrected before someone gets hurt or possibly killed.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

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’ve had this vehicle for about a year or less the car ran fine with minor problems that come with having a vehicle. Up until last week the car never showed any signs of a failing transmission, it went from running fine to shuttering and suddenly I wasn’t able to reverse. The check engine light never came on, I’ve did all my routine checks and more with the dealership I bought it from and was never told anything when the vehicle was brought in for inspections.

We bought a 2019 chevy Traverse high country in 2018. Oct 2021-Jan 2022 chevy held the car to put a new transmission in, at no cost to us, with no explanation, no paperwork. Now we are in September 2025 and the car needs another transmission. In oct 2021 I was accelerating through an intersection and the car stopped in the middle of the intersection, it was terrifying. Luckily people around me realized the situation and help me get the car to safety. I had my two children in the car under 3. Fast forward to sept 2025, I am merging on the highway accelerating and my car is slowing down. I had the car towed to a dealership and the transmission has gone into self protect mode, identifying a gear shift problem between gears 3-4. Three transmissions in a car from end 2018-sept 2025.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

Around 65,000 miles I started to get a "shift to park" message when I tried to turn off the engine. The car was already in park. This is continuing to happen. I see that it has been an issue on this model since 2016. There needs to be a recall on this issue. You need to be able to turn off your car. Service bulletins have been sent out but no recall.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

When car is parked and tried to turn off it’s giving me a “shift to park” and it won’t turn off the car. I changed gears to try and take it off park and then put back in park and same message and it would not turn off car. After multiple attempts it finally turned it off.

Vehicle displays shift to park message and audible tone after arriving at destination and attempting to turn off vehicle. Shifter indicates the vehicle is in park and the transmission gears display on main screen also indicates the vehicle is in park; however the warning message and audible continue to occur. Numerous attempts to move shifter through the different positions p-d1 are required to get the warning message to clear and the audible tone to stop. It has rapidly gotten worse in a matter of two weeks and I’m concerned that it will continue to get worse until I am no longer able to clear it leading to a dead battery, as well as other potential powertrain problems. A recent class action settlement unfortunately does not provide any relief to me for this known safety issue which already has a large number of NHTSA complaints filed pertaining to this powertrain issue. Given the number of complaints filed, I would urge NHTSA to force gm to issue a recall for this safety issue.

Slipping in low gears of transmission. Shaking of vehicle. Potential to break down.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

2024 chevy Traverse transmission failed at 5,200 miles while exiting a major interstate. Vehicle struggled to downshift and switch gears. Transmission fluid leaked excessively while driving and parked. The vehicle was not drivable after failure. Unreliable and clunky acceleration and slowing down put passengers, including children - especially those in the rear-most seat - in danger. The problem was confirmed by the dealer. No further inspection outside of the dealership has occurred. There were no warnings prior to the failure or even during the failure. It wasn't until 20 minutes after the first observation of unusual handling, when an attempt to put the vehicle in reverse was made, that the notification was on the dashboard. When starting the vehicle 18 hours later to take a photo of the exact mileage, no alert was on the dash at all.

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

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 contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the "shift to park" message was displayed. The message was displayed after shifting into park(p). The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. However, the dealer informed the contact that the issue was a known issue, requiring that the wiring harness and shifter needed to be replaced. There was no diagnostic code was detected on the onstar app. The failure occurred intermittently, but during the most recent failure, the vehicle continued to roll after being shifted into park(p). The contact quickly shifted into reverse and engaged the parking brake, and the vehicle lost power without being turned off. The vehicle became inoperable and could not be unlocked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for additional examination. The manufacturer was not informed about the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Check engine light came on day after I purchased this vehicle. Cracks in both front exhaust pipes. Seem to be an issue with 2020 chevy Traverse models.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon arriving at his destination and moving the column shift lever into park(p), the message "please shift to park" was displayed. After several attempts and turning the vehicle on and off, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, the shift to park warning light illuminated. The contact moved the gear shifter, and the warning light turned off. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,195.

My 2019 Traverse has approximately 27k miles. I have taken the car in to a chevy dealership for repair. The car is shuddering at around 20 mph. The dealer told me this is a common issue and after review of hundreds of complaints it appears it is. It is out of warranty by a year. Apparently the issue is likely the torque converter. However gm, requires I do a transmission flush and reprogram followed by driving 500 miles. If it does not work then I have to replace the torque converter. The transmission flush is $980 dollars and a torque converter is quoted at $3,400. If this is a known issue and no fault of the driver it should be covered by gm. Why would I pay 1,000 dollars to then pay another 3,400 for a total of $4,400 dollars for a repair for a car with 27k miles. I feel like this should be a recall based on the number of complaints and cost to buyer. This seems ridiculous. I have agreed that the initial 980 dollars as I have no choice. I am requesting someone look into the gm transmission issues from the 2017 to 2020 year vehicles.

The transmission is slipping which caused the converter to go out in the transmission.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shift selector was shifted to park(p), and the message "shift to park" was displayed, and the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that after shifting to park several times, the failure self-corrected. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact indicated that the vehicle had previously been repaired for the same failure. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 84,000.

Check engine light came on. Chevy Traverse lost power and would not shift past 45 miles an hour. Once parked a bad bucking when put into reverse and loss of power or the vehicle would not move and revved as if out of gear despite being put into gear. Had vehicle towed to hubert vester Chevrolet in wilson nc where we purchased it with no remedy because symptoms would not replicate for the two weeks they had the vehicle. We drove it for a week, and the same thing happened again. Bucking started when slowing down. Towed to phelps Chevrolet greenville nc with same results of no repair or diagnoses after they kept it for three weeks. Neither dealership would provide a loaner vehicle. Vehicle is under extended drivetrain and bumper to bumper 100,000-mile warranties with no remedy for the issue. We are afraid to drive the vehicle but making payments on it. My personal code reader purchased from wal-mart scanned a p2715 pressure control solenoid d stuck on and p0700 transmission control system. However, the dealerships would not accept the information for repairing the vehicle saying they were showing as past check engine light stored codes. Invoices for both unresolved incidents are attached. Vester applied for changing the transmission fluid with our warranty but unsure if it was completed.

My 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, has unresolved safety defects that endanger occupants and other road users. These include transmission failure with loss of acceleration, “shift?to?park” malfunctions preventing engine shut?off, inoperative blind?spot/cross?traffic sensors, faulty tire pressure monitoring, and an active oil leak from the timing gasket cover. These issues occur unpredictably during normal driving and parking, creating an immediate risk of collision, roll?away, or engine fire. All of these issued happened within a very short time frame. June 2025 and I took my car into crews chevy, they want over $15,000 to repair. All of these items I have mentioned have numerous class action lawsuits (that they have won) for the year of my vehicle. I have spoken with gm (and have a case number) however, they are unwilling to repair, at no cost to me. I have an [xxx] daughter and work 7 days a week. I have been with out a car since [xxx] due to these issues. I do have the estimate for the repairs if needed. I do not have an actual repair invoice, as I wasn't able to afford the over $15,000 repairs. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

When my car is shift into park and I tried to turn it off it’s giving me a “shift to park” message and the car continue to idle when it is turned off. I changed gears to try and take it off park and then put back into park and the same message occurs and it would not turn off car. After multiple attempts it finally turned it off. This has become more and more frequent. I cannot leave the car if it is not properly in park, still running with the warning bell beeping.

The transmission. It is disengaging while driving down the road. It literally has basically stalled out in the middle of intersections, the highway, etc. There is a recall for this exact problem just not with my VIN for some reason. I tried to get a dealership to look at it and see if they can fix it they say they will not. I am not safe nor are others with this malfunction.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Traverse 🔎.

On [xxx], my 2019 Chevrolet Traverse (VIN [xxx] ) experienced a complete transmission failure. The vehicle began to hesitate, jerk during acceleration, and then completely lost the ability to shift or drive. It had to be towed, and the dealership confirmed that the transmission must be replaced. This is extremely concerning because gm previously issued recall 20v668000 involving missing bolts in the start-stop accumulator of the transmission, which can cause fluid leaks and loss of propulsion—a potential safety hazard. Although my VIN does not show this recall as active, the symptoms and failure seem directly related to this known defect. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether this recall should be expanded or reopened to include more affected vehicles. In addition to the transmission failure, I have had to replace the purge solenoid valve three times due to persistent check engine lights and fuel system issues, which suggests deeper reliability issues with emissions and vapor management. Lastly, there is now a hole in the exhaust pipe, which is affecting performance and may pose a safety or environmental concern due to potential carbon monoxide exposure. These multiple powertrain and emissions-related failures within the same vehicle raise serious concerns about the long-term safety, reliability, and manufacturing quality of the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this model year and VIN range further. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

After owning the vehicle for 13 short days, the check engine light came on and a message appeared indicating the vehicle could not be put in reverse due to unsafe vehicle condition. The vehicle just hit 500 miles at this time. Brought vehicle to the dealership 7/14 and it is still there diagnosed with needing a valve body for the transmission which is on back order and no estimate on when it will be available.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

This vehicle had 19500miles on it when we picked it up at the airport rental agency. It was 2wd model. We used it for 2200 miles on a family vacation and 95% of this was interstate highways. Smooth road surfaces. The travel conditions were sunny hot, dry. There were 6 passengers and a decent amount of luggage. Rear cargo area still had foot or more of space though so it was not stuffed like for a beach trip. At one point after getting on the highway from on ramp, there was a horrible sound. It got louder and louder quickly and caused us to panic. My husband looked in all the mirrors. He said it sounded like a peterbilt semi was barreling down on our ass. But there was none in the mirrors. He quickly let off the gas pedal during this and the sound went away. As we sped up again though, it did the same thing and this time even louder. Starting around 72mph. Something was resonating in the body or powertrain of the car and it seemed like it was about to come apart! we did a check quickly, all of the windows were completely up, the ac was on. The radio was off. He slowed back down, the sound went away. But for 3rd time of trying to reach 75mph, the whomping sound came back and was so intense, it was debilitating and he almost could not hear me talking. We didn't know what to do. He braked immediately to pull off to the side. On a busy highway. After we stopped he got out to look at the tires but we did not a have tire pressure gage. They seemed perfectly normal. He looked under car, in wheel wells, opened the hood with the engine running, shook the car from side to side. Nothing was found loose or hanging down. After this, we could hear the same type of sound at 54mph, 60mph, and between 72-77mph , it all came down to what rpm and gear the transmission was in. This seems like a total design flaw in the chassis or power train. We told the rental agency that no one should be using or buying this car until the issue was fixed.

Transmission shudders at low speeds changing gears. Less than 79,000 miles and changed or flushed transmission 3 times at dealership. Vehicle has been at dealership over a month with no fix in sight.

Vehicle started to show error for shift to park. Not able to shut vehicle off. Vehicle drives fine but when I go to park and vehicle is in park. I go to turn vehicle off and error appears. I called dealership according to them just to look at vehicle its going to cost me $275. . For everything else $1,100. After reading all the complaints on this issue why has manufacture done anything. Obviously this is a well known problem I've always loved my chevy.

July 2025 the transmission started stuttering. Took to an outside transmission shop, report showed torch converter failure.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(p), but the “shift to park” message was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth, then shifted into park(p) before the proper gear was recognized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission shifter assembly and jumper harness were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 19,900.

My transmission failed and had to be replaced for 10,000. The car is a 2018 so this was totally unexpected.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon shifting to park(p) and attempting to turn off the vehicle, an alarm sounded and the message "shift to park" was displayed. The contact stated that upon shifting out of park(p) and shifting back to park(p) several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was informed that the vehicle could only be diagnosed if the vehicle was taken to the dealer while experiencing the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,300.

I recently had to replace my transmission (2020 Chevrolet Traverse) due to shuddering from manufacturer's fault in assembly process. Now I'm having to replace the transmission in my mother's 2018 Chevrolet colorado that has less than 65k miles. These issues cause power loss while driving. I was in the middle of passing another vehicle when my vehicle experienced power loss. This is a huge safety issue, not only for my family but many others that I know that are experiencing or have experienced the same issues. I have 3 family members that have had to have the same repairs as well as over 40 acquaintances. I had assumed with the thousands others that I've chatted with on facebook and reddit that this would have been a recall, sadly, gm/Chevrolet doesn't seem to care that it is their fault that their consumers are having to spend thousands of dollars to correct an issue that leaves the manufacturer at fault. With the thounsands experiencing the same issue, I feel that those that have already had to spend money should be reimbursed.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the message “shift to park” was displayed and the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jolted abnormally while accelerating. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed since the VIN was not under an open recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lunged forward and stopped while at the traffic light. The contact stated that while driving over 4 mph, the vehicle seized with the transmission warning light illuminated. The contact was concerned about being involved in a crash due to the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 88,071.