Chevrolet · Traverse · 2009
8
Recalls
448
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse has 8 recalls and 448 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: steering (209 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES. THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELD RESTRICTS THE UPWARD ROTATION OF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS RETURNED TO A SEATING POSITION AFTER BEING FOLDED FLAT. IF THE BUCKLE CONTACTS THE SEAT FRAME, ADDITIONAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO RETURN THE SEAT TO A SEATING POSITION. IF SUFFICIENT FORCE IS APPLIED, THE BUCKLE COVER COULD BE PUSHED DOWN THE STRAP, EXPOSING AND PARTIALLY DEPRESSING THE RED RELEASE BUTTON.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GM IS RECALLING 15,393 MY 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, "PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS." THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A PARK BRAKE CABLE LINK (CONNECTOR) THAT IS NOT TO SPECIFICATION. THIS CONNECTOR MAY FRACTURE WHEN THE PARK BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Remedy Status
DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE PARK BRAKE CABLE LINK (CONNECTOR) FREE OF CHARGE. GM ANTICIPATES THAT THE DEALER BULLETIN WILL BE SENT MAY 5, 2009 AND OWNER LETTERS WILL BE MAILED IN JUNE 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 276,729 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET COBALT, HHR, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, PONTIAC G5, G6 AND SATURN AURA AND OUTLOOK PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT POSITION SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT", AND FMVSS 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION". ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP MAY NOT BE FULLY ENGAGED. IF THE CLIP IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED, THE SHIFT LEVER AND THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT MATCH. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE DRIVE COULD MOVE THE SHIFTER TO "PARK" AND REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY, BUT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT BE IN "PARK".
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP IS FULLY ENGAGED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE CLIP DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE SHIFT CABLE WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GM IS RECALLING 16,667 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.' THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IN THE SECOND OR THIRD ROW THAT IS MISSING A RIVET.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLES IN THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS, AND REPLACE THEM IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 26, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; GMC AT 1-866-996-9463; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
Remedy Status
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
Limp mode. It doesn't have speed only goes about 10-20 mph, doesn't give any gas it'll stall act as if it wants to shut down. Transmission Shift Cable. Stalls want let me get gas or nothing slowing down in traffic, it just gives up. No. yes. others Check engine light, Stabilitrak/traction control system, ABS sensor Whenever the check engine light came early part of December.
I just bought the car from sb auto . The car I had for 4 days wasn't making funny nosies nothing. The timing went when I was driving the car it came to a dead stop lost power steering . Had me and my son in the car thankfully I was Turning into a complex when it happened. It's got 159163 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that when she started her vehicle and shifted into drive (D) and depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that she attempted to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle nearby her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
I bought the car in August of last year and drove it for about 3 days before it started giving me problems. First incident I was driving my children home from the hairdresser and the car completely went out us on the highway, after repeated attempts for a half hour or so I was able to start it and drive it back home very slowly..this happened twice I went to get it diagnosed and codes came up for crank shaft sensor and o2 sensor, before I could even get that fixed more problems came up, the steering wheel began to become stiff and almost impossible to turn, while picking my son up from school I was trying to pull away from the curb in the drop off spot and almost hit another car and a child because the steering wheel stiffened up on me!!! I was told I would need an entire steering rack!!! ...also the key has gotten stuck in the ignition and wouldn't start and I had to have it towed to a mechanic for that as well. Driving up hill one day I lost power that made it seem like it was stuck in low, then we lost reverse altogether as well as the ability to climb hills. I got the transmission repaired, barely made it home before it started doing the exact same thing, no reverse and won't go up hills, so I had to get it towed back to the shop to fix it once again, now I find out that the computer went bad as well and was causing the car to perform in neutral. This car has given me nothing but problems since I bought it! It is very dangerous to be on the road! I don't understand how they're even still in circulation!! This is by far the worst experience I've ever had with a vehicle! Upon doing research online I seen that there were HUNDREDS of people with these cars experiencing the same problems. Something has to be done!! I had the car almost a year and only got about a week's worth of use!!
I bought my car and not even a month later I was driving off the interstate and it shut down on me. I had it towed to my house and it won’t start anymore. The car makes a funny clickin noise. It could have killed me if I would have wrecked.
Wiring failing, abs won't work, track control not working, reverse camera, stable track,
The car appeared to have lost power, not while entering the freeway. I pressed on the gas, but it made a loud sound and barely moved. I then saw smoke, pulled over and the car cut off. The car continued to smoke. I opened the hood, and it was a fire under it. Prior to driving, the check engine light was on.
Airbag “Service Airbag” light appears on dash intermittently.
I bought a used car and maybe it’s just wear and tear but I’ve seen it in lots of forums on the internet also. My back end sways going around curves almost like I am fishtailing and then my traction control dings and it says service traction control and also my car jumps when in idle the rpm needle moves with it. It acts like it doesn’t want to get up and go at about 60. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about the engine and transmission going out in vehicles. I didn’t know this when I bought the vehicle. I have 2 kids and I need this car to take them to school and errands. I don’t know if this is normal wear and tear or if it’s something wrong with the car from the beginning
Both catalytic converters are bad and the vehicle only has 89k miles
VEHICLE IS HARD TO TURN AT LOW SPEEDS. (POWER STEERING) HIGHER SPEEDS IT STEERS NORMALLY. THEY APPARENTLY KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE.
WAS DRIVING FINE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING CAR WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 15 MPH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN TRACTION CONTROL WENT OFF. ACROSS THE DASH IT SAID "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE STABILITRACK AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER" THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING BETWEEN 2 DIFFERENT GEARS MAKING IT EXTREMELY SCARY TO TRY DRIVING TO A SAFE SPOT WITH 3 YOUNG KIDS.
A year a go the steering at low speed would act like the power steering just stop working, very hard to turn. but not all the time, but now it more often. when a kid ran out between two parked cars I went to turn and hit the brakes the steering went out. Luckily he stop in time, but after that I needed it repaired. Went to GM web site and was amazed of all the people with this, called chevy dealer about repairs and was told its my problem and it would be $ 2100.00 to replace a faulty power steering pump, how is this not a safety problem. Try turning in a parking space and the wheel locks up its hard not to hit the car beside you. WITH NO WARNING
I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE AND CONTROL OF THE CAR WAS LOST. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR AND I WAS NEVER TOLD OF ANY ISSUES OR RECALLS WITH THE CAR AS IT SHOULD HAVE WENT THROUGH A SAFETY INSPECTION. EVEN WHEN I LOOKED ONLINE THE VEHICLE WAS CLEARED FOR RECALL REPAIRS. NO SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS ALERTED ME OF ANY PROBLEMS. THIS HAPPENED INSTANTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION BACKING INTO A CITY STREET.
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON
COUPLE MONTHS AGO I WAS OUT WITH MY FAMILY AND NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS ALMOST STUTTERING WHEN I PLACED IT IN REVERSE. A LITTLE LIKE WHEN YOU DRIVE A CAR WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND YOU DEPRESS THE CLUTCH BUT DON'T GIVE THE CAR ENOUGH GAS AND IS STARTS TO JERK BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF ROLL SMOOTHLY. THEN AS I TRAVELED HOME I NOTICED A SORT OF SHUTTER WHEN THE CAR SHIFTS AT 25 MPH- I'M GUESSING AROUND 3RD GEAR. NO SHUTTERING AT A HIGHER GEAR. IT HAS BEEN IN MY GARAGE SINCE THAT DAY AND I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT. FROM WHAT I BEEN READING & LEARNING IT HAS TO DO WITH THE WAVE PLATES ON THE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. PLEASE HELP.
MY 2009 CHEVY TRAVERSE HAS A LOT OF RECALLS ON IT. FROM THE AIR BAG, SEAT BELTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER STEERING. AT FIRST THIS ONLY HAPPENED OCCASIONALLY AND NOT IT IS HAPPENING MORE. IT ALSO GETS WORSE IF VEHICLES HAS BEEN DROVE ALONG THAT DAY. CHECK POWER STEERING FLUID AND IT IS FULL. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME I TURN BUT RANDOMLY WHEN TURNING AT LOW SPEED. TURNING ONTO A ROAD, AT STOPLIGHT OR INTO AND OUT OF PARKING SPOTS. HAPPENS WITH SPEEDS BETWEEN 5-20 MPH
POWER STEERING HAS FAILED AGAIN. POWER STEERING WAS FIXED UNDER A PREVIOUS RECALL, BUT THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED AGAIN MAY 2020.
WARNING CHIMES / SPEAKERS NOT WORKING DUE TO WATER SHORTING THE PLUGS FOR THE DOOR ATTACHMENTS. BACKUP SAFETY CHIMES AND ALL CHIMES ARE INSTALL WITH PURPOSE AND SAFETY IN MIND.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse has 8 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 448 owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse are steering (209 reports), power train (35 reports), engine (22 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 8 recalls on record for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.