NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
RECALL WAS PERFORMED, BUT THE PART WAS REPLACED WITH A NON COLOR MATCHING INTERIOR BLACK HOSE OVER THE CABLE. THIS HOSE, WHICH IS NOT PROTECTED, WILL GET BRITTLE AND CRACK OVER TIME TO EXPOSE THE CABLES, WHICH WILL CAUSE THE CABLE TO RUST. ALSO, CHILDREN WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH IT CAUSING DAMAGE. PETS WILL BE ABLE TO CHEW, SCRATCH OR TEAR IT. I CAN FORESEE ANOTHER RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED THE INCORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
THIS HAS NOW OCCURRED TWICE WITHIN THE PAST 30 DAYS. WHILE IN MOTION, THE VEHICLE TRANSMISSIONS JERKS, AND SPEED IS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED TO 5MPH. THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AS DOES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. A REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS SCAN FROM ON-STAR IDENTIFIED 3 ERROR CODES: C0561, P0700, P182E. THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WHILE EXITING A HIGHWAY OFF-RAMP. THIS VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THERE WERE NO KNOW ISSUES RELATED TO THIS, NO RECALLS, AND NO SERVICE BULLETINS EXISTED DESCRIBING THIS BEHAVIOR FOR THE 2013 MODEL YEAR. THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM AND RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO ME. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND SLOWING FROM ~35MPH WITH TRAFFIC CLOSE BEHIND. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SYSTEM BEHAVIOR WHICH COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A SEVERE INCIDENT IN A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN THE STATE WHERE THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT IS ON WE OBSERVED HARD TRANSMISSION SHIFTING/JERKING INTO AND OUT OF PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, AND DRIVE. WE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF FOR 15 MINUTES. UPON RESTARTING, NORMAL OPERATIONS WERE RESTORED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED OFF AFTER ~25-30 MILES OF DRIVING. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE RADIO FAILED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE SENSORS AND GAUGES INTERMITTENTLY FLICKERED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH ATTEMPTING TO AVOID DOG, THE CONTACT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BACK AND LEGS. THE CONTACT DID NOT SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT TURN OVER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STALL WHILE CHANGING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GRAFE CHEVROLET GMC (407 FAIRWINDS ST, HALLETTSVILLE, TX) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE DEALER FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION FILTER, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.
AS I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND AND CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I HAD NO WARNING AND NO ABILITY TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THAT A PIECE IN THE ENGINE HAD FALLEN OR BROKEN AND DAMAGED THE PISTON, THE CYLINDER AND THE HEAD OF THE ENGINE. AS THE MECHANIC SAID, IT WAS A "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE." THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE IN THE CAR AND THEN ONE DAY LATER, AFTER HAVING THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 32 DAYS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS NOT WORKING AND THEY REPLACED IT. GM TOLD ME THAT THE PIECE THAT FELL HAD NOT BEEN TIGHTENED PROPERLY AND THIS WAS MISSED ON THE FINAL INSPECTION. NOT ONLY AM I CONCERNED BY HAVING HAD THIS FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, MOREOVER IN A NEW CAR, BUT THE SUDDEN STOPPING OF THE CAR WHILE DRIVING IS THE SAME THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CARS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN RECALLED BY GM. I GOT THIS CAR BECAUSE OF ITS GOOD SAFETY PROFILE HOWEVER NOW I DO NOT FEEL SAFE AND SECURE DRIVING THIS CAR. *TR
TRANSMISSION WAS SURGING AND ABRUPTLY SHIFTING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR AND AGAIN FROM FIFTH TO SIXTH GEAR. THE MORE IT WAS DRIVEN THE WORSE IT WAS GETTING. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. WAVE PLATE AND PISTONS AND SEALS GEARS 3, 5 AND REVERSE WERE ALL REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION TECH AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID WHEN HE OPENED IT UP THERE WAS METAL PARTS FALLING OUT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM I FOUND 5 OTHERS THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THE WAVE PLATE IS BREAKING APART INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. I EXPECT TO SEE A RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION AS MORE PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR
WITHOUT WARNING, NO LEAKS, NO NOISES.... AT 55 MPH WHEN I STARTED TO DECREASE MY SPEED TO TAKE A CURVE I LOST MY POWER STEERING. THIS COMES AND GOES WITHOUT WARNING AND IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ANYONE DRIVING A TRAVERSE!! I JUST BOUGHT THIS USED VEHICLE ON MAR 6, 2013 AND NO SIGNS OF ANY PROBLEMS AND THEN THE POWER STEERING FAILS. WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN INTO PARKING LOTS OR ONTO A SIDE STREET IT JUST HITS AND YOU LOSE ALL POWER STEERING MAKING IT VERY DANGEROUS FOR ALL PERSON(S) IN OR NEAR THE VEHICLE. WE WERE TOLD BY VARIOUS MECHANICS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA THAT THIS IS A "KNOWN" DESIGN FLAW AND PROBLEM IN THESE VEHICLES AND YET GM HAS YET TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!! THERE IS A MULTITUDE OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE THE IS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH POWER STEERING ISSUES!! GM SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ISSUE A RECALL IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE AND SOMEONE GETS KILLED AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS ARE FILED!! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GLOBAL POSITIONING NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM WAS DIFFICULT TO READ BECAUSE THE FONT WAS ENTIRELY TOO SMALL. THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM ALSO EXHIBITED WHITE LETTERING ON A LIGHT GREEN BACKGROUND, WHICH DID NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH CONTRAST. THE LOCATION OF THE SCREEN WAS ABNORMALLY LOW ON THE DASHBOARD AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO REMOVE SIGHT FROM THE ROADWAY FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER THEY STATED THAT THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1500. UPDATED 06/07/13*LJ
IN SNOW OF ALMOST ANY DEPTH, THE VEHICLE WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY ON ACCELERATION FROM 35 MPH UP. THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ACCELERATE AND FEELS LIKE ITS BOGGING DOWN. IT WILL STAY LIKE THIS FOR SOMETIME HOURS THEN IT WILL CEASE. FENDER WELLS ARE CLEAR OF DEBRIS. THE PROBLEM IS IT WILL DO THIS SOMETIMES AT WILL ON THE ROADWAY WHERE I HAVE BEEN ALMOST REAR ENDED TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEED, THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THE CHEVY TRAVERSE FORUM WEBSITE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT OR DIE. *TR