NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
This vehicle just recently failed inspection for the right rear toe link. I spoke with the dealers service department who stated that this is a known issue with this model but that there is not a current recall. From my research on Chevrolet forums, this is a very frequent issue. This is a very dangerous issue, and owners are being forced to pay for this known issue out of pocket. It is apparent that this is a manufacturing defect that should be recalled by Chevrolet.
I keep getting a shift to park, even though I am in park.I’m not able to turn off my car. I have read this a big issue with 2019 Traverse, why is there no recall showing as it can mess up the transmission?
At 37368 miles my 2019 Traverse had a message Shift to Park. This message does not throw a code so there is no record of the message. When the Shift to Park happened, the car has a beeping sound and even though the car is showing on the shift control it is in park, the car appears to believe it isn't. The dealership repair was to replace the switch in the shift control and added the jumper harness. The cost was covered under warranty. The problem stopped. Now at 69424 miles the Shift to Park message came back on again. When I put the car in park it appears to be in park but the car is beeping reminding me to shift it to park. I started the car, put the car into Drive with the car running, put my foot on the brake and then the red parking brake light came on the dash. The car would not move forward although it was in drive and I had never put the parking brake on. I immediately put the car back in park, leaving it running I pulled the parking brake up and down on the console it did remove the parking brake red command from the dash. I put the car back in drive and it did move forward so I could pull it in garage. The next day I took the car to the dealership. The car did not show the Shift to Park message at the dealership and the mechanic could not get the car to give him the Shift to Park message (even though the day before it was consistently giving me the message on the dash including the red parking brake light.) The dealership replaced the switch harness in the transmission shift control. The replacement part is the same that was installed at 37368 miles. This part is a Genuine GM Part since I have the box and the old switch that I requested. I had to pay $209.91 for the repair that I thought was taken care of at 37368 miles. I checked and there was no recall for this vehicle regarding this issue. I drove the vehicle today 2/1/24 and no issues.
The vehicle is equipped with auto stop technology that the driver can’t disable. While driving, the system is designed to initiate auto stop when vehicle comes to a stop. When my foot lifts off the brake to proceed, the engine kicks back in and vehicle moves forward. Two weeks ago at a stop, the engine did not kick back in. I had to put the car in park at the light and after several attempts to push the ignition button, the engine finally kicked back on. The vehicle had the same issue later that day so I scheduled with the dealer for 4 days out. No warning lights came on. My onstar app did not produce any error notice. Meanwhile, I saw a video to override auto stop, put vehicle in low gear 6. That’s what I did to get through to appointment. By day 3 (dealer is day 4), I returned to vehicle after an hour meeting and it didn’t start at all. The check engine light turned on, NOT the battery light. Had vehicle towed to dealer who said the only alert was a bad battery. (Battery is 16 mo with 36 mo warranty & alternator 5 mo old). I replaced the battery. Picked up vehicle from dealer and 5 miles away at a stop, vehicle shut off. I put vehicle in park, pushed ignition button and engine turned back on. I thought it was a fluke. 6 days later the vehicle turned off at stops on four separate occasions. Each time the battery was fully charged. On one last instance at an intersection stop, the vehicle shut off, would not restart when I pushed the ignition button, brake pedal became stiff, and dash lights and radio were completely off, as if the battery died. I let the vehicle sit at the intersection for 30 seconds before trying the ignition button, and it finally fired up. To get home, I put it in neutral at each stop to keep it from going into auto stop. This issue is not generating an “error” on the computer so dealer techs have no idea what to do. When I bypass auto stop by shifting to neutral at stops or driving in L6, there is no issue whatsoever with the vehicle.
I shift my car to park and turn off my vehicle and it keeps giving me an alert of “shift to park.”
See attached document for complaint
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH and various other speeds, the vehicle jerked and shuddered. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly while driving and turning. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission fluid was replaced by both herself and her husband; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
See attached document for complaint
My car is displaying the “shift to park” message in the dashboard.
One year ago the check engine light came on. Diagnosis stated EVAP system leak. Replaced a bad purge valve.now almost a year later the engine light comes back on car also started struggling shifting and shift to park would come on when car was already in park. Diagnosis states a large leak in EVAP system, smoke test determined leak was coming from the fuel canister. Canister was replaced and within two trips engine light came back on and car continues to struggle shifting as well as having a rough idle. Another diagnostic test reported bad fuel sensor. 2019 traverse seems to have a lot of EVAP system issues and have been told as well as read that this is a trending issue with this vehicle. With each diagnosis report it states it would fail fuel omission.
I have been experiencing an intermittent issue where the vehicle displays a “Shift to Park” message, even though the gear shift lever is clearly in the Park position. When this happens, the vehicle will not fully shut off, and I have to repeatedly move the shifter back and forth or restart the vehicle to clear the message. This issue began around January 2024, and it has become more frequent over time. I understand that this is a known defect in GM vehicles, and that GM issued Technical Service Bulletin #19-NA-206 to address it. According to the TSB and owner reports, this problem is caused by a faulty park switch or microswitch inside the shifter assembly, and the solution involves installing a jumper harness and/or replacing the shift control assembly. This is both a functional and safety concern, as the vehicle may not recognize it's in Park and could potentially result in a failure to turn off or secure properly. I’m requesting that General Motors or an authorized dealer perform the recommended repair per TSB #19-NA-206 at no cost, as this is a widely reported manufacturing defect. Please advise how this issue can be resolved as soon as possible. I am attempting at uploading a photo and a video. The system does not allow videos and it is rejecting the photo.
Car won’t turn off. Frequent shift to park messages when already in park. This appears to be common known problem and should be recalled immediately.
I shifted to park and turned the engine off. The engine turned off, but began beeping and the message board said SHIFT TO PARK. I started the engine again and shifted in and out of park and turned off engine. The same beeping and the same error message. I tried several times, with the same results. The car would not lock, and the beeping would not stop. I left the car for 20 minutes and then started it again and turned it off. At that time it stopped beeping and there was no error message. I had several errands to run on that day, and each time I got the error message with the beeping, and could not lock the car. This is a safety issue because at each stop I had to leave the car unlocked. I am a [XXX] widow and was traveling alone. Also, I worried that someone could start the car by just pressing the ignition button. I took it to the dealer and waited while it was being repaired. The dealer charged me $41.12 for a part listed at $21.49. They charged me $270.00 for labor for a job taking less than one hour. They also tacked on $20.00 for a "shop cost". General Motors has a repair bulletin #[XXX] for this issue. From the posts on the internet it is a common problem, and should have warranted a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My vehicle is displaying Shift to Park, which does not allow me to turn off the vehicle.
The torque converter in the transmission has failed it has currently been sitting at the dealership for 3 months do to supply chain issues. The dealership has confirmed the problem along with my auto insurance company as well. Prior too there was smoke with a bad odor coming out of the vents in the vehicle that could have caused me and my kids health issues dealing with breathing had we continued to drive the vehicle. There was no lights to indicate what the issue was. Only the fumes. The fumes came out from what the dealership stated was because of the clutch burning in the torque converter. This is a major issue that could kill someone if they inhaled to much of the fumes.
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.
After car is parked and turned off, a message comes on "shift to park" and I'm unable to get out and lock the car.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P); however, the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then firmly shifted into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 34,950.
car will not lock, ignition continues to beep and displays a message saying -Shift to park
Shift into park error comes up on screen when vehicle is put into park.
Twice my car has activated the Forward Assisted Braking while crossing railroad tracks. Both times it was immediately after a train had passed and it was clear to proceed. Both times my car came to an abrupt halt on the tracks with other traffic behind me. I cannot proceed until I tap the brake. And I’m worried I could be rear ended if it happens again while crossing during normal traffic.
I have a 2019 Chevy Traverse with 57,000 miles on it currently. First incident of loud noise coming from catalytic converter area began in Fall of 2022. In January 2023 I took it to the dealer and they found 2 cracks where the catalytic converter was cracked on each side of the pipes. I think they replaced the exhaust system at that time. Now, not even 1 year later, in 10/2023 I am hearing that same loud, embarrassing noise from my exhaust. I took it to the dealer today and there is a crack in my catalytic converter and the bracket broken off exhaust pipe that attaches to the muffler. I should not have to pay for this! In the Traverse Forum online this is a problem many people are having!
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon arriving to her destination and attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the vehicle failed to shift into park. A message was displayed, alerting the driver to shift the vehicle into park, even though the instrument panel had indicated that the gear shifter was in park. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V001000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 86,000.
“Battery Charging System” (alternator/battery issue) We’ve owned this car for almost 3 years and are on our 4th new alternator and 6th new battery. After further research this seems to be a constant issue with Chevy Traverses. Each time this light has come on, our car has fully shut off in the middle of the road on the way to a mechanic shop. Power steering, lights, locks, doors. Nothing works, putting us in danger of getting stranded or hit. Workers from Oreily, advanced auto parts, a previous mechanic and currant mechanic have all looked at the car and can’t figure out what draining the power. The only warning is the “battery charging system” light coming on shortly before the car fully shuts off. When the light comes on, we flip down to the battery voltage a s can see it drop.
After shifting vehicle from Drive (D) or Reverse (R) into Park (P) and attempting to turn the vehicle engine off (keyless ignition) an alert pops up stating "shift to park". The engine will shuts down but the ignition remains in auxiliary mode preventing you from completely powering the vehicle down.
The shift to park error message has been appearing on my Chevy Traverse. It first started to appear 3 months ago. I've always been able to get rid of the error by moving the shifter harder and wiggling it a little. But, one day last week when I came home and started to park my car, the shift to park error once again appeared. I have tried the trick that I have done in the past numerous times, but this time around it won't work. I called my Chevy dealership and made an appointment that same day since I can't even get out of my car since it will not let me turn off the vehicle. Even though I only have 22, 500 miles on my vehicle, but since my car is a 2019, it's no longer covered by the warranty, so I had to pay $740.00 to get my vehicle repaired. I researched online and found out that there has been a lot of cases like mine and there has been some class action lawsuit against Chevy. Chevrolet should issue a recall on all the models that has this same problem. Apparently they've known about this problem for years. If I have known that they have this issue, I would not have purchased my car.
Recall for Emissions Evap leak repaired less than a year ago after engine light illuminated. Had to be taken in two separate times to be fixed. Engine light illuminated again a week ago 10/1/23, when scanned by mechanic it is showing the same emissions Evap leak. The vehicle is sputtering when trying to start and doesn’t feel safe when driving. Dealership said they’re unable to even look and diagnose for another week after knowing it’s the same recall.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated after driving and arriving at his destination, the vehicle was parked and turned off however, console lights and radio remained functioning. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned off and the vehicle jerked forward. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
On September 29, I took my 2019 Traverse to the dealer for its annual state inspection for Virginia at Radley Chevrolet in Fredericksburg. The dealer failed the car due to needing a rear toe link replacement. The dealer told me that this is common in the 2019 Traverse and are replacing quite a few of them. The cost for the repair is going to be about $600. It only has 41,500 miles and has been a very dependable vehicle. What concerns me is that reading other online forums, many owners are lamenting the same thing being told that this is common amongst the Traverse, yet there are no recalls on it. There are a few other GM models that have a recall for the rear suspension, but I don't understand why the Traverse isn't one of them. I am asking for a review of this to see how many toe links have been repaired on the Traverse, specifically among 2019 models, compared to how many have been sold. if a recall is decided to be implemented, it would save a lot of people the hassle of being blindsided or at least thinking they are being scammed by the dealer. If there will be a recall, I would then seek reimbursement from GM as this should have been done long ago and just replaced on all vehicles, not just when it's being taken in for an inspection. Thank you very much. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
“shift to park” alert on the dash constantly comes on when you are actually parked. You then must re-start the car and put it into park again. You must do this up to TEN times to park without this signal going on. Within the last week, this has happened each and every time I have had my vehicle out. Over the last few months it has happened intermittently. Dealer says they are seeing a lot of this on my make and model when I took my car in this morning. This seems to be a VERY common problem in internet forums as to my make and model. THIS SHOULD BE A CLEAR RECALL. I can attach the invoice once the repairs are made today.
Has “Shift to Park” issue and will keep electronics on, killing the battery. Other vehicles were recalled but this is an excluded one. Was rear ended enough to get a salvage title but I was told a salvage title doesn’t affect safety recalls. Bought with less than 2k miles and have 22k miles on the vehicle now so there hasn’t been excessive use. Has done it several times now.
Listed on a Chevy website as a recall for 2018-2019 Traverse “shift to park”. It isn’t listed on your website or with the dealership. Over 170 complaints for the car not recognizing that you put it in park, which can drain the battery or worse cause your vehicle to move when it shouldn’t. I just paid $100 (luckily I had coverage), but this should be recalled. Dealership stated the part was on back order, which means a lot of people are having the same issue. This should be recalled and money refunded to customers.
SUV refuses to turn off when in park and ignition is pushed off. It gives message to place in park but the vehicle is in park.
1. Orange check engine light will not go off on my dash, When scanned by the mechanic it is showing an emissions Evap leak. 2. I'm having problem when I turn my Traverse off it beeps at me and I get a message that says shift to park. I wiggle the gear shift until it stops. This has been going on for quite a while now.
VEHICLE WIL NOT SHIFT TO PARK AND WILL NOT SHUT DOWN
I'm joining all the other people that have the shift to park issue on their 2019 Chevy Traverse. When you put it in park it does not register that it's in park so you can't turn off the car. If that's not a safety issue not sure what is? GM needs to have this part recalled asap before something bad happens. I'm also scared it's not in park when it says it is because who knows what's going on.
There are apparently 2 holes in my exhaust from the front exhaust pipe issue. The mounting bracket on the front exhaust pipe separated from the pipe, a hole developed because of this. This is a 2019 traverse, 54,000 miles. Should not have exhaust pipe issues. I took it in the dealer, they said they can fix part of this under warranty but the other part of this fix cost $1,600. I've had this car 1 year and again it's a 2019. Curious why GM would only cover part of this fix and make us pay for the other part. This was ALL caused by the same issue, confirmed by the dealer. GM is looking to see if they can assist in paying for this but I would like to still report this because people should not have to pay out of pocket for a terrible design flaw. And is this going to happen again? will it be covered?
Vehicle does not recognize when it is in park. When i place the vehicle in park and try to turn off the vehicle there is a warning on the dash that says "shift to park" even though the vehicle is already in park. I had this same issue 2 years ago and the dealership fixed the issue. This issue has come up again and this time I had to pay almost $500 for the fix. Dealer says this may occur again and next time will be an $800 fix. This is not a normal wear and tear issue this is a manufacture defect and should be covered by the manufacturer.
Nothing has happened to date. Dealership said that I need two new rear toe adjustment links when the car has less than 50,000 miles, no accidents, 1 owner, and properly maintained. This is a known issue with GM cars including Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5, and Cadillac XT6. The Chevrolet Traverse needs to be added to this recall as numerous customers have run into the same issue.
I just had the vehicle inspected and was shocked to find out that the rear trailing arms links or toe links failed inspection. Both the right and left side in the rear failed inspection. This was also causing the vehicle to be out of alignment. From these failed parts could've also caused a potential accident. The vehicle is only 4 years old and it has less than 40,000 miles on it. I believe these rear suspension parts failing this early is unacceptable. I also heard from my local dealership that this is a common problem among a couple models as well.
Both rear toe links and alignment. Vehicle has had a slight clicking or clinking sound coming from back. (Very quiet). During high speeds, such as highway use, vehicle appears to move back and forth more than expected while driving, and feels like its "rough running" as if something on suspension system is working harder at a higher speed. Dealer said this can cause excessive swaying of vehicle at higher speeds and therefore can cause accidents at these high speeds, especially on a highway road system. History: Bought pre-owned vehicle back in June 2022. Within 6 weeks, took into dealer FIRST time to have diagnosed amd repaired (both rear toe links and alignment). Dealer did replace the toe links, and stated vehicle was required to have a 4-wheel alignment after replacing, but that we as the owners were liable for cost of alignment. Extended warranty said that alignment should have been covered, dealer again said "No, wasn't part of the warranty or repair". I confirmed that it was absolutely necessary to perform this alignment. 12 months later, we took vehicle into dealer again for same sounds (soft or quiet clinking in back of vehicle) who stated both rear toe links are loose (again) and vehicle is required to have a 4-wheel alignment. Our warranty will again cover the rear toe links, but NOT THE alignment. Per the labor guide that the dealer uses for repairs and per our warranty, if a 4 wheel alignment is REQUIRED in order to replace the rear toe links, the alignment is supposed to be covered under warranty. DEALER is stating No. Both dealer and warranty company have access to the same Labor Guide information. This is a problem, and we heard from one other Chevy traverse owner that they had the same repeating issue. Why isn't there a recall for this?? Owners shouldn't have to pay for constant repair of the same issue if this is occuring, even multiple times on a yearly basis. It's expensive, several hundred dollars alone.
After one shifts the car in park and stops engine, a display warning and beeping sound starts stating "shift to park". Even though car is already in park. The beeping sound and message does not go away or quits. One cannot exit vehicle. Incorrect error and display messages and audio warnings are misleading and can lead to unknown safety concerns... The problem is repeatable and is occuring more frequently. The only way we have been able to "leave/stop" the car, is to repeatedly start car, shift into gear, shift into park and stop car engine. After 4 or 5 times, the car finally stops with no incorrect safety warning and beeping, and we can exit the car. Sometimes we have to drive a short distance to clear up this safety concern/issue.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after shifting to park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to shut off while depressing the PUSH START/STOP switch. The contact stated that the battery was drained due to the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.
Our Traverse shows a message “shift to park”. This happens after we have already shifted in park. This causes a continuous ding until we are able to trick the vehicle into park. The after concern is we leave the vehicle because we can’t get it to shift to park and it rolls damaging property or another person. This problem has left us stranded because we can not shift it.
Transmission says it’s not in park, but it is. This is an ongoing issue with GM vehicles but my vehicle is out of warranty and “doesn’t fit in the vin break” of the TSB. If this is a known issue, and it’s a safety issue, there needs to be a recall
When vehicle comes to a complete stop once auto stop engages vehicle turns off completely. Unable to start again after many attempts. Vehicle always needs to be towed back to the dealership.
Error message pops up saying shift to park. With this message on, the car will not shut off.
I am joining the ever growing list of Chevy Traverse (2019) owners who are experiencing the "shift to park" problem. When I turn off the vehicle, a message appears on the screen that I must shift to park even though the car is in park. As of now, I can usually jiggle it into place or move the car out of park and try again, but this is a safety issue I can't ignore. The dealer tells me they know of the problem and I am scheduled to have it repaired (or so they say?) at a cost of $425 plus tax.
When putting car in park it does not recognize it is in park. The car has to be reversed, pulled forward and turned off & if that doesn't work then out into neutral & turn off. This has to be done numerous times before it recognizes it is in park. It happens often.
Shift to park feature has starting failing. Causing several issues, the vehicle won’t let you turn it off or lock it. It is does not register that it is in park making it a hazard. There has been a high rise of this exact issue.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026