2021 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE

3 recalls — 50 complaints

22V210000 Mar 31, 2022
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles. The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212352140.
89 vehicles affected
21V817000 Oct 18, 2021
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Traverse wheelchair accessible vehicles with Power In-floor Ramp conversion. The screw and clip that hold the inner wheel-well plastic shroud in place may chafe against the transmission case, possibly resulting in a transmission fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the screw and clip, and inspect for signs of contact with the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.
639 vehicles affected
21V472000 Jun 24, 2021
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:FRONTAL IMPACT
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave vehicles. During service by dealers, certain vehicles may have received incorrect air bag calibration software that may affect frontal airbag deployment.
Remedy: Dealers will update the air bag calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N212340220.
6 vehicles affected
POWER TRAIN Mar 18, 2026
I was driving and without any type of warning the car stopped shifting so I was barely touching the gas but my tac was all the way up.
POWER TRAIN Mar 9, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and stopping at a red light, the vehicle accelerated but failed to exceed 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure could not be replicated. The contact stated that on another occasion, while stopped and attempting to make a left turn onto a highway at 75 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
ENGINE Mar 3, 2026
Both exhaust pipes before the catalytic converter are cracked and leaking at the same welded mounting bracket. One of them GM is coving under the extended warranty but the other one also needs replaced the turn off the engine warning light. It is allowing exhaust gas to leak under the car and is preventing the emissions from operating properly.
ENGINE Feb 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to respond intermittently upon depression of the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the gear shifter failed to respond or responded slowly when releasing the gear shifter button intermittently. The gear shifter was easily moved to a different gear from unintended contact. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond, jerked, and made an abnormal sound while the RPMs were significantly elevated. The vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R), and the gear shifter was sticky. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there were fault codes found that were related to the transmission. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
POWER TRAIN Feb 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to respond intermittently upon depression of the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the gear shifter failed to respond or responded slowly when releasing the gear shifter button intermittently. The gear shifter was easily moved to a different gear from unintended contact. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond, jerked, and made an abnormal sound while the RPMs were significantly elevated. The vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R), and the gear shifter was sticky. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there were fault codes found that were related to the transmission. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
POWER TRAIN Feb 18, 2026
I AM HAVING A LOT OF TRANSMISSION SHUDDER ESPECALLY WHEN ACCELERATING. NOTICED THAT CONSUMER REPORTS STATED IN THEIR MAGAZINE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY NHTSA HAS NOT MADE CHEVROLET DO SOMETHING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER.
POWER TRAIN Jan 9, 2026
I was driving 45 mph on a state route when all of a sudden my drive shaft bolt came completely out and split my drive shaft in two causing me to lose control. No damage at all or rust or anything is visible on the drive shaft. Could have caused a serious injury or worse. I just had a Multi Point Inspection done the day before the incident occurred
STEERING Jan 7, 2026
UNKNOWN Steering assist reduced has been issued to the vehicle. Upon inspection we are being told that the steering rack needs to be replaced to resolve the issue.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dec 25, 2025
Shift to park message comes on 50% of the time when shutting down the engine, Tapping the shift lever forward sometimes Removes the message, other times restarting the engine and shifting to drive and back to park several times will remove the message
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM Dec 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the front exhaust pipe made an abnormally loud sound, and there was an odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
STEERING Nov 10, 2025
The electronic stability control (ESC) system and power steering system malfunctioned. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The power steering warning indicated a potential loss or reduction of steering assist, which could have made it difficult to steer and control the vehicle—especially at higher speeds or in traffic. This posed a potential safety risk to me and others on the road. Yes. The issue was confirmed by my local Chevrolet dealership. They determined that a software update was required to correct the malfunction. The vehicle was inspected and serviced by my local Chevrolet dealership. It has not been inspected by police, insurance representatives, or others. Yes. Immediately after shifting from reverse into drive while backing down a driveway (at approximately 5–10 mph), two warning messages appeared: “Service ESC” and “Service Power Steering, Drive with Care.” There were no prior warning lights or symptoms before this occurred.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER Nov 4, 2025
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 49,000. It was later discovered, after checking the Carfax report, that the mileage was 75,000.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Oct 30, 2025
In the first 51,000 on my vehicle I have had 3 issues with the emissions system which has a negative impact on the environment and would prevent my vehicle from passing state inspection. GM covered the first 2 under warranty, but I now have a leak in my muffler which seems that it could be related to other issues involving brackets on the exhaust pipes breaking. This is widely reported by other Traverse owners yet GM has not extended the warranty to cover this.
SUSPENSION Oct 29, 2025
Right Rear upper and lower toe links broke nearly causing a serious accident when brakes were applied, vehicle pulled severely to the right causing it to swerve and narrowly missing another vehicle. The toe link failure on my vehicle which has only 29702 miles put my life and the life of my family members at risk. The vehicle was brought to our local licensed repair shop in Massapequa, NY where the prblem was diagnosed and repaired. No warning lights or symptoms occurred prior to this first incident. I researched this safety item for any recalls on this issue, however there are none currenlty on file for my vehicle but several for other Cheverolet vehicle with same toe link issue.
SERVICE BRAKES Oct 29, 2025
Right Rear upper and lower toe links broke nearly causing a serious accident when brakes were applied, vehicle pulled severely to the right causing it to swerve and narrowly missing another vehicle. The toe link failure on my vehicle which has only 29702 miles put my life and the life of my family members at risk. The vehicle was brought to our local licensed repair shop in Massapequa, NY where the prblem was diagnosed and repaired. No warning lights or symptoms occurred prior to this first incident. I researched this safety item for any recalls on this issue, however there are none currenlty on file for my vehicle but several for other Cheverolet vehicle with same toe link issue.
Carry Handle, Shell, Base Oct 28, 2025
The base does not look in place. The buttons do not look to put in position. The entire car seat slides back and forth on its base.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Oct 17, 2025
Front exhaust pipe is seperating
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Oct 10, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the engine oil was abnormally low and required 2-quarts of oil to top off the oil level even though the vehicle had recently been serviced. 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 41,000.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Oct 5, 2025
Received a "Service Battery Charging System" dash warning message driving down the highway. Made it home and changed the battery but the issue persists and I can't drive the car. Reading online many complaints/problems with alternator and electrical premature failures. Car is a little more than 4 years old and has only 23,600 miles. Getting the car to the Chevy dealer tomorrow to diagnose problem and fix. If car were to stall out at highway speeds it could be very dangerous. This problem should receive further investigation by NHTSA. Shouldn't have electrical failures on cars with 23,000 miles.
AIR BAGS Oct 2, 2025
While going around 40mph I approached a stopped vehicle and tried to come to a stop. At this time my braking system failed, speeding the car up instead of slowing it down, this resulted in my car rear ending another vehicle. When the car accident occurred my steering wheel air bag came out but did not inflate. There were no warning lamps or messages at the time of the crash. Due to the laws in Mississippi it was declared I was at fault and the insurance company will not inspect or cover the damages.
Crash 1 injured
SERVICE BRAKES Oct 2, 2025
While going around 40mph I approached a stopped vehicle and tried to come to a stop. At this time my braking system failed, speeding the car up instead of slowing it down, this resulted in my car rear ending another vehicle. When the car accident occurred my steering wheel air bag came out but did not inflate. There were no warning lamps or messages at the time of the crash. Due to the laws in Mississippi it was declared I was at fault and the insurance company will not inspect or cover the damages.
Crash 1 injured
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Sep 27, 2025
Radio went blank unable to access screen. Not sure reason. Upon start up couldn’t access any parts of radio. Couldn’t reset and issue still current as of today.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Sep 27, 2025
Radio went blank unable to access screen. Not sure reason. Upon start up couldn’t access any parts of radio. Couldn’t reset and issue still current as of today.
ENGINE Sep 21, 2025
I was driving to work and my car made a loud noise. I was able to drive back home. I took my car to the Chevrolet repair shop. They said my front exhaust and catalytic converter are broken. They replaced my exhaust pipe and not the converter.
POWER TRAIN Sep 21, 2025
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.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA Sep 10, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
BACK OVER PREVENTION Sep 10, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Sep 3, 2025
MY ALTERNATOR WENT OUT AT 40K MILES IT WAS REPLACED AND NOW WENT OUT AGAIN AT 75K. I HAVE GONE THRU 7 BATTERIES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW. THE CAR DIED ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF IN INTERSECTION AFTER GETTING THE NEW ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY REPLACED 3 WEEKS AGO. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!!!!!
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled. The contact lost power steering functionality and was unable to move over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the alternator was replaced. The contact stated that it was the second time that the alternator was replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jump-started, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery. Most recently, the vehicle failed to start, and the contact was unable to open the doors. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Aug 6, 2025
On [XXX], Onstar did an Auto Unlock on my car. After the car was opened, the entire radio panel didn’t work. On June 13th, Bob Johnson replaced the Onstar telecommunications module. Only the radio worked with the screen black for a couple of minutes. Then it stopped working. They stated that they ordered the part, but every time I call, they haven’t. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
ENGINE Jul 23, 2025
the dealership car because the engine lingt Come the fun out the Cadillac converter have to be replaced. Is a 2021 traverse. Come to find out I'm not the only person that has the same problem I need to check the Cadillac converters on these Traverse
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jun 17, 2025
HAD RECALL DONE (N222385510 ) EXHAUST LEAKING FROM ROTTING AWAY PIPE, REPAIRED WITH NEW PIPE, BUT PIPE ON OTHER SIDE WAS ALSO LEAKING EXHAUST WOULD NOT FIX BECAUSE IT WASN'T PART OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL, THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, FOR THE COMPLETE EXHAUST SYSTEM, JUNK METAL ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jun 15, 2025
I had my car on the shop I was never told that there was a recall on the exhaust system in these type of cars I have had my car a little over a year they fix one side of the exhaust but stated the other side was not covered they told me I would have to pay I dont have the money to pay for this had they told me when this was under warranty I could have done something different but they never said anything about this being a problem in this SUV I have talk to several persons at the dealership as well as GM now they are telling me it’s nothing they could do because my car is not under warranty but it was when I was taking my car to the shop if there’s a recall on certain items in a car I should have been aware about any issues before I purchased this vehicle they tell me when the problem occurs this is what happens in these vehicles.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER May 7, 2025
Vehicle with less than 50000 miles has 2 broken flex pipes on the exhaust system that is going to cost me $1,932.66. This should be a warranty recall and GM should allow you to take it to a mechanic of your choice for repairs as the dealerships cannot give you a fair time frame to repair.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Apr 29, 2025
Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and has caused battery drain and confusion about whether the car is fully secured. This issue is clearly known by GM, as evidenced by a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #19-NA-206 and others). It affects multiple model years and has prompted a class action lawsuit. Despite the widespread nature of this defect, GM has not issued a recall. I believe this issue presents a safety concern, particularly for drivers unaware that the car may not fully power down, and due to the potential for battery drain and immobilization. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether a recall is warranted
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Apr 29, 2025
Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problem: Persistent “Shift to Park” message when vehicle is in Park I own a 2021 Chevy Traverse and have experienced repeated incidents where the dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear shifter is securely in the Park position. This prevents me from turning the vehicle off and has caused battery drain and confusion about whether the car is fully secured. This issue is clearly known by GM, as evidenced by a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB #19-NA-206 and others). It affects multiple model years and has prompted a class action lawsuit. Despite the widespread nature of this defect, GM has not issued a recall. I believe this issue presents a safety concern, particularly for drivers unaware that the car may not fully power down, and due to the potential for battery drain and immobilization. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether a recall is warranted
POWER TRAIN Apr 24, 2025
Car was late shifting into gear. Taken to dealership and replaced tourque cpnverters for 3800. Car gets fluids checked 4,000 miles later transmition is shot fue to leak from gasket on transmition...
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Apr 8, 2025
The vehicle does not recognize when the vehicle is shifted to park. It states “shift to park” when the vehicle is already shifted to park. When this happens and the push to start button is pressed to shut the vehicle off, the vehicle will not shut off which becomes a major issue as the car continues to run and the vehicle’s battery will die since the vehicle will not fully shut off. This is a safety hazard because the vehicle can end up with a dead battery when this happens. I’ve looked this issue up online and it is a common issue that Chevy has failed to address.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Mar 10, 2025
1. DRIVER SIDE EXHAUST FLEX PIPE BRAKET 2. Exhaust leak 3. Yes. It has been replicated and diagnosed. 4. No engine light. There was a rattling and increased exhaust noise. A hole in the exhaust pipe at the bracket location was found. 5. This condition seems to be a common problem with this year and make which I am now having to pay $600 to repair.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 24, 2025
My car came up with an alert message when I started the vehicle, "Service Battery Charging System Vehicle May Stall". I assumed using my remote start had somehow drained my battery or that the cold weather (30 degrees) was affecting my battery. I began driving hoping the battery would charge once running. Another alert came up, "Battery Saver Active". The alerts repeated again. In less than 10 miles from where I first started, I made it to a Les Schwab where I asked them to check my battery. The guy ran out and said my battery had more juice not running. They told me to take it to service repair shop close by. I began driving to the nearest shop and my car jerked/stopped/died, the steering was locked up and I lost complete control of the vehicle but luckily I was not far out of the Les Schwab parking lot and was able to coast into another parking area. I had to have my car towed to the repair shop where they told me it would cost $1,600 to replace the alternator, I luckily have a Platinum Extended Warranty and it appears to be covered. I am so thankful that I was not on a highway at the time and that I took the alert seriously and responded immediately. My 14 year old was in the car with me and it really scared her that the car jerked and stopped. The amount of time I had from receiving the alert to a dead battery was very short. This should not happen and I'm so glad that I was driving versus an up and coming driver (turns 15 next week) that would not have known what to do. I've done my research and this issue has been mentioned in several chats regarding owners experiences for Traverses' around the 30,000 mile mark, my car is at 40,000 miles and was serviced at 30,000. I'm honestly not sure I can ever trust my vehicle after this experience. Others have said that they fixed the issue only to have it happen again.
POWER TRAIN Jan 21, 2025
The battery wasn't being charged which caused some problems. However, it was the alternator that was bad. Since the battery wasn't being charged and the alternator was failing, there were problems with steering and engine power which almost caused a collision at highway speeds.
STEERING Jan 21, 2025
The battery wasn't being charged which caused some problems. However, it was the alternator that was bad. Since the battery wasn't being charged and the alternator was failing, there were problems with steering and engine power which almost caused a collision at highway speeds.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Jan 21, 2025
The battery wasn't being charged which caused some problems. However, it was the alternator that was bad. Since the battery wasn't being charged and the alternator was failing, there were problems with steering and engine power which almost caused a collision at highway speeds.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER Jan 16, 2025
Around 8-19-24 I started noticing liquid on my garage floor. It had a slight oil consistency to it. I brought it in to a local auto shop who inspected it and confirmed the radiator was leaking randomly. There was no visible damage to it and no reason it should have started leaking when only 3.5 years old and only had 53k miles on it. No indicators of any kind prior to the leaking starting either. It started leaking a little bit one day and each day it started leaking progressively more.
SEAT BELTS Dec 20, 2024
My front passenger seat belt has started to not latch. I have to push the button and insert the seatbelt in order for it to latch. Sometimes it will release on it’s own.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Nov 11, 2024
3 times in 5 days, 2021Traverse completely shut off. 2 of those times were in a busy intersection. I couldn’t even turn my flashers on and had to manually unlock my door to get out. Fortunately the third time was in my driveway. I called AAA to tow it to dealer. This is a severe safety issue and hopefully will be covered under my warranty and the extended bumper to bumper warranty.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL Oct 8, 2024
2021 Chevy Traverse went out in September, it would shutter causing take off to jerk so hard and cause traffic to stall, hurting passengers necks, and almost causing accidents
ENGINE Oct 8, 2024
2021 Chevy Traverse went out in September, it would shutter causing take off to jerk so hard and cause traffic to stall, hurting passengers necks, and almost causing accidents
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL Oct 8, 2024
2021 Chevy Traverse went out in September, it would shutter causing take off to jerk so hard and cause traffic to stall, hurting passengers necks, and almost causing accidents
POWER TRAIN Sep 21, 2024
I bought this 2021 Chevrolet Traverse on January 4th 2021. Since owning this vehicle the transmission has always skipped and sputtered. We have done regular maintenance on it. But at 115,000 miles it seems to get worse and really shift hard or skip while trying to go into each gear. There is no information on maintenance for the transmission other than taking it to the dealership, which is really bizarre and unreasonable because dealerships take to long and some can be without. We have also noticed on a couple different occasions that the reverse lights were on when it was in park. The parking brake also likes to set when someone opens or closes a door. We are not sure what the problem is. But would like this transmission to be fixed.