Vehicle report
2018 Chevrolet Traverse
Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.
The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse has 2 NHTSA recalls on record and 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is 5 out of 5. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.
2
Open recalls
15
Complaints
5
Overall safety
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2018 Chevrolet Traverse recalls (2)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse safety ratings
5
Overall
4
Front
5
Side
4
Rollover
Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse owner complaints (15)
- POWER TRAIN
Vehicle shudders when driving between 18mph and 40mph. Brought into dealership, was told that the Torque Converter is coming apart, and that it would require an entire Transmission replacement. This vehicle has been immaculately maintained, and only has 34745 miles on it. There is no reason that a main component of a powertrain should fail at such a low milage. I was told that the Warranty only convers the part for 5 years regardless of the low milage. Was quoted $8500 (at a discount) for the repair required to make the vehicle road worthy. Just to be clear, this is a one owner, garage kept vehicle that averaged less than 5000 miles a year, with a flawless service record. This is 100% a manufacturing issue.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2018 Chevy Traverse purchased from Carvana caused carbon monoxide exposure to my family in military housing. Vehicle locked itself while running in the garage (garage door open), and CO entered the home where my children were standing near the interior door. Fire dept forced entry into the vehicle and cleared the home. All family members required oxygen at the hospital; all 3 children had elevated COHb levels. Mechanic confirmed catalytic converter failure and exhaust defect. Full Description: On 6/7/26, our Traverse turned on and locked itself while running in our garage (door open) as we were preparing to leave. Exhaust was blowing toward the interior door of our military home, and CO entered the house. My children were inside near that door and became exposed. We could not unlock or shut off the vehicle. Fire dept forced entry, confirmed high CO levels, and cleared the home. At the hospital, all of us required oxygen; all 3 children had elevated COHb. A mechanic later confirmed catalytic converter failure, exhaust defect, P0171, and incomplete catalyst monitor—stating this can cause ongoing CO exposure. A Build Verification sheet found in the glove box (not disclosed at sale) showed pre‑existing issues: exhaust rattle, check engine light, and multiple mechanical reworks. Carvana refuses to assist. This vehicle is unsafe to drive or idle.
- ENGINE
Corrosion of the exhaust pipes lead to an exhaust leak.
- POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
Engine light came on. Car started shaking and making noise when shifting. Speed would not increase while driving. When shifting into park the car does not recognize that’s it’s in park and had to jiggle the gear shift. Took it to an independent mechanic and they said it’s probably the transmission. Have to take it to a transmission shop.
- POWER TRAIN
Transmission had a shutter when we bought it from a dealership at approximately 80,000 miles and after taking it back to dealership 2 different times we were told that was just how these newer 9 speed transmissions shift. Everything was ok and there was nothing to worry about. At approximately 120,000 miles the transmission gave out. Dealership would not honor warranty. So we took it to a private repair shop, who repaired it. Then less than 2 months later, the transmission went out again. We had it towed back to the same repair shop, who kept it for 6 more months. I just got it back saturday June 13, 2026 and drove it about 100 miles out of town and transmission went out again.
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car not registering that its in park, it sometimes takes up to 30 minutes of needing this to shut off and with hot tempatures and young children this to me is a safety hazard.
- POWER TRAIN
Shifter assembly- Shift to Park. The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse repeatedly shows a shift to park message when the vehicle is already in park, this causes the vehicle to not turn off. I have already had this issue fixed by a dealership previously and the issue has come back yet again.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE
Repeated problems trying to turn off vehicle with a "Shift to Park" notification being displayed. It took numerous attempts each time of banging the shift lever and flicking the shift button for it finally properly turn off. Otherwise, it would continually alarm. While the milage is only 26500, it was beyond the 5 yr warranty. I was never notified of any recall notice concerning this well documented problem. There were several class action lawsuits about this known issue, but all have since been closed. Dealer replaced transmission control range selector harness and jumper for $500.
- POWER TRAIN
I purchase my 2018 Traverse in 2020 from day one there was a transmission problem. Took it to a Chevrolet dealer and they told me there something broken inside the transmission which it was still under warranty. A year later we notice the transmission would slip from time to time. Took it to the dealership told the service department the issue I was having with the vehicle. Just to be on the safe side I told them to do a transmission flush on the vehicle and ask the service tech to drive it to make there were any problems. Of course I was told everything was fine with the transmission. Maybe three weeks later it was still doing the same thing slipping from time to time. Now current yesterday I went to the store with no problem, went to leave the vehicle wouldn't go in reverse and barely wanting to move. I had to put the transmission into manual to get it home. The next day I was able to drive it to the dealership to see what was wrong with it. A few hours later, I received the unwanted phone call saying the transmission was done. I was told $11,000 dollars for the repair and two weeks for it to be complete. Now I am stuck in between a hard place and a rock. I am not sure if I want to take the chance on having it replaced for it to do the same thing again in the future.
- ENGINE
Check engine light came on after feeling hesitation while driving and roughness while stopped. Diagnostic eval was done at shop and Evaporation Emissions Purge Valve was found to be faulty and replaced. Mechanic stated after the repair that this was a problem with certain year Traverses (unsure of which at the time) and an extended warranty was added that include 10 years or 150,000 miles.
- POWER TRAIN
Lost power to transmission at 36k miles. Transmission replaced by GM. Currently, the vehicle lost transmission power while driving and had to be towed to dealership. Notified that the transmission needs replaced again
- POWER TRAIN
as i come to a stop and go to accelerate my transmission stutters and sometimes slips,i went to gm website and there is a recall on the 2018 chevy traverse transmission but my vin isnt included. i have all the symptons of the recall as described on the gm website but again my vin isnt included in the recall. it only has 61k miles i been having issue since around 30k i been in and out of dealership but the test drive it and it doesnt do it and they just give it back to me,they told me i gotta catch it doing it and try to get it in.i contacted chevy and they instructed me to come to this site fill this form out. chevy told me my vehicle probally wasnt included in the recall because not enough people reported it so i should fill out a report. around 55k miles when the transmission slipped and the rpms rose really high it snapped the drive shaft which was scary as i had my children in car and car just stopped moving right in the middle of traffic if it would of been busy i could of been rear ended because of the sudden stoppage. i keep trying to get back in dealership but i work mornings so the driving i do is later i day so when it acts up the dealer is closed and they are closed sat and sun so by the time i get to them the next day or on a monday it doesnt do it for them so they just keep giving me car back and i keep worrying about something happening like on the highway with my kids in car. the dealer did have someone test drive car and it did reproduce the symptoms but they made appointment for following week and when tech it then it didnt act up so it was returned to me once again
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Having to have the torque converter looked into, 2nd vehicle in the last 2 years with what appears to be same shifting / shuttering problem!
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Special coverage programs for the 2018 Chevy Traverse front exhaust pipe mounting bracket failure. GM has focused on coverage specifically on 2019-2021 models, but 2018 models are affected as well. I'm being forced to pay for a new exhaust when 2018 models should have been included for the Specific special coverage (e.g., N212356540, N222385510) exists for 2019–2021 vehicles, offering repairs (sometimes for 15 years or 150,000 miles) when the front mounting bracket breaks.
- POWER TRAIN
Purchased the car in 2022 noticed some trans slipping issues and immediately reported it to the purchasing dealer. They took the car in serviced it and said it was good shortly after that noticed the problem again. We took it to be looked at and was told "nothing was noticed". A few months later again noticed some issues took it to another dealership and was told "nothing was noticed". Driving time dropped on the vehicle 2023-2025. Once instance driving down a major highway transmission started slipping. I reached out to Chevrolet and they were less than inclined to offer help other than to say take it in for service. I explained to them that we were lucky we were not in an accident as we lost transmission while driving on a major highway. Same response. Sporadically it would happen but no major problems. Fast forward to 2026 we noticed 2 weeks ago that driving down the street it would slip. Before we could make an appointment we pulled into a parking spot and reverse dropped. Now we have a car with no reverse. Took it to be looked at a local shop near where we were and was told transmission is bad. Now it sits because it can not be driven safely. Waiting for an appointment at a Chevrolet facility.
Checking a used Chevrolet Traverse before you buy
The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2018 Traverse in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Traverse's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.
Before you buy a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse in Alberta:
- Run a free VIN check on the exact vehicle for its own recalls and safety data.
- Run an Alberta Personal Property Registry lien search so you don't inherit debt.
- Get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- If it's a dealer, confirm their AMVIC licence.
See other model years of the Chevrolet Traverse, or browse more Chevrolet models.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse — questions and answers
Does the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse have any recalls?+
Our check found 2 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
How many complaints does the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse have?+
NHTSA lists 15 owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.
Is the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse safe?+
The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of 5. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.
How do I check a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse VIN?+
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.
Are recall repairs on a Chevrolet free?+
Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Chevrolet dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.
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