2010 Chevrolet Traverse: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 668 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is steering (46% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 668 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Side airbags deployed when we slid off the road. No impact not even a scratch or dent on the vehicle. We did not hit anything but only slid sideways off the road. The insurance company inspected the vehicle nothing but the airbags were damaged. No other warnings.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2025
“My Traverse doors will lock, unlock, engine will race high then down shift now it will also shut off after it has done this while driving down the road. The safety issue is if it happens to stop running while on the highway or any road with traffic. Right now I am not able to drive it as it won't start back up after it dies unless you let it cool off. I had to call my insurance for roadside assistance to get it towed. A”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2023
“No power steering at low speed . Makes it dangerous to turn sharp corners. Almost impossible to park in a parking spot if there's other vehicles.so I park way out away from vehicles . I have had two power steering pumps and lines replaced . And still have the same issue. .”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“I was driving at approximately 30mph on a road the traction control/stability track light came on and my car lost almost all power. it went from 30 to about 5mph. thankfully i was on a slower road and close to my house so I was able to get home. If I would have been on a highway I could have been killed. i quick google search showed thousands of other complaints with the same problem, my question is why is nothing being done. are they waiting for a certain number of deaths??”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Dec 2022
“The airbag light on the dash keeps coming off and on randomly. Stays on for a period of time or goes off after a couple seconds. Also for electrical, I was driving down Hwy and the vehicle died and turned back on within 5 seconds. Had to jiggle battery cables for it to come back on. I had two small children in the vehicle and I don't feel it's safe to drive any longer.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2022
“Vehicle started having a rattling noise when it was started, coming from the passenger side of the motor at just under 86k miles on the odometer. I have been advised by a Certified Mechanic that the timing chain has stretched, receiving a stored code of P0008 with no Check Engine Light being active. The entire timing chain assembly now has to be replaced.”Owner report · Engine · May 2022
“I was driving and it it lost power when I started it it did a terrible noise like clicking. Mechanic looked at it and showed me the timing chain is 3 links loose. It was slipping and missing. My children were in the vehicle when this happened. Consumer stated car died it jumped back, jerked hard like it was in reverse then restarted it and got it to the house.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2022
“The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the electrical plug was damaged by the previous dealer who performed maintenance work on the vehicle. The contact also stated no warning lights were operable on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2022
“2-18-2022 Complaint Previous NHTSA report #11339183 Ongoing complaint with additional information. Tag #[XXX] Georgia. Onstar failed with direct manipulation from Emergency Management Agency Statesboro Georgia daily mapping and stopping my vehicle Chev Traverse ([XXX]) to harass, threaten and obscene language under High density radio communication and mobile cellular tower use blocking my cell phone [XXX] for GAMES. Human not Robot. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2022
“I have now been told that my rack and pinion is leaking by 3-4 different mechanics. In doing a google search, I see that through various years of the chevy traverse, the rack and pinion leaking and needing to be replaced at a high cost (and also being a big safety risk to not replace) is a very common issue in the traverse.”Owner report · Steering · Feb 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 17 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
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: 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.
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: 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 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: 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 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: 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.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Traverse by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?
NHTSA has 668 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The most complained-about area is steering (46% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 76,500 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning seat belts. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.