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Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2018 Chevrolet Traverse

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 461 safety complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse with the US government. Of those, 9 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 7 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the power train.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 195 complaints, 42% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 32,000 miles, the median across the 186 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2017 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

461 complaints on file

461

Complaints

9

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

7

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose 45% year on year: 93 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 64 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 195 · 42%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 104 · 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 101 · 22%
ENGINE 84 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 37 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 29 · 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 16 · 3%
STEERING 14 · 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12 · 3%
SEAT BELTS 11 · 2%
STRUCTURE 11 · 2%
SUSPENSION 10 · 2%
0 81 162

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 461.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 85.

92 69 46 23
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2018 Chevrolet TRAVERSE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.0% 16.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

21V246000 · April 8, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 108 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

20V668000 · October 29, 2020

The defect
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.
The risk
Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
The 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.

General Motors LLC · up to 194,105 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

5 injured

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

NHTSA complaint 11745280, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 3,300 miles

MY WIFE HIT A TELEPHONE POLE HEAD ON, VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. VEHICLE HAD 3000 MILES ON IT. MY WIFE HAD A SEAT BELT ON BUT WAS STILL INJURED. . ALSO ON STAR NEVER CAME ON. AN INVESTIGATOR FROM GM WAS HERE TODAY,AND SAID I SHOULD GET A COPY OF HIS REPORT.

NHTSA complaint 11091612. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

fire · crash

2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AFTER GETTING INTO A MINOR ACCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. *AS *TR

NHTSA complaint 11174174. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

I was driving and just passed a vehicle while accelerating when I heard a pop noise, saw a lot of white smoke through my rear view mirror, had the engine light go on and the vehicle stopped working. I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and placed the vehicle in park followed by turning off the car. A person driving by stopped and advised me my vehicle was on fire under the undercarriage. I popped the hood and the engine was also in flames. I was unable to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and the local fire department and law enforcement agencies helped to put out the fire. The vehicle was a complete loss. If it were not for the passer by person telling me the undercarriage

NHTSA complaint 11580277, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
For months we have had issues with the known issue of “Shift to Park” which is a huge potential safety risk to myself, my children, and all of my neighbors who are ever remotely close to the vehicle. No dealer can resolve the known issue for this year/make/model. It has slipped from park to drive once but thankfully I was still in the vehicle. Additionally, at barely 100,000, my transmission has failed suddenly. After having the vehicle suddenly buck when driving down the road— again risking the safety of myself and my children, as well as other drivers around me- the check engine light came on. After being inspected, the codes coming up are P0700, P2723, and some other transmission related

NHTSA complaint 11765375, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am submitting this complaint regarding a complete transmission failure in my 2018 Chevrolet Traverse (VIN 1GNEVGKW7JJ279077). The vehicle's transmission stopped functioning altogether, resulting in a complete loss of propulsion. The vehicle can no longer be driven and requires repair/towing. A sudden loss of propulsion can create a serious safety hazard, particularly if the failure occurs while driving in traffic. My mechanic has informed me that they have experienced multiple transmission problems with 2018 Chevrolet Traverses and that issues involving this transmission are still being researched and addressed. I am concerned that my failure may be part of a larger, known problem

NHTSA complaint 11763686, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
the vehicle will not register that it is in park, when the engine is turned off a beeping noise reads shift to park - you have to start the engine and shut it off multiple times, or slam the shifter into place to get it register in park. this happens constantly and is starting to get old, and annoying. it is listed as a known problem on the forum group. when the notice to shift into Park is stuck on, the beeping will not stop... Also there is a shudder while driving no matter the speed. They did a transmission service and messed with torque converters but has not done anything. Also will be driving down the road with cruise control and the cruise control with randomly jerk and shut off for

NHTSA complaint 11762436, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Car recently started to jolt when accelerating. Noticed it firsthand on the highway while on stop and go traffic. It's been doing it more often now when driving around the city. As soon as you accelerate past 15mph, it starts to jolt. The check engine light is not on. I do see that other 2018 Chevy Traverse have a recall, but my car (when checking by VIN) is not included.

NHTSA complaint 11762454. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
the vehicle will not register that it is in park, when the engine is turned off a beeping noise reads shift to park - you have to start the engine and shut it off multiple times, or slam the shifter into place to get it register in park. this happens constantly and is starting to get old, and annoying. it is listed as a known problem on the forum group. when the notice to shift into Park is stuck on, the beeping will not stop and the battery will drain all the way. Only solution is to replace the transmission shifter assembly.

NHTSA complaint 11760744. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Cracked flex pipe on exhaust system

NHTSA complaint 11759855. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Traverse

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 24 1 —
2025 179 0 —
2024 137 0 —
2023 89 2 —
2022 98 1 —
2021 89 3 —
2020 229 8 —
2019 407 3 —
2017 361 3 1
2016 292 5 1
2015 313 5 —
2014 547 7 —
2013 162 4 —
2012 354 5 —
2011 608 5 1
2010 669 5 —

Other 2018 Chevrolet models

Malibu 698 Silverado 1500 520 Equinox 408 Volt 225 Colorado 183 Cruze 109 Tahoe 104 Trax 101

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Chevrolet on this site — 304 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst