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Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2021 Chevrolet Traverse

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

86

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

6

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse have filed 86 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2021 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 22 of them (26%). The typical failure was reported at 54,000 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints more than doubled year on year: 32 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 14 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN

22V210000 · March 31, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
Roof rail air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 89 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

21V817000 · October 18, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
A transmission fluid leak can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The 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.

Braun Corporation · up to 639 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:FRONTAL IMPACT

21V472000 · June 24, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury.
The 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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 6 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 86.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 22%
POWER TRAIN 13 15%
ENGINE 10 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 9 10%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 7 8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 5%
STEERING 4 5%
AIR BAGS 3 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 3%
Carry Handle, Shell, Base 2 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 29.

2021 2025 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2 injured · crash · towed

I was unable to stop my vehicle from accelerating. The brakes were engaging but my vehicle continued to build speed. Myself and my family, as well as others on the road, were all put at risk due to my vehicle not responding or failing to control speed; cruise control was not engaged. My insurance company, USAA, is currently investigating and determining total damage estimate. No warning lamps, indicators, or messages were presented prior to collision. The rotors and brakes were glowing red after collision from continuous attempts to stop the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11557077. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? My wife and daughter were both involved in a car accident. My wife was driving the speed limit (30-35 mph) when a car traveling in the opposite direction turned left into her lane, cutting her off, and causing a collision of the two vehicles. The front driver side of the Traverse contacted the other driver's passenger side. Upon collision, none of the airbags deployed. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My wife hit her face on the steering wheel and suffered a fractured nose, excessive bleeding, and head/neck pain. My

NHTSA complaint 11731364, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was hit by another car who ran the red light. No airbag deployment at all, in serious crash. Whole front end hit without airbags going off. The engine was smoking and the brake would not work after inpact to keep it from rolling

NHTSA complaint 11597270. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

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.

NHTSA complaint 11691105. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

72,400 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an inspection, where a leaking oil pan gasket was diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred on a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse he owned. Although the vehicle had been taken to the dealer two months prior, the dealer did not find the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,400.

NHTSA complaint 11749147. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX] I purchased the vehicle from Bakersfield Hyundai within days I reported break failure and notified them about a noise that was coming from the SUV that sounded like a mini motorcycle, they first said (Xavier) that the noise would go away because it had just gotten serviced but they kept me there for four plus hours and said I had to take it back which I did and again I took it for break replacement and I told them the noise would get louder and sometimes it would smell inside the vehicle like vinegar again they did nothing they falsely said I declined to stay because of time Which I didn't I asked if they were able to provide me with a vehicle while mine could get serve since I

NHTSA complaint 11746551, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Check engine light came on and I noticed that the cooling fan would continue running for several minutes even after turning vehicle off. Had a mechanic run the diagnostics and the code came back as a thermostat/cooling issue. Although when I called to make an appointment and told him the issue and that it was a 2021 Traverse, he knew exactly what the issue was. He said that is a very common issue in all 2021 Chevy/GM engines. Online research provided a couple special coverages for repairs on 7 different GM vehicles from that same time period. Of course, the Traverse is one that is not included. Seems fairly obvious this was a GM engine issue from all vehicles in the 2021-2023 timeframe. Not

NHTSA complaint 11737628, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I am filing a safety complaint regarding two vehicles provided through Bob Hook Chevrolet in [XXX] . My Chevrolet Traverse has been at the dealership for approximately one month due to a transmission failure. The vehicle has remained unrepaired during that time. The transmission issue has made the vehicle unreliable and unsafe to operate. While my Traverse was in the shop, the dealership provided me with a Buick Enclave loaner vehicle. On Thursday, while driving the Enclave, the vehicle repeatedly stalled. The entire electrical system shut down, and the power steering failed and locked up. This created a very dangerous situation and made it difficult to safely control the vehicle in

NHTSA complaint 11736727, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Alternator fail before 60,000 miles. Had the car almost 3 years and children in it. Apparently a known common issue yet no recall it’s not a reliable car

NHTSA complaint 11736069. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
While driving, the steering wheel became very hard to control. A system warning came up on the dashboard screen stating that the steering wheel was not working. With an 18-wheeler coming up behind me the decision to pull over was made. The left hand turn into an auto part store was made with much difficulty and so was trying to park. Gentleman inside inspected the vehicle and highly recommended NOT driving the vehicle since it was a safety issue not only for myself but others as well.

NHTSA complaint 11735181. 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 20 1
2025 171 0
2024 130 0
2023 85 2
2022 95 1
2020 218 8
2019 401 3
2018 454 2
2017 360 3 1
2016 291 5 1
2015 313 5
2014 547 7
2013 161 4
2012 354 5
2011 608 5 1
2010 668 5

Other 2021 Chevrolet models

Every Chevrolet on this site — 298 vehicles, 747 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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