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What 161 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (161)Crash / fire / injury (10)Electrical system (53)Engine (45)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (43)Transmission & drivetrain (28)Airbags (26)Speed control (19)Fuel system (18)Steering (18)Brakes (5)Seat belts (4)

5 of 161 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

May 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrainBrakes

the breaks grind and took it to a shop they said it was my anit break locked up when my car comes to a stop it shakes and my tacation control warning comes on

NHTSA ODI 11521000

Oct 29, 2020Electrical systemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2013 CHEVY TRAVERSE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT/STABILITRAX COMES ON, WHICH MAKES MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON, WHICH THEN CAUSES MY ENGINE TO POWER DOWN, I WILL THEN HAVE TO WAIT 2-3 MINUTES AND IT WILL EITHER CRANK UP OR IT WON'T (HAS TO BE TOWED), IT ALSO CAUSES IT TO STALL OUT WHEN TAKING OFF OR COMING TO A STOP. STALLED OUT ON ME WHILE PULLING OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC THANKFULLY I WASN'T ALL THE WAY OUT IN THE ROAD OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN T-BONED. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A TWO DIFFERENT CHEVY DEALERS WHICH IT HAD TO BE TOWED TO BOTH WITHIN A MONTH THE FIRST ONE TOLD ME IT WAS JUST THE BATTERY $400 AND 4 DAYS LATER I WAS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MY 3 KIDS AGAIN. I HAD TO TOWED TO ANOTHER CHEVY DEALER WHICH THEY REPLACED THE ECM, REPAIRED WIRING THAT HAD BURNT, REPLACED WIRING HARNESS AND FPCM THAT HAD ALSO BURNT AND PERFORMED A MULTIPOINT INSPECTION. I WAS CHARGED $1540.06 ON AUGUST 5, 2020 AND HEAR I AM OCTOBER 26, 2020 AND I AM ONCE AGAIN STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MY 3 KIDS DEALING WITH THE SAME ISSUES AS BEFORE

NHTSA ODI 11367028

Apr 28, 2019BrakesEngineFuel system

MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED. THE ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION ARE JERKY SOMETIMES. IT FEELS OCCASIONALLY LIKE I HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. I FEEL LIKE IT TRIES TO ACCELERATE WHILE I AM APPLYING THE BREAKS. WHEN I AM TRYING TO APPLY THE GAS SOMETIMES IT HAS NO POWER AND I HAVE TO PUSH THE PEDAL DOWN HARDER WHICH LEADS IT TO JERK FORWARD. HARD GEAR SHIFTING LOTS OF SHAKING AND LURCHING. IT IS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST GM DESCRIBES BUT MY VEHICLE ISN'T ONE INVOLVED IN THAT YET, BUT I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE.

NHTSA ODI 11204271

Nov 30, 2018Brakes

JUNE 2018 I TOOK MY TRAVERSE FOR REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED BRAKES. SI WASN'T EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH THEM BUT I AGREED TO HAVE THEM REPLACED AS THEY ARE IMPORTANT PART OF THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. APPROXIMATELY 4 WEEKS AFTER THE NEW BRAKES WERE REPLACED A GRINDING NOISE BEGAN WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES COMING TO A STOP. I HAD NO NOISES COMING FROM MY BRAKES EVER BEFORE THEY WERE REPLACED? I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING AND BRAKES WERE 100%. THE GRINDING NOISE CONTINUED SO I TOOK IT BACK AND TEST DROVE IT WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO FINALLY HEARD IT AND A BRAKE BOOSTER WAS ORDERED AND BRAKES WERE REPAIRED. MY TRAVERSE HAS NOW BEEN BACK FOR THIS BRAKE PROBLEM 3 TIMES. THE GRINDING NOISE IS STILL THERE AND THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT BACK WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS AN ALERT ON THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT A RECALL BY GM. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS SUCH CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, PER BULLETIN PIT5563 AT THE COST OF $700.00. SINCE IT'S NOT A RECALL BUT A PROBLEM THEY ARE AWARE OF AND SINCE IT ONLY OCCURRED AFTER MY BRAKES WERE REPLACED I HAVE TO FOOT THE COST. WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE A FEW LIVES TO GET GM TO OWN UP TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM?

NHTSA ODI 11155285

Mar 14, 2014SteeringSpeed controlBrakesEngine

AS I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND AND CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. I HAD NO WARNING AND NO ABILITY TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THAT A PIECE IN THE ENGINE HAD FALLEN OR BROKEN AND DAMAGED THE PISTON, THE CYLINDER AND THE HEAD OF THE ENGINE. AS THE MECHANIC SAID, IT WAS A "CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE." THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE IN THE CAR AND THEN ONE DAY LATER, AFTER HAVING THE CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 32 DAYS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS NOT WORKING AND THEY REPLACED IT. GM TOLD ME THAT THE PIECE THAT FELL HAD NOT BEEN TIGHTENED PROPERLY AND THIS WAS MISSED ON THE FINAL INSPECTION. NOT ONLY AM I CONCERNED BY HAVING HAD THIS FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, MOREOVER IN A NEW CAR, BUT THE SUDDEN STOPPING OF THE CAR WHILE DRIVING IS THE SAME THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CARS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN RECALLED BY GM. I GOT THIS CAR BECAUSE OF ITS GOOD SAFETY PROFILE HOWEVER NOW I DO NOT FEEL SAFE AND SECURE DRIVING THIS CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10569352

Working with the data? Download all 161 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Chevrolet Traverse verdict →