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What 358 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (358)Crash / fire / injury (14)Airbags (262)Engine (25)Electrical system (22)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Brakes (12)Seat belts (11)Steering (11)Speed control (10)Fuel system (9)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)

5 of 358 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 16, 2026Electrical systemAirbagsBrakesCrashFire1 injury2 deaths

The driver door main window control panel and steering wheel, where the airbags seem to deploy from, have both had to be repaired/recalled parts installed on multiple occasions however the main window control panel still does not work and it started shorting out my battery ultimately locking my keys in the ignition, leaving OnStar as well as my key fob panic alarm unable to be used. After getting the steering wheel recalled airbag part installed at Penske Chevy, I received yet another recall notice saying that despite that install they still feared for my safety driving it, and that they would let me know when a new part was available. However now my battery is completely dead, I have not been m able to work and have been evicted from my home forced to live in my sweltering 2017 Traverse with no AC, No OnStar emergency services, not even a panic alarm to rely on. On top of that I cannot roll the windows all the way up which is a major safety concern considering I'm a single, disabled, [XXX] female living on the streets in my vehicle alone. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11744489

Aug 1, 2022BrakesCrash

2017 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO BRAKE FAILURE AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED IT CRASHED INTO AN APARTMENT BUILDING. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE DRIVER WAS NOT HURT BUT, A RESIDENT WAS INJURED.

NHTSA ODI 11476861

Jul 8, 2022BrakesFuel systemCrash

I purchased this vehicle in June, 2021 and had noticed that it sometimes lurched forward a few feet when I applied the brakes. I made an appointment to have the vehicle’s brakes checked. While merging onto 12th Street in Rochester, MN at less than 15 mph, I had to apply brakes suddenly to avoid stopped car in front of me. The brakes worked but the car also accelerated and smashed into the stopped car in front of us, leaving a dent in that car’s rear fender, smashing our headlight shield, and making it difficult for our driver side door to open because the fender and door had to space between them. There were 6 similar complaints about 2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles at carcomplaints.com, where I also posted. I called the national phone line for General Motors because I was concerned about safety. GM sent an investigator to my home to take photos and electronic codes. They set up a claim for me, although I was only looking for a potential safety recall. Weeks later, they contacted me to say my claim was denied. When I asked for more details, they told me the engineers had concluded that I stepped on the gas rather than the brake. This didn’t make sense to me since both the brake and the accelerator had engaged. The gas pedal is recessed far closer to the floor than the brake pedal. While it is possible that my boot could have pressed on each of them at the same time since I reacted quickly, it's unlikely. I also wonder if the cruise control had engaged since, on this vehicle, it doesn't turn off and require you to turn it on again when you stop the engine and restart it. I requested the engineering data, which they sent me and I kept.

NHTSA ODI 11472843

Jun 8, 2018BrakesCrash

BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE WHILE PRESSING CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE KEPT GOING WHILE BRAKES PRESSED, VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL MAKING AN IMPACT WITH A METAL BEAM. ALSO AIR BAGS DID NOT EMPLOY.

NHTSA ODI 11100586

Jan 17, 2018Speed controlBrakesCrash

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR INTO MY GARAGE IT JUST STARTED TO SPEED UP, I APPLIED THE BRAKES. BUT IT DID NOT STOP AND HIT THE WALL.

NHTSA ODI 11063282

Working with the data? Download all 358 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 2017 Chevrolet Traverse verdict →