2019 Chevrolet Traverse problems, complaints & recalls
MoreWithin ±30% year on year
NHTSA has received 411 owner complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse, or 52.8 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.31, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 78 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #56 of 78 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Chevrolet models its rate is 14% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is about the same.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2019-03-12 and 2026-10-12. Median delay from incident to filing: 10 days.
411Complaints
52.8Complaints per year on the road
1.31Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
4.1%Share involving a crash or fire
73Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 52.7 complaints per year, about the same. The following model year (2020) drew 34.3 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 39 complaints, 51% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (37.7% of complaints), followed by Engine (15.8%) and Electrical (15.8%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 3.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 17 reports (4.1%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 17 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 57 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (46% of incidents). In the last 12 months 73 new complaints were filed, versus 86 in the 12 months before — down 15%.
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles1.31
vs. other Chevrolet models1.14
vs. other 2019 models1.17
vs. other Midsize SUVs1.01
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (39)0.49
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 3 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle decelerated, and the vehicle was uncontrollable.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-14 · ODI 11764051 · Crash
When driving at about 50 mph on a highway, there was a loud noise from the rear of the vehicle (something breaking) and the vehicle immediately veered into the oncoming lane (thankfully there was no traffic coming towards us, it is typically a busy road).
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-27 · ODI 11760075 · Crash
The car was started and then a loud pop was heard. When I exited the vehicle i observed the tail light housing on the drivers side had exploded off and could see smoke and smell electrical burning. I immediatly turned the vehicle off.
Electrical · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770536
9/2/26 I reached out to Chevrolet to alert them that I had a SHIFT TO PARK sensor failure. I was physically putting my car in park and it did NOT recognize that my car was in park. I was unable to park or turn off the vehicle.
Electrical · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769514
The exhaust clamp rusted and broke, causing a hole in the exhaust which set off the engine light and eventually poisoned my catalytic converter costing $4000 to replace.
Unspecified or other · 2026-08-17 · ODI 11757554
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS Campaign 21V246000 · 2021-04-08
Summary: 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.
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 20V668000 · 2020-10-29
Summary: 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.
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.
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.
Summary: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Buick Encore, Chevrolet Spark, Traverse, and Trax vehicles. The Sensing Diagnostic Module (SDM) on these vehicle may not have been turned off of "manufacturing mode," preventing the air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM module to the correct mode, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18365.
