Chevrolet · Traverse · 2013
4
Recalls
160
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse has 4 recalls and 160 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: air bags (13 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
16.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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 (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 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 N212349040.
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
Remedy Status
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
The "Service Airbag" light and notification comes up on the dash. This happened in the past as this vehicle was part of a recall NHTSA 14V118. The car was service for that recall already back on 3-18-2014 but the issue came back. This is dangerous because when that light is on, the airbags will not go off in the event of an accident. I need this fixed at no charge. Thank you.
Fuse box
Rain Water is getting into the door connectors and caused some pins on passenger side to corrode. All audio in vehicle has stopped including turn signals, pack up sensor audio, and radio ect. GM/Chevy knows about this and is quite common reading in a lot of forums but GM has done nothing about it. This is a safety hazard.
It happened several times already and couple of times was so dangerous, I had 4 kids in my car. When I drive from Salem, OR to Portland, OR, in the middle of a highway, my car suddenly doesn't drive. On the dashboard signs are traction controll and stability track or something. Please help me. When it happens, car doesn't drive and stops on freeway. It's so dangerous.
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
I was parking in front of a restaurant- my foot was on the brake and as I came to a stop the engine revved up and the car surged forwarded about 5 feet - The car pushed a pole and blew out the front door and the door frame- all this time my foot was on the brake. If someone was walking in to the restaurant they surly would have been killed. NO warning lamps or lights-I have not taken it to the dealer yet the body shop still has it. There was no police report the accident was on private property. If the dealer gives me the runaround I'll get rid of this car.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 25-35 MPH, the vehicle jolted and shuddered upon depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Numbers: 13120 and 18-NA-358. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Although the recall was done , few years ago by the dealer ? RCRIT-14V118-2797 But it is getting worse than before , the massage SERVICE AIR BAG KEEP APPEARING ? The job by the dealer was unsatisfactory ? This is ridiculous . [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Vehicle steering wheel vibrates when it's on and on park . The light to dashboard , radio , is dim then as I drive it might turn bright then back to dim .
The service air bag light keeps coming on
This had occurred more than 4 times. I was at the stop light, when the light turned turned I proceeded to press on the gas pedal and my vehicle started to shake/vibrate. Then the transmission light turned followed by the advanced traffic control light and low engine power. I was unable to go past 10mph..I drive my vehicle on the freeway/highway everyday for work and my children are always with. This makes it very unsafe for me and my family because I don't know when this issue will happen. I have taken it 2 times to the transmission specialist and mechanic but the codes do not always appear only when this issues occurs.
Service Traction Control, Traction Control Off/On/Off, Service All Wheel Drive display on dash. Check Engine Light on at times, When starting vehicle Service All Wheel Drive displays immediately. Codes come up as fuel pressure high, fuel pressure low, no communication with BCM. Driving from a stop the engine has to idle high to switch gears, hard shift when it does. Goes into limp mode sometimes while driving. Been to dealership, can not duplicate problems. But they see display info and no current code, do have stored code of BCM lost communication.
We were on a trip to Kansas from Wisconsin and the check engine light went on StabiliTrak warning came on. The vehicle then cut speed from 70 to 30 mph we had to ride the shoulder for 5 mi to the nearest truck stop to investigate issue we had to purchase an OBD tester and code 1682 came up. After doing reviews at the truck stop I clean the throttle body put it back together I also had to replace the purge valve canister which then got us another 10 mi down the road before the same code popped up. Got the car back home after it going off several more times nearly killing us multiple times on the interstate having to pull to the side of the shoulder to avoid traffic. Did more research only to find out that thousands of other people have had the same issue. This could cost thousands of dollars replacing parts attached to this code only to find out that it's a bad contact in the fuse box under the hood. What will it take multiple people dying from this issue. It doesn't seem like anything has been taken care of on the GM side of things. Please let me know if the dealership will pay for this or if I have to pay for this out of my own pocket as this is a known issue. Thank you. The car has since been parked in the garage and I have been trying to connect the dots through traverse forums this car is no longer safe to drive and we cannot afford to take it to a dealership at this time.
the transmission is not working properly and needs to be replaced. It is a known issue, but GM will not address it. It is a wave plate in the transmission which failed.
Vehicle dies while driving in traffic. Has done this since I bought it. Very unsafe. I have had my car since march 2022. While driving it says engine power reduced, traction control, stabli track, and loses power and I have to try to safely make sure I get it off the road. After it dies it won't start. I have to get tow truck to bring it home. Then next day it starts fine sometimes. Very unsafe. I have children . I have barley been able to prevent myself from being in a wreck. When it dies the whole cars jerks. It does it all the time. This last time it was doing it so much I haven't been able to drive it. To afraid of accident.
I’ve told penland automotive llc car dealer Joey my vehicle cuts off while I’m driving me & my kids have been in 8 near death experience & I’ve been in 6 by myself I went to trade it in because that’s not safe & I’ve done plenty of work on it I’ve told him the service stabiltack keeps shutting it off & im scared he says it’s nothing he can do about it & I’ve only had this vehicle a year it started before the 1 year anniversary on the truck!! Him not doing nothing is not ok!! I thought it needed a tune up but I really didn’t so I paid out that for nothing! I’ve also went to green light Chevrolet in Laurens they said it was a corrosion fuse box but a fuse box no lights of nothing would be working & I paid out $135 just for them to look at it & tell me that I told them what it was saying & they said the fuse box negative I went on YouTube & asked other mechanics they said it’s a part that needs to be cleaned or it will catch fire they would do it but they can’t because im making payments & it’s stuff that Chevy would have to do! I’m trying to get help some where before this truck get me or me & my kids killed
While driving 65 to 70 mph on the freeway, vehicle suddenly shudders and dash state "engine reduce speed" and "service stabilitrak" and "service traction control". It has happen about twice a month 6 months back. Took it to the dealership, no code so they couldn't find the issue even though I should them multiple videos. Today the vehicle shut off while driving 65 mph this morning in the fast lane. Luckily my wife put the Emergency lights on and we wasn't hit from behind but cats did brake fast and almost hit us. So far vehicle has left me on the side on the road 3 times today. Errors codes that are coming up is P1682 and c042-00. It also states replace ignition relay switch which I had done 3 times already. Once this happens I have to wait 10 minutes, then restart, then shut off, then reatart, then shut off then restart until to vehicle starts up how it should start up with no hesitation or shaking. Then I can make it home My fear is my wife will be driving and car shuts off while driving on the freeway with the kids. I know this issues was recalled with the traverse 2009 and 2010 and some other vehicle gm made.
Steering gave out my mechanic put on new pump took it out for a test drive and it still didn’t correct it . Put another pump on same thing . He doesn’t know what to do it is a programming problem the 2013 traverse is having from all the research I have done . From what I read very dangerous problem
General Motors is not notifying GM vehicle owners of electrical defect malfunctions that has been on-going for a number of years; leaving vehicle owners with alarming operational occurrences and unexpected repair expenses. While driving our 2013 Chevrolet Traverse fall 2021, we experienced the passenger airbag light coming on and staying on, along with the blind spot detection system lights coming on and staying on for both side mirrors. Also, the key fob wouldn’t work—manually lock and unlock the vehicle. We disconnected the negative battery terminal to reset the computers, resulting in the key fob to work and the passenger airbag light to go out. The blind spot detection system continued to malfunction so we scheduled a repair appointment with our Chevrolet dealership. Prior to the appointment, we endured a frightening experience while driving our Traverse; the entire instrument panel went out along with the radio. This electrical malfunction occurred on two separate occasions. In addition, the engine light came on and the engine temperature gage did not work properly. The dealership performed two diagnostic tests 11/5/2021 determining the engine coolant sensor malfunction and blind spot detection system modules/hardness malfunction. The dealership service manager explained other electrical malfunctions such as steering wheel movement and passenger seat movement that could occur while driving our vehicle should we continue to operate our vehicle without repairing the blind spot detection system and the need to replace both modules and the electrical harness. The video showed both modules were severely corroded. He also explained there is nothing a vehicle owner can do to prevent the corrosion because the modules are placed in the rear bumper—susceptible to moisture penetration and system malfunction. The repair costs was $1664. 11/30/2021 Customer Assistance Center stated by phone call, no action or reimbursement unless a recall is issued.
2013 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED THAT THE AIRBAGS AND SAFETY BELT BE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse has 4 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 160 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse.
The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse are air bags (13 reports), engine (13 reports), electrical system (10 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 4 recalls on record for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.