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2011 Chevrolet Traverse Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 608 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, most often about the engine (35% of complaints, typically around 84,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Traverse model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Traverse problems
Engine
213 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 84,000 miles.
2011 chevy Traverse is having fuel gauge issues. Gm has a recall out on 2014 models, however my 2011 is experiencing the exact same problem but no recall for that year. Per gm this can result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
I was driving the truck on the main street when the truck just turned off, everything shut down even the radio...checked the ignition and the key was still on, luckily when the car stopped the cars behind me stopped.I was then able to turn the key again, and the truck turned on...this has happened one other time but…
Steering
165 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 66,500 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, rack and pinion.
Our 2011 Traverse has experienced no power steering at low speeds which has now resulted in no power steering at all.. My wife drives this vehicle every day with our children, she has had several close calls due to the fact of no power steering. While checking into the issue, I noticed that there are alot of…
On friday, july 25, 2014, my 2011 chevy Traverse stalled/shutdown while driving. I pulled out of a local gas station and immediately noticed that there was a noise coming from the engine. Almost simultaneously the car began to stall/shutdown. I pulled over to the shoulder (fortunately there was one). I turned the AC…
Stability control
103 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles.
As I was driving, I received three messages on my vehicle: service traction control, service stabilitrak and engine running at reduced power. Took the car to my local mechanic and they flushed out something (I don't remember what exactly). It ran fine for a few weeks then as I was on the freeway the same messages…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the electronic stability control, traction control and the engine power reduced warning lights illuminated on the instrumental panel. The vehicle independently reduced power. The contact merged to the side of the road where the…
Transmission
79 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
I just recently purchased this 2011 chevy Traverse last night from the dealer. My first time buying a used vehicle. Within 3 months, my heat stopped working in my vehicle. I purchased the vehicle at 40,000 miles. Brought it to the dealer, and asked if there was anything they can do as I just purchased this vehicle not…
I was driving down the expressway going 70 miles an hour and my car all of a sudden went into safe mode and dropped to 10 miles an hour in a matter of seconds. I came very close to being rear ended by the car behind me and I had to swerve off the road into loose gravel and almost lost control of my car. I took the car…
Electrical
67 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 77,000 miles. Parts named most often: alternator/generator/regulator.
Wipers stopped working when I was on the road. Still continue not to work. Which is not fun to drive. Hoping for no rain. Not sure why mine doesn't have a recall being its in the snow state and they are replacing a part. So I am suppose to pay for it myself? Another issue, our windows don't want to roll up back up.…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was to be taken to the dealer for inspection and diagnostic testing. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14v266000 (seat…
Speed control
58 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 70,500 miles.
Tl contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the traction control off and the engine power reduced warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who…
Stabilitrak warning light engine losing power down to 20 MPH.went online this is an on going problem with many gm cars and should be fixed at the cost of the manufacturer.
Air bags
43 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 40,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while waiting at a traffic light, a vehicle crashed into the rear end and pushed the vehicle into an intersection. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain her. The contact sustained injuries to the chest, knee and a fractured…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the service air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that an unknown part of the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle…
Other or unspecified
36 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 101,000 miles.
On 2/3/15 driving 60mph on the 1-87 my steering wheel began to vibrate on and off. Then drove about 5 miles further then my stabilitrack and traction control failed with its indication on the dash board then the vehicle skid symbol lit up and the dashboard stated engine loss of power and the vehicle slowing began to…
While the vehicle is stationary or being driven the traction control turns off, the stabilizer goes out, and the engine power reduces. I was on the highway and I lost power going from 65 MPH down to 25-30 MPH. I had to pull over and shut off the car, waited for 15 minutes and started driving again. I hadn't gone far…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Chevrolet Traverse recalls
Air bags: critical fasteners
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Full defect 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.
Body and structure: hatchback/liftgate
Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on november 15, 2016. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for this recall is 15240.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 buick enclave vehicles manufactured january 3, 2007, to february 29, 2012, 2009-2012 chevrolet traverse vehicles manufactured july 6, 2008, to march 9, 2012, 2007-2012 gmc acadia vehicles manufactured september 15, 2006, to february 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 saturn outlook vehicles manufactured august 17, 2006, to march 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
Seat belts
Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
Fix: 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 re
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, and gmc acadia vehicles currently registered in alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming and the district of columbia. Snow or ice buildup on the windshield or on the wiper may restrict the movement of the wiper arm, causing the wiper arm to loosen and cause the wiper to become inoperative.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Outboard front seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
On august 31, 2020, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened engineering analysis (ea) ea20002, as an upgrade of recall query (rq) rq19003. This investigation, related to recall 14v-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by general motors (gm). The subject vehicles included model year (my) 2009 through 2014 gmc acadia, buick enclave, and chevrolet traverse suvs as well as my 2009 through 2010 saturn outlook suvs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14v-266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million v
Seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
On may 19, 2014, general motors llc (gm) notified the office of defects investigation (odi) that it would conduct safety recall 14v266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (my) 2009-2010 saturn outlook, 2009-2014 buick enclave, gmc acadia and chevrolet traverse (lambda platform) vehicles.the remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. Odi has subsequently received four (4) vehicle owners questionnaires (voq) reportin
Questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (213 complaints, typically around 84,000 miles); steering (165 complaints, typically around 66,500 miles); stability control (103 complaints, typically around 81,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 8, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Chevrolet Traverse?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Traverse model year since 2000, with 608 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.