2009 Chevrolet Traverse Steering Problems
Owners have filed 231 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, 52% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 76,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “rack pinion” (16% of reports).
- 231steering complaints
- 76,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,800typical repair cost reported by owners
- 8%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rack pinion: mentioned in 38 of 231 complaints (16%)
- Steering pump: mentioned in 37 of 231 complaints (16%)
- Difficult turn: mentioned in 22 of 231 complaints (10%)
- Turning parking: mentioned in 12 of 231 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical steering repair on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse at $1,800, and half of them between $1,550 and $2,400.
Based on 39 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2011–2016), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 213 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 231 complaints, 5 mention a crash.
Chevrolet Traverse steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Traverse | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2025 Traverse | 4 | 2% | 913 |
| 2024 Traverse | 5 | 4% | — |
| 2023 Traverse | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2022 Traverse | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Traverse | 4 | 4% | — |
| 2020 Traverse | 7 | 3% | 2,000 |
| 2019 Traverse | 19 | 5% | 1,319 |
| 2018 Traverse | 14 | 3% | 4,631 |
| 2017 Traverse | 11 | 3% | 40,000 |
| 2016 Traverse | 24 | 8% | 55,000 |
| 2015 Traverse | 27 | 9% | 59,000 |
| 2014 Traverse | 27 | 5% | 45,342 |
| 2013 Traverse | 18 | 11% | 71,000 |
| 2012 Traverse | 62 | 18% | 70,000 |
| 2011 Traverse | 165 | 27% | 66,500 |
| 2010 Traverse | 331 | 49% | 69,500 |
| 2009 Traverse | 231 | 52% | 76,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I bought the car in August of last year and drove it for about 3 days before it started giving me problems. First incident I was driving my children home from the hairdresser and the car completely went out us on the highway, after repeated attempts for a half hour or so I was able to start it and…
A year a go the steering at low speed would act like the power steering just stop working, very hard to turn. but not all the time, but now it more often. when a kid ran out between two parked cars I went to turn and hit the brakes the steering went out. Luckily he stop in time, but after that I…
Vehicle is hard to turn at low speeds. (power steering) higher speeds it steers normally. They apparently know about the issue.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Chevrolet Traverses have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 231 owner complaints about steering for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse (52% of the 448 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 76,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix steering problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,800 (half paid between $1,550 and $2,400), from 39 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
The most frequent phrase is “rack pinion”, in 38 of 231 complaints, followed by “steering pump” (37).
Other 2009 Chevrolet Traverse problems
- Power Train problems (58)
- Engine problems (50)
See all 2009 Chevrolet Traverse problems or steering problems across all Traverse years.