2010 Chevrolet Traverse Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Traverse years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 18 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 669 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. That is the most of any Traverse model year in the database (18 years). The most reported problem area is steering (331 complaints, 49%), typically at around 69,500 miles. Complaints mention 17 crashes, 6 fires, 12 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 669owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 17complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 331 | 49% | 69,500 | “steering pump” (21%) | $2,100 |
| Engine problems | 178 | 27% | 86,944 | “timing chain” (47%) | $3,650 |
| Power Train problems | 66 | 10% | 84,161 | “timing chain” (32%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 60 | 9% | 80,000 | “traction control” (20%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 57 | 9% | 78,500 | “traction control” (53%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 42 | 6% | 74,048 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 30 | 4% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 28 | 4% | 87,578 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 25 | 4% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 16 | 2% | 82,023 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 2% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 10 | 1% | 71,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 1% | 71,265 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 1% | 74,250 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 1% | 49,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 1% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 6 | 1% | 26,800 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 1% | 8,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 1% | 84,161 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 1% | 37,395 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 0% | 68,500 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 0% | 50,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 0% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 0% | 59,500 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | 160,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2010 Chevrolet Traverse recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:critical fasteners
Problem: 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.
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.
Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate
Problem: 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.
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.
Seat belts
Problem: 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.
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 recall number for this campaign is 14187.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: 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.
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.
Seat belts
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.
Risk: The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, and saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure (EA20002) — opened Aug 31, 2020, closed Aug 30, 2024, led to recall 21V245.
- Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure (RQ19003) — opened May 28, 2019, closed Aug 31, 2020.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start and occasionally stalled while driving. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted after a while. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was…
Side airbags deployed when we slid off the road. No impact not even a scratch or dent on the vehicle. We did not hit anything but only slid sideways off the road. The insurance company inspected the vehicle nothing but the airbags were damaged. No other warnings.
Seat belts all lock up and back latch falls when opening
The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the driver's side door, the driver's side seat, and the ceiling had caught on fire and was burned; the windshield was also cracked. The vehicle was unoccupied during the fire. A…
No power steering at low speed . Makes it dangerous to turn sharp corners. Almost impossible to park in a parking spot if thereâs other vehicles.so I park way out away from vehicles . I have had two power steering pumps and lines replaced . And still have the same issue. .
Other Chevrolet Traverse years
← 2009 Traverse · 2011 Traverse →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Traverse | 25 | 1 |
| 2025 Traverse | 184 | 0 |
| 2024 Traverse | 141 | 0 |
| 2023 Traverse | 92 | 2 |
| 2022 Traverse | 99 | 1 |
| 2021 Traverse | 92 | 3 |
| 2020 Traverse | 233 | 8 |
| 2019 Traverse | 412 | 3 |
| 2018 Traverse | 464 | 2 |
| 2017 Traverse | 361 | 3 |
| 2016 Traverse | 292 | 5 |
| 2015 Traverse | 313 | 5 |
| 2014 Traverse | 548 | 7 |
| 2013 Traverse | 162 | 4 |
| 2012 Traverse | 354 | 5 |
| 2011 Traverse | 608 | 5 |
| 2010 | 669 | 5 |
| 2009 Traverse | 448 | 8 |
See all Chevrolet Traverse problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners most often report steering, engine, power train problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 331 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Traverse model years, the 2010 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.