2012 Chevrolet Traverse Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Traverse years
- About as many complaints as other years 8th of 18 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. That ranks 8th out of 18 Traverse model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (115 complaints, 32%), typically at around 96,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 2 fires, 14 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
_front_view.png){kind=link}
- 354owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 115 | 32% | 96,000 | “traction control” (35%) | $9,400 |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 84 | 24% | 96,000 | “traction control” (68%) | — |
| Steering problems | 62 | 18% | 70,000 | “steering pump” (29%) | $3,450 |
| Air Bags | 48 | 14% | 86,552 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 48 | 14% | 99,250 | — | — |
| Power Train | 46 | 13% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 37 | 10% | 94,370 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 35 | 10% | 91,018 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 17 | 5% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 15 | 4% | 90,155 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 15 | 4% | 58,392 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 15 | 4% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 11 | 3% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 3% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 8 | 2% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 3 | 1% | 102,163 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 1% | 107,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 1% | 49,300 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 22,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 33,331 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 4,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 99,655 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 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.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages
Problem: 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.
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.
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.
It sways left to right really bad.. but when it rains or even even the car detected that it's going to rain.. as soon as the car senses it is going to rain u can't even drive it.. it like hydro plains even before it starts to officially rain.. very dangerous plus I had to replace the two back tires…
The car feels like itâs bouncing everywhere on any kind of surface and now there is a loud very loud rattling noise coming from underneath the car and the car starts shaking excessively if you try to accelerate
White smoke was coming out the car and my car eventually sat on fire. I had to call the fire department.. fire department stated that it was a electrical issue
Shift Interlock Malfunction. Put the shifter in park. Car did not register in park but locked gear shifter. Car would not restart or return to park. Emergency Brake had to be deployed.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle stopped abruptly. The check engine, traction control, stability control, and air conditioner warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated…
Other Chevrolet Traverse years
← 2011 Traverse · 2013 Traverse →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Traverse | 25 | 1 |
| 2025 Traverse | 183 | 0 |
| 2024 Traverse | 140 | 0 |
| 2023 Traverse | 92 | 2 |
| 2022 Traverse | 99 | 1 |
| 2021 Traverse | 92 | 3 |
| 2020 Traverse | 233 | 8 |
| 2019 Traverse | 411 | 3 |
| 2018 Traverse | 463 | 2 |
| 2017 Traverse | 361 | 3 |
| 2016 Traverse | 292 | 5 |
| 2015 Traverse | 313 | 5 |
| 2014 Traverse | 548 | 7 |
| 2013 Traverse | 162 | 4 |
| 2012 | 354 | 5 |
| 2011 Traverse | 608 | 5 |
| 2010 Traverse | 669 | 5 |
| 2009 Traverse | 448 | 8 |
See all Chevrolet Traverse problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
Similar Chevrolet models
Embed this 2012 Chevrolet Traverse badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners most often report engine, electronic stability control (esc), steering problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 115 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 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 2012 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.