2013 Chevrolet Traverse Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Traverse years
- Fewer complaints than other years 13th of 18 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. That ranks 13th out of 18 Traverse model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (53 complaints, 33%), typically at around 88,780 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 2 fires, 6 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 162owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2013 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 53 | 33% | 88,780 | “traction control” (36%) | — |
| Engine | 45 | 28% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 43 | 27% | 74,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 28 | 17% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 27 | 17% | 80,250 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 19 | 12% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 18 | 11% | 46,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 18 | 11% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 18 | 11% | 68,504 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 3% | 29,300 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 17,868 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 1% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | 18,724 | — | — |
| Suspension | 2 | 1% | 1,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 1% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 28,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 500 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | 47,892 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 1% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 22,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2013 Chevrolet Traverse recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
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.
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.
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.
Service Air Bag light is on and wonât go off. Car was never in an accident or anything done for this light to be on so Iâm a bit confused. Car has been inspected and looked over only issue is the service air bag light on the dash which came on after my battery completely died in my car. I…
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while she has a passenger with her, she stated her passenger air bag light goes on and off but most of the times states the airbag is off although someone is on the seat, as well as waring on the instrumental panel, that states service…
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…
Fuse box
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…
Other Chevrolet Traverse years
← 2012 Traverse · 2014 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 | 162 | 4 |
| 2012 Traverse | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine, electronic stability control (esc) problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 53 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2013 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 2013 has fewer complaints than most years, 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.