I originally took vehicle to dealer to replace the timing chain. When I got the vehicle back the power steering was making a loud noise. The dealer said the power steering was fine. Approximately 6 months later I take the vehicle back to the dealer for recalls and leaking coolant. Power steering still loud. Tech found leak from rack and pinion. I am glad that my steering did not fail like other complaints. I was lucky that my vehicle had a coolant leak and the tech found the leaking rack and pinion while fixing the coolant leak. My wife drives this vehicle each day with my 3 kids and having the steering fail while in traffic could have been horrible. It is obvious this is an issue in the 2009 traverse and is a safety issue.
2009 Chevrolet Traverse steering complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 231, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2009 traverse lost its power steering while we were driving it. We didn't get into an accident but almost did. That same day I received a letter from gm stating that my 2009 traverse may or may not have powersteering issues. After bringing it to the dealer they informed me that the rack and pinion was also leaking and the cost of the fix was 900 bucks with tax. Why was the rack and pinion not covered, it seems like it the cause of the powersteering issues.
I just purchased my 0 9 traverse and I have started hearing a squeaking noise coming from the steering wheel when turning as well as a squeaking noise coming from the brake pedal. I have taken the vehicle back to the dealership and they have told me that gm has not issued a fix for that problem and that it is common for the traverses. I contacted gm and they just says that there is no fix for it. I have seen on line that they have changed some parts in the newer vehicles due to a manufacturer defect. They say that it is not a safety issue, but people are losing power steering and I don't want to one day not have ability to control the vehicle. This issue needs to be addressed and fixed!!
The rack pinion on this vehicle is broken and had to be replaced. My mechanic told me that he has had to replace the rack pinion on several chevrolet traverse and gmc acadia. I have been reading forums online and this seems to be a common problem that gm refuses to admit. The rack pinion is vital to the vehicles steering and this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed.
Power steering loss at low speeds. While turning corners at low speed, the power steering assist cuts out unexpectedly. When this happens unexpectedly, turning the steering wheel is very difficult and the turn is not as tight as needed. On many occasions I have almost collided into other vehicles.
Power steering loss at low speeds. While turning corners at low speed, the power steering assist cuts out unexpectedly. When this happens unexpectedly, turning the steering wheel is very difficult and the turn is not as tight as needed. On many occasions I have almost collided into other vehicles.
At low speed steering wheel is very,very hard to turn,,,,,
We have been living with intermittent power steering failure in our 2009 chevy traverse for over two years. We brought it in to be looked at when it first became an issue. The vehicle had 60k miles on it at the time. The dealer charged us a fee to diagnose the problem, but wasn't able to find anything wrong. This problem has been getting worse every day since. We've had it looked at by a number of repair centers, including the chevy dealer again and it has been determined to be the power steering gear that has failed or also known as the power steering rack and pinion. We have an estimate of $1200 to replace the steering gear and pump that has also now failed as a result of the gear failure. We feel this is a safety issue that chevrolet should be addressing a recall, especially since they had already identified this issue with published warranty service bulletin. Since they consider power steering an optional item, it's not covered under the powertrain warranty. Having your power steering fail without warning while on a highway cloverleaf exit ramp is a major safety hazard that needs to be addressed without cost to the consumer who spent thousands on a vehicle the federal safety agency has given a high safety rating.
2009 chevrolet traverse steering will lock up at low speeds especially in parking lots and turning in town. Took to dealership and said it would need a power steering pump at a cost of 1200.00. Seems to be a very common occurrence and I think gm should pay for some of this repair. Not very impressed with how they are avoiding not to share in some of the cost of this costly repair.
While turning to the left or right the steering seems to lockup like the power steering is not working and you have to try to muscle the steering wheel to make the turn.
I wanted to highlight that I believe the traverse 2009 model is a safety risk. Over the last couple of days on multiple occasions my power steering has completely stopped working at low speeds. It seems that at low speeds - I.e parking or changing direction at slow speeds, the power steering fails and becomes almost impossible to turn the wheels to change direction - I have been told by the dealer it is a steering pump fault that needs replacing and is out of warranty. This can potentially be very dangerous if I needed to change direction quickly - I.e moving out of the way of cars or children. Please raise this as a major concern.
Power steering locked up when turning right into a parking space making it very difficult to turn then it freed up almost causing me to hit the car next to me. Steering seems a little jerky now. Does not feel safe at all and was very scary. This is not the first time it has done this and it seems to be getting worse.
A problem with the steering started about a month and a half ago in which the power steering would stop working. At first it was infrequent, but now the power steering quits on every significant turn. So far it has not happened at high speeds on lane changes and the like. Took it to the gm dealer who stated the gear box needs to be replaced at just under $1200. I asked them to check if gm would assist with (not fully cover) the cost of the repairs since it began at under 100,000 miles. Gm stated they would not help. This is a serious safety issue with a lot of complaints regarding the same problem.
At low speeds, in both drive mode @ 20 MPH or less and in reverse, steering loses power. The first sign of trouble came @60k miles when trying to turn left and gradually affected turning in either direction. It is nearly impossible to navigate the car in a parking lot and don't even try to parallel park. It is so hard to turn the wheel I break out in a sweat from having to crank it so hard. It has now been going on for 10 months. My daughter would like to take her driving test but can't because of the steering issue. I have to rent a car so she can get her license. Reported it to my local chevy technician back in december 2013 when I was in for an oil change. Car port said he noticed it as well when bringing car around front after my appointment. Have had three separate technicians look at the issue, over the last 6 months, two different chevy dealerships and ntb, and they had only guesses as to what might be causing the problem or how to fix it.
In october 2013 I noticed that I was losing power steering whenever I made a left hand turn. It was intermittent and did not occur when I took it to dealership to be checked. It continues when turning left and now also occurs when turning right from a stop. In addition when I am trying to back out, it locks up completely then releases once I start moving. I have only experienced this at low speed 20-30 MPH and hope I never have to find out that it happens at high speed too.
At first when making left turns only if would make a funny noise, then going around a curve it felt like the traverse was trying to die, warranty conveniently ran out in may 2014 I will have this vehicle 1 year end of october. Did not get extended warranty due to note was already high, took my traverse to mechanic was told I needed a rack and pinion and a steering pump due to leaking, which would end up costing anywhere from different places $1600 to $2100.00 you would think with gm going into debt so much they would make things right to keep from losing business!!! Sooooo wish I would have done more investigating when I need a bigger vehicle for my 3 small children!!!
While attempting to perform a left hand turn after receiving a green light, the steering wheel became extremely stiff. Continues to be a constant problem with a whining noise coming from steering wheel. Took to chevy dealer and they said rack "beginning to seep." quoted me $1300 to fix but I believe there should be an investigation into this issue since so many other traverse owners are experiencing the same problem.
The power steering failed on our 2009 traverse at low speeds while pulling out of a median into traffic. This type of power steering failure has happened before.the chevrolet dealer ship said we could have the rack and pinion replaced but could not say it would fix it and if you read the other complaint on here it didn't even fix the problem so I didn't have $1500 to throw away. This is a serious safety issue. It would be impossible to avoid an accident by turning the vehicle. Your only options are to stop and "man handle" the traverse into position. An elderly person or a smaller person would not be able to control the vehicle at all. Gm has re-designed the newer traverse/encore/acadia steering systems, so they know a problem exists. One day someone will get killed from this steering problem and everyone will wonder why a recall wasn't issued. Some type of action needs to take place with this problem.
Driving on country road when a deer ran onto the road, tried to steer around it and was unable to steer, thus striking deer on front passenger side. Have had several near misses in parking lots because of loss of power steering. Have checked power steering fluid levels and that is not the problem as it has always been at the recommended level.
Power steering cut out at low speeds -- intermittent. Worked some days and other times it wouldn't had pump replaced.
The power steering on my 2009 chevy traverse does not work at low speeds (15 MPH or less). Pulling into parking spaces is a major issue as it reverts to manual steering or no steering. It became an issue in january, but was not as reproducible. Now any time at low speeds there is no power steering. Gm want to charge 1300 to fix, but based on other complaints, the work they want does not solve their issue. With gm's track record of hiding the truth and the number of people reporting the same issue, this should be taken seriously. I understand gm's stance that it is only an inconvenience when parking, but I would like assurances that it won't start to fail at 20mph or higher.
Noticed a couple of months ago hard time turning the wheel when turning into parking spots. Has gotten worse over time now it's hard to turn when making a u turn. Even once turning at a light it went out. Also when backing into our driveway it gets stiff but as soon as I put the car in park the wheel turns fine.. I have seen there are lots of complaints on this.
When driving at low speeds, between 15 - 25 MPH, the power steering goes out and becomes difficult to almost impossible to steer. We have had several near misses while entering traffic. This happens randomly and we never know when it will occur. We took the vehicle to the dealership, and they believe it to be the rack and pinion steering, but they were unable to rectify the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. While turning the vehicle at 20 MPH, the power steering failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The steering my 2009 chevy traverse has become difficult to handle when slowing down, while making left or right turns. The steering wheel becomes very stiff, and causes my turns to be wider than expected. I have had situations where I have had "near misses", because the lack of response of the power steering. When the car is moving at speeds of the less the approximately 10mph, the steering becomes almost impossible to handle. When the car is idle, the steering wheel will not turn with considerable amount effort. I have taken the car for service, the rack and pinion were replaced/fixed. I am still experiencing the issue, and have concerns over potential accidents if this is improved.
I noticed while trying to make right turns the power steering begins to go out. I thought it was just that one time, but then felt it while driving on the highway. I drive with my daughter a lot and want to make long distance drives but I'm very hesitant because of this issue. Like the other customer stated the dealers are saying there are no recalls out about this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while turning at low speeds, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact mentioned that the failure was experienced multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
When parking it feels like power steering goes out. It is very hard to turn in or out of the parking stall. This usually only happened to my wife and I when we are parking or attempting to make a u-turn after a short time it seems to start working.
On the listed date, I was driving the listed vehicle. I was being accompanied by my wife and our three children. As I attempted to make a right turn onto a street, my power steering went out, and I nearly struck a vehicle. I thought I lost power, but then my power steering kicked in and I was able to correct my lane of travel. This occurred half a dozen times. My wife experienced the same thing right before I drove, and I wanted to see first hand what she was referring to. When I drove on the highway (60mph), I could feel the power steering wanting to go out. I felt the steering wheel get hard just for a split second, but it never when out. I called gmc, and they advised they haven't recalled any power steering parts. My concern is that my family could have sustained serious injury or could have been fatal.
2009 chevrolet traverse suddenly lost power steering when it reduced speed to turn on to highway on ramp. Stopped at the earliest opportunity to check power steering fluid. Topped off fluid but continued to have problem with random loss of power steering. Problem occurs now anytime that vehicle is not accelerating.
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