My wife drives this vehicle more than I do. She first mentioned the issue and I was thinking she was over reacting. When I drove the traverse, I went to back it into the garage and the wheel nearly froze up. I had to crank the wheel to get it to turn and there was a vehicle coming up on me. I finally got it straight and backed into the garage. This happens every time we park now or navigating parking lots at slow speeds. I began researching online in forums and found many others having the same issue. They have been paying so much to have parts replaced and not be the issue that I am hesitant to take my vehicle into a dealer. If chevrolet knows about this something needs to be done. I can't afford $3000 or more to fix this vehicle that is breaking way before it should be.
2009 Chevrolet Traverse steering complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 231, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While taking corners at low speeds the power steering will suddenly cut out. It does not happen all the time. I have had mechanics inspect the vehicle and they cannot diagnose the problem. This is a major issue that needs to be dealt with immediately. I have called chevrolet's help line only to tell me that each case is different and I need to pay to have their mechanic look at it again. While on hold with chevrolet, a message was told to me that letters have been placed in the mail regarding the loss of power steering! I asked the representative and that recall does not involve the traverse. My mechanic said this has been a very common issue with these vehicles.
Turning the steering wheel is sometimes very stiff and difficult. Fear of an accident occurring due to this issue. Had a chevrolet dealership look at the vehicle during an airbag recall fix. No apparent problems could be detected by technicians. Searched internet and found this to be a popular problem with this vehicle.
The power steering failed on our 2009 traverse at low speeds while parking the vehicle. This type of power steering failure has happened before. We had the rack and pinion replaced (6 months ago) and the power steering fluid upgraded with limited success. The traverse feels like it has no power steering and it is difficult to turn. We have had the traverse checked at the dealership numerous times and finally paid a lot of $$$ to have the rack and pinion replaced. It did not solve the problem. 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. I am taking the traverse back to the dealership. This is an on-going issue for the past 3-4 years. There are a lot of similar complaints on the federal safety agency website. 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. I can afford (barely) to keep shelling out thousands for repairs, but what about those people who can's? They bought a $35-$45,000 vehicle from gm and it is not safe. Now they can't afford to sell/trade it and they might not be able to afford to fix it. Action needs to be taken to fix this problem.
Power steering goes out intermittently at low speeds - sharp turns pulling into parking spots, pulling out of parking spots into traffic, etc.. There are numerous reports of this on the chevy traverse forum indicating this is a known issue and that changes have been made to the 2014 model. Dangerous if failing while pulling out into traffic.
Power steering fails randomly and for no reason multiple times. Called gm and they had no response, said that there was no information that they could provide me other to say that there is not an open recall on my VIN for this, and basically refused to even make a record or note of the concerns so that it could be tracked to confirm that this is an issue for this vehicle.
On three separate occasions the power steering has failed on the car. It has happened more noticeably during rain but at various speeds. The car was taken to the dealer after all occasions. The first time, the dealer said nothing was wrong. The second time dealer stated that the belt got wet. The third time we got irate with the dealer because this is an ongoing safety issue with our family car. The warranty was expired by the 3rd occasion, but dealer finally (after 2 days of arguing with them) replaced the steering pump, belts and pulley to correct issue. This issue needs to be made a recall issue because it seems to be very common with this make and model year. According to [xxx] , vice president of global vehicle safety at gm "with these safety recalls and lifetime warranties, we are going after every car that might have this problem, and we are going to make it right??. Our issue is that the dealers nor the customer service at gm seem to want to make it right if the car is not on the list of current recalls. I guess they don't care until there are enough deaths involved. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While slowing to make a turn, the power steer stopped working. It has happened intermittently ever since, even when trying to park the vehicle...07/02/14
My 2009 chevy traverse with approx. 68000 miles has begun to show a lack of power steering at very low speeds. As the RPM's are increased the normal function returns. My concern is that the power steering will go out completely; possibly at highway speeds.
Loss of steering while driving. Very scary. This should not happen.
Towards the end of 2013 my wife and I started noticing the steering being really difficult and locking up on some occasions pulling into parking spaces and parallel parking. We experienced some near misses where the steering locked and felt like we were going to collide with the vehicle in the next parking space. We took our car to the dealership in june 2014 to have the air bag recall done and a state inspection. We also told the dealer that the coolant level was consistently staying low and the steering almost locks up at times. The dealer said the steering gear (or rack and pinion) was bad. The dealer would not pass the inspection. State inspections are performed to ensure safe vehicle conditions. If a gm dealer is not willing to perform a state inspection they are admitting this is a safety issue. The dealer performed the air bag fix, and replaced the water pump (from the coolant level complaint, prior tsb). They said the steering gear fix would have to be scheduled the following week. After two days the check engine light came on (c1100 and p00008). We scheduled the appointment to have the steering gear replaced because we were unsure if the steering would lock up on a normal turn while driving. The dealer said the c1100 was a loose cable at the control board and the p00008 was a bad timing chain (replaced under a prior tsb). The steering gear was replaced and the cost was $1,552. After reading similar complaints from other owners of chevy traverse vehicles this is a systemic issue due to a poor design steering gear. Gm should make the right decision and stand behind their quality in a proactive way and issue a recall to have these steering gears replaced before someone gets injured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the power steering failed without warning. The power steering reset independently within moments. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the power steering pump, power steering shaft and rack and pinion were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated while driving over a speed bump, the power steering failed and the steering wheel did not move. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 82,000. Updated 08/19/14*lj updated 08/21/14
Intermittent steering problems under 20-25 MPH. First issue was intermittent power steering when trying to turn in to my driveway or parking spot. Now has gotten worse to now steering wheel gets really hard to turn when making slight turn on to off ramp or side street. I have to manhandle the steering wheel to keep from running off the ramp or run into other vehicles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned making the steering wheel very difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering rack and steering pump had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The failure mileage was 50,000.
There is a grinding sound when turning the steering wheel regardless of speed, even sitting still but mostly at slower speeds. You can feel the vibration of the grinding in your hand through the steering wheel. Sound and vibration getting worse. Now at 60,000 miles.
Power steering failure while turning at low speeds. Problem is worse and occurs most when trying to park. You can be halfway through your turn into a parking space and all of a sudden power steering goes out. Have almost hit several parked cars just pulling into a parking space. Also happens when making low speed turns on the road. Very dangerous because you never know when the power steering will stop working. So far it has not happened at high speeds and hoping it never does.
As we were backing out of the driveway the power steering went out, which gave us no ability to turn. The car is not safe to drive in this condition. We believe this is a defect in the power steering and should be part of a recall. This is a huge safety issue and a recall should be made before people are injured.
I have noticed noise in the steering column. The first 2 times I took it in for service the tech was unable to replicate the problem. The third time I took it in, they heard the noise and diagnosed a problem with the steering rack. I was told the rack needs to be replaced, and that if I did not replace the rack I would at some point lose power steering. If this occurs, I believe that it is possible that I could be involved in a collision. Since the problem was diagnosed, I have noticed a vibration in the steering column that seems to be getting worse. At this point, gm is not taking responsibility for this problem, although it is such a widespread problem that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the florida court system.
There is a loss of power steering at low speeds when making sharp turns such as u turns and turning into parking spots. The power steering fluid level has been checked and is fine. Purchased the vehicle in august 2009. In late 2009/early 2010 there was a recall related to the steering column. In the last few years there has been noise emitted from the column, but chevy dealership said this was not a safety issue and it would cost over $1000 to fix. However, now it is a safety issue and is getting worse. There are hundreds of complaints online about the same problem. Chevy should issue a recall before someone is seriously injured.
Power steering whining was diagnosed and replaced at 48,000 miles and now at 70,000 miles the power steering is failing again. Having it lock up on me at slow speeds and causing me lose ability to control direction. Very unsafe condition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The failure occurred numerous times since 2013. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated while traveling at an unknown speed, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn either right or left intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the power steering needed to be flushed. The vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was not able to neither duplicate nor diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Vehicle has been experiencing intermittent issues with steering at low speeds. While trying to park, pull into traffic or make low speed turns, the steering will seize.
While at slow speeds, turning can become extremely hard. Acts like the power steering has quit, but then a few seconds later it is fine. Power steering fluid is at the appropriate levels. Seems to happen more often when you are doing frequent turning at slower speeds.
I own a 2009 chevrolet traverse ltz.. I have been experiencing steering problems with this vehicle at low speeds when parking in parking slots and when turning at intersections. When turning or parking the power steering will not work and the vehicle is very difficult to steer. I have check the power steering fluid and the fluid levels are fine. I have spent over $1,200.00 on trying to repair the problem and the vehicle is still having problems steering. I have taken the vehicle to a local dealership and the dealership advised me that there are no recalls for this vehicle. My wife is the primary driver of this vehicle and I am afraid if the steering locks up what may happen to her while she is driving the vehicle. I am to a point that I want to sell or trade the vehicle but I do not want to put the burden of this vehicle on anyone else. I hope that gm has a recall soon on this vehicle because I am afraid what may happen if this problem is not addressed.
When I attempted to turn onto a busy street with my wife's 2009 chevrolet traverse, the power steering failed and I nearly broadsided another vehicle. Fortunately I was able to stop before a collision occurred. When I got home I checked the power steering fluid and it was just under the max level. My wife said she has experienced the same thing when pulling into a parking space or just turning at slower speeds but it hasn't been consistent. Now in the last couple months the problem has become consistent. I have read many complaints online of the same problem with not only the traverse but with gmc acadia's and buick enclaves.
When operating the vehicle at slow speeds (I.e. Backing into parking spaces, taking sharp curves), the vehicle's power steering will fail , making it nearly impossible to turn the vehicle.
Since back in april 2014 I started to notice that at time the wheel would be hard to turn when parking. I contact the dealer and they said that power steering was a known problem with the traverse. Just recently it got so bad that I can't turn the wheel safely. When making a right turn the wheel locked and I rolled into the curve. When pulling out of the parking lot I had to give it some gas to get the wheel to try to turn and almost hit a person. When to trying to back the car because the wheel is so tight I almost hit someone again. I contacted gm and they said they would offer me cost assistance to get it fix. The dealer said they put all my information in some calculation system and it came back as the only cost assistance I qualified for is 100% participation on my part. I have to cost assistant to help myself pay the bill. I don't want to be responsible for hitting a person or another car because my wheel is locking because the power steering gear is leaking and need to be replace and now the power steering pump is bad. And they keep telling me this is a known issue and everyone has to pay for gm error.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while making a right turn, the power steering failed as the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 97,000.
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