2009 Chevrolet Traverse: whining or grinding noise

Filed May 13, 2016 · Steering · 134,000 miles · TN

Steering whine, some loss of steering control. Called dealer first said rack covered on day of appointment, rack not covered. Called gm, won't cover. Case 8-2095354928.

Filed Jul 11, 2015 · Brakes · 73,000 miles · OH

Water pump went out (wasnt notified it was under warranty) had it replaced. Water pump went out again, dealer replaced under warranty. Steering began whining again and have been told thats normal nothing more they can do. Attempted to get re-imbursement from gm for water pump, never heard a peep back from corporate regarding my reimbursement form I mailed in. Based on lack of service from dealers/gm, when car began reving at high rpms and shifting hard, non gm mechanic indicated wave plate failed and trashed transmission. Transmission was rebuilt and then began throwing traction control & brake system warning lights. Ironically, when I found this forum this week, I noticed gm was covering the wave plate issue, yet they never informed us via mail or phone. I paid out of pocket. Upon contacting gm, they graciously waived the 105.00 diagnostic fee and informed me I needed a new master brake cylinder . Corporate however, appreciated my 30 years of loyalty but was unable to cover the cost (385.00) to replace the cylinder. They would consider giving me a coupon towards the purchase of a future gm vehicle. Finally, after having my mechanic replace the cylinder (saving me $$) the traverse threw check engine light and as a stop sign was approached, the brakes failed to engage. Had we not driven off the road to avoid the car stopped in front of us, we would have rear ended them. Luckily this didnt happen to my wife when she had the kids with her. We limped the vehicle back to the mechanic who has found the booster is full of oil and he is still researching the cause. However, he has indicated based on the brake failure he would not recommend my wife and kids get back in it.

Filed Aug 18, 2014 · Steering · 99,000 miles · IL

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.

Filed Jun 4, 2014 · Steering · 47,000 miles · WI

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.

Filed Mar 21, 2014 · Steering · 100,000 miles · WI

I have been having the following problems: steering wheel whining and grinding steering froze/stuck while turning steering wheel shaking this is scary considering I'm driving this vehicle everyday with 3 small kids in the car. After doing an online search it's not hard to find that everyone with the same vehicle is having the same problems.

Filed Aug 7, 2013 · Steering · 25,000 miles · AL

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while turning at various speeds, a whining noise was heard as steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the power steering pump, rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed May 14, 2013 · Steering · 41,180 miles · PA

On my way to an appt traveling about 45 MPH. Heard a loud whining sound, so I decreased my acceleration. Noise went away. There were no sensors/lights signaling that anything was wrong nor did the car perform any different than before the noise occurred. I noticed that something wasn't right when I tried make a turn that lead to my destination. It was much harder to turn my wheel. I continued to my appt but when I tried to park, I really had issues because my steering wheel would barely turn in any direction. After my appt, took my car to pep boys for them to check the power steering fluid levels. The employee showed me that the levels were fine & that I should contact my dealership. I drove home but I had a very hard time especially when I was traveling at speeds lower than 25 MPH. I didn't attempt to drive the car until monday morning when I took it to the dealer I bought it from. I told them what it was doing & asked that they look at it. They called me at work and said that I needed a new power steering pump and a rack & pinion steering gear plus an alignment. All total I would be shelling out $1100 for an issue that I shouldn't have with a 3-yr-old car with only 41k miles on it!! I called general motors to file a formal complaint because none of this was under the powertrain warranty on the car. I also wanted to file a complaint because I noticed that this is a common issue after I researched it on the internet. They took my complaint but told me there was nothing they could do since there was no recall on the car for this issue. I am making this complaint here because someone is going to die if this issue doesn't get fixed through a recall. And it's a shame that hard-working people have to make a costly repair such as this on a car that's not even 5 years old & with minimal mileage. Please make gm recall this!!!!!

Filed Apr 29, 2013 · Steering · 47,500 miles · MD

My wife is the primary driver of our 2009 traverse. I was driving it about a week ago and noticed the power steering motor whining. We had an appointment for service on the 26th and I reported it to them. Basically at slow speeds when turning you could here the motor whining. They stated that the power steering pump needs to be replaced along with the rack due to leaking (which we hadn't noticed previously). The repair is estimated at $1800. I have read where people have lost their power steering riding down the road, that hasn't happened to us, yet..

Filed Dec 16, 2011 · Steering · 10,000 miles · VA

Steering was making a whining sound when turning the wheel. This happened within 3 months of purchase of the vehicle. Since it was under warranty, chevy "fixed" the problem. 2 years later after the "fix" the steering is again making the whining sound when turning the wheel. The vehicle is no longer under warranty. We haven't yet had chevy look at the problem again, but judging by the other complaints in the federal safety agency database, we will likely have to shell out over $1000 to get this problem fixed again.

Filed Aug 25, 2011 · Steering · 35,900 miles · OH

When my vehicle was 2 years old and had approximately 35,900 miles, I started hearing a low whining noise in the steering column whenever the steering wheel was turned. The intermittent noise continued, so I had the vehicle serviced on 2/18/11 with mileage of 36,379. The dealership was unable to duplicate the noise. The noise continued getting worse; became louder and constant. I had the vehicle serviced on 8/24/11 with mileage of 44,248. The dealership determined the steering gear was failing and needed replacement. Since the vehicle was no longer under warranty, I had to pay $1212.80. It's very disheartening to have a repair of this magnitude on a 2 year old vehicle with low mileage. I purchased this traverse brand new to avoid the costly repairs of older vehicles. Apparently, I made a bad decision. This vehicle has already had 3 safety recalls and the steering gear should be made the 4th.

Filed Jun 24, 2010 · Steering · 11,768 miles · 00

Steering wheel whining noise when turning. Pulsating and a stiff turning in a parking lot or when going slow. Dealer replaced sic coil, fixed temporary.

Filed Jun 24, 2010 · Steering · 17,587 miles · 00

Steering wheel whining noise when turning. Pulsating and a stiff turning in a parking lot or when going slow. Dealer is now going to replace the steering rack.