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2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems

The most common problem on the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse is steering, typically around 69,460 miles. It has 1.9 times the complaints of a typical Traverse model year.

Typical year1.9x the typical complaints
Year score
49/100
Owner complaints
669
Recalls
5
Service bulletins
1,399
Worst area
Steering
Fuel economy
19mpg
Typical repair
$2,700

The worst 2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse

Check engine light 102Power steering loss 87Loss of power 69Stalling 33Engine failure 27Steering lock-up 25Whining noise 16Grinding brakes 14Airbag light 12Seat belt 11Jerking 9Won't start 9No deployment 7ABS 6Fire or smoke 6Steering noise 6Adaptive cruise 5Headlights 5Slipping 5

Trouble codes owners of the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse mention

P0008 25P0017 9P0009 2P0011 2P0018 2

Recalls 5

Air bags: critical fastenersReported April 8, 2021 · 108 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 21V246000 · Recall details

Structure: body: hatchback/liftgateReported June 30, 2015 · 691,144 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 15V415000 · Recall details

Seat beltsReported May 20, 2014 · 1,339,355 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 14V266000 · Recall details

Air bags: side/windowReported March 17, 2014 · 1,176,407 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Remedy
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.

Recall number 14V118000 · Recall details

Seat beltsReported August 12, 2010 · 207,210 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.
Risk
The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Remedy
Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V375000 · Recall details

See all 5 recalls for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse

Defect investigations

Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable FailureOpened August 31, 2020, closed August 30, 2024

On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V‑266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The subject vehicles included model year (MY) 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as MY 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14V‑266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million vehicles. Special Coverage N192219480, issued in June 2019, addressed the subject defect in vehicles that previously received the recall remedy repair for subject recall 14V‑266. The Special Coverage allows for component replacement for 12 years or 180,000 miles from the initial sale date, whichever comes first. Special Coverage N192219480 instructed service technicians to inspect the driver’s seat belt anchor cable for any damage to the protective sleeve and if damage was observed, the cable was replaced with a new sleeve as well as a new closeout piece that relocated the cable to mitigate the subject condition. In view of the Special Coverage conducted by General Motors, the high detectability of the subject failure, and the low rate of occurrence, this Engineering Analysis is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to Please see the attached document “EA20-002 Detailed Closing Summary” for more a detailed closing resume summary.

EA20002

Seat Belt Anchor Cable FailureOpened May 28, 2019, closed August 31, 2020

On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform) vehicles.The remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. ODI has subsequently received four (4) Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQ) reporting anchor cable separations with no apparent warning in covered vehicles after the Recall 14V266 remedy had been applied.ODI opened RQ19-003 to assess the effectiveness of the actions GM took in Recall 14V266 and review the full warranty and complaint data related to seat belt anchor cable separations and replacements. ODI continues to receive occasional cable failure complaints both for the subject vehicles and other GM models and model years that have also been previously recalled addressing this condition.Although the cable separation complaint rate is very low, over the past three years ODI has received two (2) additional VOQ?s citing belt cable separations for Lambda platform vehicles outside the scope of recall 14V266, (11217092, 11118075) and complaints for other GM models covered in a number of similar Safety Recalls:* 15V269, 2011-12 Chevrolet Malibu (11181115, 11288168); * 16V209, 2014-15 Silverado 1500, Sierra 1500 (11254364, 10935183, 10953851, 11025376, 11282043, 11288701, 11309884); and * 16V518 2014-16 Caprice Police Pursuit, SS (10905644, 10990669, 11340893).ODI's review of GM's data confirms the low potential failure rate for the vehicles covered by recall 14V266. However, ODI believes that complainants may not recognize accumulating cable fatigue damage from the visual cues available in routine vehicle use.ODI is upgrading RQ19-003 to an Engineering Analysis to more closely assess seat belt conditions and strength levels in the field. This work will include the collection of seat belt samples from a wider range of recalled and peer vehicles for detailed analysis and testing.The ODI reports (VOQs) associated with this RQ19-003 can be viewed at under the following reference numbers: 11144704, 11076704, 11185619, 11151922, 11164011, 10967518, 11113486, 11115648

RQ19003

Technical service bulletins for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse 1,399

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 1,399 bulletins for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse

2010 Chevrolet Traverse fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.6L 6‑cylFWD172419
3.6L 6‑cylAWD162319

What 2010 Chevrolet Traverse owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Sep 4, 2026 · Electrical · 160,000 miles · NE

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start and occasionally stalled while driving. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted after a while. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with ignition switch failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone, but no assistance was provided. The contact was transferred to a dealer for assistance, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Filed Jan 14, 2026 · Airbags · ME · crash

Side airbags deployed when we slid off the road. No impact not even a scratch or dent on the vehicle. We did not hit anything but only slid sideways off the road. The insurance company inspected the vehicle nothing but the airbags were damaged. No other warnings.

Filed Mar 11, 2025 · Seat belts · AZ

Seat belts all lock up and back latch falls when opening

Filed Dec 11, 2024 · Electrical · 175,000 miles · AL · fire

The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the driver's side door, the driver's side seat, and the ceiling had caught on fire and was burned; the windshield was also cracked. The vehicle was unoccupied during the fire. A Fire Department report was filed the following day and the Fire Department inspected the vehicle and determined that the wiring was hot to the touch and could have possibly caused the fire; the vehicle was deemed totaled. The local dealer was not contacted. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

Filed May 27, 2024 · Steering · MI

No power steering at low speed . Makes it dangerous to turn sharp corners. Almost impossible to park in a parking spot if there’s other vehicles.so I park way out away from vehicles . I have had two power steering pumps and lines replaced . And still have the same issue. .

Filed Sep 18, 2023 · Steering · SD

I have now been told that my rack and pinion is leaking by 3-4 different mechanics. In doing a google search, I see that through various years of the chevy traverse, the rack and pinion leaking and needing to be replaced at a high cost (and also being a big safety risk to not replace) is a very common issue in the traverse.

Filed Sep 18, 2023 · Airbags, Seats · SD

For several years now, when someone sits on the front passenger seat, the airbag light will intermittently come on. It also comes on if the person gets out of the seat. I took the vehicle to a dealership and they charged me over $100 to diagnose, and said the cable was loose and they fixed it. The next day it started doing this same thing again, but it doesn't happen when the dealer looks at the vehicle to replicate and fix the issue.

Filed Aug 23, 2023 · Steering · MI

Power steering is going out. Will only turn when rmps are up. Just bought car a few months ago

Filed Aug 23, 2023 · MO

My Traverse doors will lock, unlock, engine will race high then down shift now it will also shut off after it has done this while driving down the road. The safety issue is if it happens to stop running while on the highway or any road with traffic. Right now I am not able to drive it as it won’t start back up after it dies unless you let it cool off. I had to call my insurance for roadside assistance to get it towed. A

Filed Aug 8, 2023 · Engine, Steering · MN

This vehicle is dangerous. Looks great on the outside but horrible on the inside under the hood! Since my son bought one for me it’s had problems with engine revving and not shifting gears, and air conditioner continually going out even after repairs, and power steering leaks. I kept taking it to repair and oddly no technician anywhere could help! Read the reviews and watch the youtubes! This vehicle (all years) should be stripped from the market and considered under lemon law no matter the age! The culmination of my problems happened when leaving town, entering highway and accelerating and clicking cruise control! Immediately the car revved past 7 rpms and out of control! I had all I could do to stop it - then it died completely! The tow truck driver was also in an unsafe situation with many cars passing at high speed when he had to put special lifts on the back wheels! Scary! Towed to local Chevy dealer and without giving us the computer codes and no actual written estimate for repairs, they bluntly said metal shavings in engine and possibly a bearing and $11,500. And it’s typical for transmission problems and steering so up to $18,500! Really?! And if no one could ever detect and fix it before, how can they now? All this with the added comment, we can’t guarantee once we get into it that it will run properly and not need more repairs! LEMON! This is a very unsafe vehicle with notorious problems all in the face of competing with looks of other competitor cars! I praise God I was alone when this happened and no other passengers. If you love your life, family, and others, definitely join me in this recall / removal from market effort. Don’t take my opinion, read the huge number of complaints by many other owners and past owners of any and every chevy traverse! Horrifying! Thank you for reading and acting! God Bless you!

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse before you buy

Compare the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse

Traverse vs Ford ExplorerTraverse vs Dodge DurangoTraverse vs Kia SorentoTraverse vs Honda PilotTraverse vs Nissan PathfinderTraverse vs Toyota HighlanderTraverse vs GMC AcadiaTraverse vs Buick Enclave

Other model years

2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027

Questions about the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse

Is the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?

Owners have filed 669 complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, 1.9 times a typical Traverse model year.

What is the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse year score?

The 2010 Chevrolet Traverse scores 49 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Chevrolet Traverse: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?

Steering, with 331 complaints, typically around 69,460 miles. Next is engine (186).

How many recalls does the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse have?

5 recalls, covering air bags, structure and seat belts.

What year does the Chevrolet Traverse have bad steering?

The Chevrolet Traverse model years with the most steering complaints are 2010 (331 complaints), 2009 (231 complaints) and 2011 (165 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse get?

Official estimates for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse range from 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.6L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17 city and 24 highway.

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