The steering locks up when turning left or right at very low speeds such as when turning a corner or pulling into a parking space. I would have hoped by now gm would have issued a recall given the potentially dangerous implications of not being able to steer your car. Clearly, this is a known and growing issue. Http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2010/chevrolet/traverse/steering/problem.aspx.
2010 Chevrolet Traverse steering complaints
Page 9 of 12: complaints 221 to 250 of 331, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Power steering goes out intermittently at low rates of speed, while trying to make turns, can not turn the steering wheel when it does this, I have taken my traverse to the local dealership 3 times but because it's out of warranty they want me to pay $1000 for parts plus labor charges to have the rack & pinion as well as the power steering pump fixed. I called gm directly 800‑222‑1020 and asked why so many complaints have been made but there hasn't been a recall issue & they said that people aren't reporting this issue through the dealership, so I suggest that if you have a traverse with these problems you contact your local gm dealer asap!!!!! Hopefully we can get some assistance with the prices of this!
Loses power steering at very low speeds such as turning into parking spaces. Almost impossible to turn steering wheel. Power resumes when you accelerate.
Steering intermittently looses power causing steering wheel to jerk and making steering difficult. Vehicle then begins to veer out of lane. Power steering pump constantly "whines". Manufacturer contacted stated not covered by warranty. Through internet research this is an extremely common problem with the traverse vehicle.
When you try to steer the automobile it becomes no power steering.........impossible to turn the wheel at all........you must stop & keep trying to turn it......& sometimes you cannot turn when your moving....I am scared when it stops that I will hit someone head on.....very dangerous......my dealership is trying to charge me $1700 to repair what is gmc's faulty equipment....this is a detriment to anyone driving this chevy traverse....I have told them & they are stalling the repair...........waiting for a recall that you "gmc" are putting off..........I have revised my will to state that if I am killed in an automobile accident to look to the maker gmc of this car................it's time to fess up to the repairs that need to be done for the public safety of this chevy traverse.................I am 71 years old & you are responsible for your product........................................
This is an update to my earlier complaint of intermittent sudden loss of power steering making turns at low speeds. I was able to reliably recreate the loss of power assist following this procedure: finding an empty lot, turn vehicle and hold at slow speed (under 10mph) and continue in complete circles. Eventually, power assist will kick off and making any turns will require significant effort. Bringing the vehicle to higher speeds (25-35 MPH) appears to reset. My vehicle is currently in shop for replacement of power steering pump as this was the dealership service department's diagnosis even though I informed them of the ability to induce vehicle as described above. I will update this complaint if power steering replacement does not correct issue.
While driving at slow speeds, going into and coming out of full turns (ie turning into parking spot), turning steering wheel becomes unacceptably difficult - sudden and unpredictable loss of power assisted steering while vehicle is in motion.
Power steering goes out intermittently, primarily at low speeds. The vehicle can not be controlled for low speed steering, pump has been checked and dealer said it is electronic but not certain.
Power steering fails in turns at low speed, or when trying to park. Can still "horse the wheel if sufficient strength and realize what is happening. Has steadily gotten worse (occurs more often), but I'm not fixing it till completely fails.
There is a recall for the same issue that 90% of the steering issues noted on this site is for but not for the traverse. Here are the details. We need to call gm or the safety numbers and fight to get this fixed! This is clearly an issue. We were quoted 1700 to replace the rack and pinion. Lithia motors was terrible to work with. We bought the car on 11/21/2013 and noted the problem to them in less than a week after purchase and they told us they would take care of us. If I had known they wouldn't then I would have returned the car to them. I will never deal with them again and don't recommend it to anyone else! Report receipt date: mar 31, 2014 the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 component(s): steering potential number of units affected: 1,340,447 all products associated with this recall vehicle makemodelmodel year(s)chevroletcobalt2010chevrolethhr2009-2010chevroletmalibu2004-2006,2008-2009chevroletmalibu maxx2004-2006pontiacg62005-2006,2008-2009saturnaura2008-2009saturnion2004-2007 details general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, 2004-2006 malibu maxx, 2009-2010 hhr (non-turbo), 2010 cobalt, 2008-2009 saturn aura and 2004-2007 ion, and 2005-2009 pontiac g6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving. Consequence: if power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash. N otes: owners may also contact the federal safety agency vehicle safety hotline at 1‑888‑327‑4236 (tty 1‑800‑424‑9153), or go to
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, she tried to turn into a parking lot and the steering wheel locked. She had to use extreme force and turn the steering wheel in order to unlock it. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, there was an abnormal grinding noise heard whenever completing a turn. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that there was no defect with the vehicle. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then advised that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer did not properly diagnose the vehicle until after the warranty had expired. The manufacture was made aware of the failure and declined to provide further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 140.
You guys need to check out this website, I'm having the exact same problems as many listed here, and many who don't even look into this issue!!! Something has to be wrong with the traverse, and gm is picking out 1 at a time, and offering to fix the issues at a lesser charge (out of warranty). Please get someone to look into this. Our steering has been an issue, along with the electronic control module having been replaced 4 times!! Wiring harness replaced, leaking power steering, and struts/mounts. After doing much research, I find so many people having the exact same issues!!! There has to be a problem somewhere, and many people unknowingly are paying full price for this unless they complain!!! I ended up paying $950 for a $4000 bill at the dealer after negotiating with gm. Something is wrong here folks!! [xxx] there are many other forums if you google this issue of other consumers with these issues!! With some losing power and dropping from 65mph on interstate to 20 MPH within a matter of seconds!! I don't want this to happen to my family!!!! *tr parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
On sunday I noticed a reddish fluid under the front right corner of the vehicle that had leaked out onto the garage floor. On thursday I took the vehicle in for regular maintenance and have the water pump recall taken care of and had mentioned to the service tech about the fluid I had noticed. The service tech called me later that day to inform me that the mechanic had found that the fluid was coming from the power steering pump and that the rack and pinion had to be replaced at a cost of $1400.00. The vehicle is just over 4 years old and to have this problem is unacceptable. In doing research into power steering failure on this particular chevrolet vehicle, there are numerous consumers with the same issue related to the power steering components. The service tech said that this is a safety issue. If this is a recurring problem, a recall should be issued to have gm replace the power steering components before there are major accidents because of this. As of this writing, I'm waiting on a decision from the dealership to see if they would replace the power steering unit at gm's cost. Again, this is unacceptable.
Power steering locks up when turning at slow speeds or parking. Very dangerous. See numerous people are having the same complaint.
When attempting to pass (at a normal speed & situation) accelerator sticks & continues speeding up until I slammed on brakes(which didn't stop me) & pulled the accelerator up at the same time, this has now occurred 5 times over the last 7 months, it is terrifying when it happens, I have 3 kids in the vehicle with me most of the time, then today when it happened right after it started working properly I lost power steering when I apply my brakes!! Not impressed with this vehicle right now!
From a stop, making a left turn, the power steering locked up making it very difficult to turn on a busy street. Power steering has locked up multiple times since purchasing on december 23, 2013. Gm needs to address this serious problem before someone is killed.
Our 2010 chevy traverse had about 60,000 miles on it when it would be very, very hard to steer at slow speeds while parking and turning.
Power steering would not turn at slow speed,rack a pinion totally gone.
Whining noise when turning steering wheel. Has been in shop 4 times. With same problem.
My traverse loses power steering at low speeds. When pulling into or out of a parking spot there is no power steering. Also occurs when turning to make a u turn when at low RPM. This started in july 2013 and has been getting worse. I have taken to the dealer 3 times without any confirmed diagnose. The lack of power steering makes it very difficult to maneuver in parking lots or parking garages. They noted a small leak on the rack and pinion but do not believe that it is related to the power steering problem at low speeds. The steering works great at speeds higher then 30mph.
While driving into parking lot, slowing down, the power steering failed and I was no longer able to steer the traverse, unless I applied power (accelerated on the gas pedal). I brought the vehicle into the dealership. They diagnosed the problem as a leaking power steering pump and the rack and pinion was faulty, both which needed to be replaced (at significant cost, over $2,000).
Started with intermittent loss of power steering at low speeds making tight turns. Then noticed hesitant/jerky steering on the highway, with loud rattle in front end. As with all the others, got the run around from the local chevy repair shop, and also with gm customer service - would not acknowledge or even talk about all the similar complaints. I got gm customer service to go good for most of the repair cost of installing a new power steering pump and steering gears. All after 3 trips to the repair shop, the first time they insisted I just needed a power steering flush - 2nd time they put in the pump, 3rd time finally "found" the leaky gear. Let's hope this holds out - drove good for the 40 mile trip home.
I was driving my chevy traverse on a main road when it started making a loud noise, steering wheel got very stiff and it was hard for me to steer. I immediately tried making a left turn in order to pull into a residential block and out of harms way. It was really hard for me to try to drive my vehicle and get both me and my child out of harms way. Thankfully, I was able to park it in a safe spot and out of the way of on coming traffic. If I wouldn't have reacted quickly and used all of my strength to try to steer the vehicle it could've turned into a tragic accident. I was very afraid for both me and my child. Gm/chevy should place an immediate recall on this before someone gets hurt. Now my truck is in the shop and I am looking at a cost of $2100 for a power steering pump. I bought this vehicle thinking it was a safe crossover for my family.
While turning the car going forward or reversing right or left the steering will lockup. It feels like the power steering goes out. I can start the turn with no trouble and mid way through it can lock up and then release again. This is not always consistent though and doesn't happen on every turn. This has many times caused me to almost not make my turn. When it locks up it take both hands and all my strength and weight to pull on the wheel to complete a turn. Again not consistent. Sometimes it never happens during a drive. Other times it happens on almost every turn. There are also times that it is hard to turn when I first try or start a turn. I can sometimes recreate it if I start a turn, not turning the wheel the full turn I need and then pull more on the wheel... It seems to lock up most times. But again not always. The dealership lithia looked at it for us once and found some moisture in an area they thought may have been causing an issue and replaced a seal but this was several months ago and it didn't change a thing. We are taking it in again today and hope that they find something as I feel this is a safety issue.
I see complaints about the power steering going out. While my car was under factory warranty, I complained to the dealership about the whinning sound in the steering column. The problem could not be duplicated while it was there. Now the power steering rack is being replaced. I see complaints about this problem and that it is not covered under extended warranties. Mine is and I am sooo very grateful. I have a new house a new clean garage floor. My husband and son first saw the leak on the new garage floor. We found he problem early. My son crawled under the car and took a pic of where it was leaking and I sent it to my service advisor. He called me back and told me to get the car in. I wasn't experiencing problems yet. I was lucky. If so many other people are having problems, why isn't there a recall?
Went to pick up my car from inspection and technician had difficulty steering the car in the lot. Diagnosed as possible electric pump steering issue. Already have been told I needed to replace rack & pinion but used leak stop and so far has been holding. Car can't even be steered to get out of parking lot. How much money will this cost now? I feel chevrolet has many cars with similar issues. It is time for them to take responsibility.
I took the listed vehicle to the shop for its yearly state inspection. They informed me that rack and pinion needed to be replaced, that is was leaking fluid. Before this I did notice a whining sound when I turned the vehicle at low speeds also harder to turn.
My spouse was driving the car and tried to make a turn at an intersection and almost hit the car in the oncoming lane because the steering became very difficult. Managed to drive the car into a parking lot where the problem came and went, eventually just had it towed to a mechanic. The car did not exhibit the problem for the mechanic so he could not diagnose the problem. Now we are afraid to drive the car.
I purchased a 2010 traverse ls brand new from a dealer and am now having serious issues with the steering locking up. My wife was driving the traverse into our neighborhood, as she turned off the main street into the neighborhood the steering locked and she could not come out of the turn. She had to almost stop the vehicle completely for the steering to unlock so she could continue. She almost hit a parked car and was almost struck by another car as she had to stop half way through her turn to unlock the steering. The problem only continued to worsen, steering locking more often and causing numerous near misses. Almost striking cars, buildings, fences and curbs. It mostly happens at slower speeds, 35mph or less and has caused us to hit our garage trying to pull in or out. It has, however happened a few times at higher speeds while driving through curves on the highway and city streets, 45-70 MPH. Was taken to the dealer in december 2013 and diagnosed as rack and pinion issue. Rack and pinion has been replaced twice(not under warranty) and the problem still exists. I have done research online line and this is happening to many people that own traverse, acadia, enclave and outlooks all with the same steering components. Something needs to be done to get gm to rectify this issue before someone has to die or be seriously injured due to this problem.
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