The power steering in my 2011 chevy traverse fails frequently when turning into streets, parking lots or driveways. The steering locks up and is hard to navigate turns almost causing accidents. I have safety concerns which puts my entire family at risk. I took vehicle to dealership and they claimed that it was the rack and pinion that was worn per the repair order which I paid $1600 to fix. Once I took the vehicle home, the same problem was still occurring. Very frustrated that the repair did not correct the problem. I returned the vehicle to the dealership where now they told me that the vehicle needed a new power steering pump. It was replaced and billed to gm as a "goodwill" repair order of $700. There is clearly a defect in the steering and hope that gm extends and issues a recall for the 2011 traverse before a serious accident occurs. I do not feel safe in this vehicle even after the repair.
2011 Chevrolet Traverse steering complaints
Page 6 of 7: complaints 131 to 160 of 165, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Letter from congressman ribble on behalf of constituent re 2011 chevrolet traverse ( attn: kerry niemcek). *smd the consumer stated the power steering pump and rack and pinion malfunctioned during operation.
Stopped at a sharp carve had to manually turn the wheel. Done this 3 times before I made it home. Does not have a problem in average curves just when making a sharp turn. Parking was a major issue.
2011 chevrolet traverse. Consumer writes in regards to power steering issues. *smd the dealer informed the consumer, the fluid was low, because the steering gear was leaking.
I purchased my 2011 chevrolet traverse awd in april 2014 and within the first week I noticed a slight shuddering in my steering as I would make a turn to either my right or left. It feels like when you have a warped rotor except that when this shuddering occurs I am not applying the brakes. Also, I have been noticing a whining noise as I am making turns in either direction. This is definitely coming from the power steering pump. I checked and added steering fluid and the next day this still continued. Vehicle is just out of warranty for the in-service date but not for the 30,000 mile bumper. I have a friend who also is experiencing the same issue with his chevrolet traverse and wish that gm would do a recall on this vehicle system before an accident occurs. From what I have read, there has been far too many complaints from other consumers concerning this same power steering issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH in reverse, the power steering assist malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where repairs were made that were unknown to the contact. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My wife bought a new 2011 chevy traverse which now has 78,572 miles on it. The power sterling just failed on it yesterday. I checked the fluid level and it was ok. The pump growls when turning and it is almost impossible to turn when the car is idling. I drove it to church this morning and almost hit a parked vehicle while trying to turn into a parking spot. My wife would not be able to turn the vehicle if she were driving. This is a real safety issue since the pump fails with no warning. I know this won't be covered under warranty, but is there a recall for this problem yet?
My vehicle has had a whining noise when steering. It also feels "loose" as if I'm not in complete control of the steering. I took the vehicle to the dealership and the service advisor stated that this is a very common problem and the steering could likely get worse if not serviced. He also stated that this is not an isolated incident and is very common. I have heard reports of owners of the same vehicles having lost control of steering. I have a three year old daughter and safety was a major factor in purchasing this vehicle. I do not feel safe knowing that this problem exists. I had the vehicle repaired at my own expense. General motors does have a bulletin on this problem so they are aware of the issue. However, I believe that the government should investigate as their might be consumers out there that are not aware of this safety issue. They may think that it is just a simple squeak and not as severe as I was made aware. Thank you
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, she turned the steering wheel to the right and heard a whining noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 09/16/14
Exiting the highway onto the off ramp of a rest area, the car had complete loss of power steering as I decelerated. It felt like the car powered off, but I realized it was still running once I brought the car to a stop. Had to turn off car and re-start to regain power steering.
On march 8, 2014, (2011 chevy traverse) I was turning right into a restaurant when my power steering went out. It took all of my strength and my 20 yr old son (passenger) to turn the wheel to get off the road. We almost went into the guardrail and could have very well been plowed into from the car behind us. In parking lot we checked steering fluid & added some. On way to our house about 2 hours later it happened again when I made a left turn. This time I went off the road a bit, inches away from hedges & someone's lawn. Very dangerous. Took it to chevy dealership who wanted over $1,800.00 to fix the power steering pump and rack & pinion. Of course it was not under warranty!!! I ended up taking it to a private shop and paid $1,470. I agree that there should be a recall and we should get our money back. If you research this like I have done...there are a lot of people out there with the same problem. Hope all of you file a compliant to force a recall !!!!
Heard a noise in november 2013 but just once and didn't hear it again till january 2014 only when turning wheel. I thought I was imagining it cause nobody else noticed it when I was trying to have it checked. Fluids where fine, no warning indicators. Finally in march 2014 heard it again and starting researching what it could be. Found a technical service bulletin about the steering problem. I contacted chevrolet about this since my car was out of warranty and they said it had to be diagnosed by a chevy dealership, so I scheduled to have it diagnosed. Dealership said it is the power steering and that it has to be replaced. I asked what caused it and they said it is a design flaw and that they have seen it in the acadia, terrain and traverse vehicles. I called chevrolet back and reported the dealership findings and they are supposed to contact me with a solution on how they can help me with the repair since this is a design flaw and not something I caused.
Our 2011 traverse has experienced no power steering at low speeds which has now resulted in no power steering at all.. My wife drives this vehicle every day with our children, she has had several close calls due to the fact of no power steering. While checking into the issue, I noticed that there are alot of individuals experiencing the same exact problem. This is not a convenience issue this is a huge safety issue!!! I can not believe nothing has been done about this yet, I have purchased several chevrolet/gm products and currently own 4 different vehicle made by this company, I know there is a lot of people in the same boat as I am. There is no need for an accident or something worse to happen before this gets resolved.
My issue started when I was making left hand turns it would sound like the engine would make a loud noise with some grinding noise. Then it started happening with right hand turns as well. Took it to the dealership today and they believe that it is the transmission. After doing some research I found alot of similar issues. This needs to be fixed by gm. I am curious to see how this is handled by gm and the dealership. Basically it should be a no brainer, the vehicle is 4 years old, transmission should not go out that fast. Already filed a complaint and contacting gm this afternoon as well. I have a feeling this is going to be a fight. Below are other issues reported to the federal safety agency, I stopped looking after page 3 took car in for odd noise in steering. Was told pump was bad and seal was bad. Appears that this is a common issue with this type of vehicle and no recall has been made. Its not just one or two cars, after research is hundreds of cars. The federal safety agency id number: 10567931 loud whining sound coming from front end. When turning steering wheel slowly you can hear a loud scratching noise. Bought the car brand new and only have 17k miles in 3 years. Entire steering column had to be replaced. Power steering fluid leaking. The federal safety agency id number: 10566861 tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that there was an abnormal vibration in the steering wheel when turning in either direction. The contact also indicated that the vehicle was stationary. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the power steering fluid and pump were replaced but the failure was not remedied. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 20,000. The federal safety agency id number: 10555889 power steering has issues at low speeds when turning. Dealer cost to replace pump and gear is 2,500! The federal safety agency id number: 10520885.
My check engine light came on wednesday, march 19, 2014. On friday morning, while driving to work, my car accelerated and then slowed down; going from approximately 70 MPH to 15 MPH. When I took it to the dealer they called me back and said the throttle body had gone bad and had to be replace. I was told by several other people that a throttle body should not be going bad this early in a car; as a matter if fact I have drive several cars well over 100,000 miles and never had a problem with the throttle body. This needs to be a recall because this is a family vehicle and many people are transporting precious family cargo. A car should not forcibly be decreasing from 70 to 15 MPH. Having a bad crash is an understatement. Also the air conditioning has already had to be checked. This vehicle is putting a bad taste in my mouth. Anymore problems and it will get traded in. I will not get another chevrolet for sure.
I was driving my car and attempting to turn right. All of a sudden the power steering failed and I almost was hit by a car going because I wasn't able to turn into the right hand lane. Because the steering wheel barely moved, the car instead of making the right, romped over on the divider.this happened 3 more times before it had to be towed. This happened when car was literally just at 37 months, one month out of the bumper to bumper warranty. I ended up paying a great deal for this repair.
I was driving my car and attempting to turn onto a busy street. All of a sudden the power steering failed and I almost was hit by a car going 35 miles because I wasn't able to turn into the right hand lane. Because the steering wheel barely moved, I turned into the left lane of the street. This happened 3 more times before I brought the car to the shop. It seems this problem is occurring in many chevrolet traverses (as seen by the number of complaints about this issue and the class action lawsuit, aguilar v. General motors). I had to pay the dealership to fix my car and pay for a rental car while it was getting fixed. I am worried this problem will continue as it has in multiple chevrolet traverses manufactured in the same year. I believe my car is extremely unsafe for my family to be in and believe there should be a recall to fully fix this power steering issue.
Took car in for odd noise in steering. Was told pump was bad and seal was bad. Appears that this is a common issue with this type of vehicle and no recall has been made. Its not just one or two cars, after research is hundreds of cars.
Loud whining sound coming from front end. When turning steering wheel slowly you can hear a loud scratching noise. Bought the car brand new and only have 17k miles in 3 years. Entire steering column had to be replaced. Power steering fluid leaking.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact was driving 15 MPH when the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified on the issue. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 60000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that there was an abnormal vibration in the steering wheel when turning in either direction. The contact also indicated that the vehicle was stationary. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the power steering fluid and pump were replaced but the failure was not remedied. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet traverse. The contact was driving 15 MPH when the power steering failed. The contact coasted off road, shut off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle began to perform normally but the failure soon recurred. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer for repair where it was diagnosed with having leaks in the power steering pump as well as the rack and pinion. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was made aware of the incident. The failure mileage was 69,632.
While turning, my steering wheel locks up. Almost impossible to turn at times. It has made a squeaking noise for a while, but the "locking" just starting about 6 weeks ago. It doesn't happen all of the time and happens at various speeds while turning.
When you try to turn the steering wheel and the car is in drive to come out of a parking space, the steering wheel will not turn. Periodically while driving and making left turns primarily, the power steering is gone. You have to turn the wheel very hard to make a left turn. This happens daily in all weather conditions, both day and night. I took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told this is normal. However, each day, it becomes harder and harder to turn the steering wheel. I can not make any sudden turns, because the steering wheel will not turn and I am scared that my car will be hit, because I am not always able to turn the steering wheel.
2011 chevrolet traverse. Consumer writes in regards to sudden loss of electric steering in vehicle. *smd the consumer stated there was no warning on the dashboard. He stopped and re-started the vehicle and the steering returned to normal. The consumer immediately drove to the dealer. But, they were unable to find any problems. However, they did suggest, it may have been caused by a wet belt.
Power steering has issues at low speeds when turning. Dealer cost to replace pump and gear is 2,500!
I was parking, backing into parking spot going maybe 2 to 3 miles and hour, tried to put car into park, was a little difficult. Then tried to take key out of ignition switch and key would not come out. Then realized windows would not roll down (all 4). I locked the keys in the car with the locking fob. Later in the day a person came to me and said my lights and radio were on, due to the fact I had different people try to get the keys out of the ignition thought out the night I know the radio was off while we talked about how to get the keys out. The next morning I took the car into the dealer to be fixed. I have a warranty after market on the car. The dealer said the warranty company will not cover repairs. I am trying to find out if others have had this same problem.
Took vehicle to dealer on wednesday 06 / 05 / 13 squeaking noise / wining / it sounds like coming from steering wheel when turning the steering wheel left or right. Chevy dealer further inspected and found noise to be coming from steering gear housing. Recommended putting on revised housing to correct this condition and recommended to be installed and flush system to convert to atf. Told must perform this procedure to get rid of noise. Gm should repair knowing they have this problems with steering gear housing with no charge.
Around may 11, 2012, on the ohio turnpike, accelerating to 65 MPH, my car began to make a loud repetitive noise under the hood. After a few miles, a battery service light came on. The car began to overheat and become difficult to steer. As I reached a pullover, the power steering failed and everything else quit working (radio, lights, etc.) I turned the car off and could not turn it back on. When the car was towed, we found the belt was shredded and dragged behind the car. I was told there was a problem with the water pump. The car was about 11 mos old and had about 11,000 miles on it. On june 2, 2013, deja vu. As I left a store and accelerated to 45 MPH, my car began to make a loud repetitive noise under the hood. As I accelerated, the noises were louder and faster. I drove about 5 miles to walmart, the noises continued, so I drove home, about 5 miles. In the morning, I drove the car very slowly because I thought the belt was shredding again, and as I drove more slowly, the noise (from the pieces of the belt slapping around the engine) became less and I hoped I could make the belt last until I got to the dealer. The service battery light came on and when I turned left at an intersection near the dealership, the car was very hard to steer and I could barely turn into the dealership. The driver following me said he could see the shredded belt dragging. I learned there had been other cars on which the belt had shredded and that there was a service bulletin to put a lining in to protect the belt from damage, not sure if this had been done on my car I learned there is also a recall related to the water pump. In both cases, I was fortunate not to be in heavy traffic, near trucks, or passing on a country road. This seems very dangerous to me.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history