This car keeps shutting off due to a faulty engine switch it is unsafe as the car will just shut off while on the highway or just driving
2012 Chevrolet Traverse electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The traction control goes on and off. Stability trak error message. Engine power reduced. The car would not accellerate which couldve resulted in an accident. This is the 4th time this has happened since january 23, 2021. This issue on the truck needs to be recalled and resolved.
While driving the vehicle will shudder and lose power, occasionally the vehicle will stall almost like it is attempting to grab gears while down shifting and it will cause the whole vehicle to shake, it has happened so hard I have had to exit the interstate for worry of mine and my passengers safety. The vehicle upon entering will slam into gear and when driving in rural areas the transmission even feels like it is slipping and the car will jerk back and fourth until it grabs a higher gear. I purchased the vehicle in 2018 with just over 100,000 miles and even now the vehicle is only sitting at roughly 132,000 miles and has has regular services to maintain the vehicle. Upon further investigation, the traverse has several complaints of this same issue including older and newer vehicles, and most have resulted in torque converter/transmission replacement. The vehicle has stalled completely in the middle of intersections while attempting to downshift for take off and has also done so while attempting to merge onto the interstate. The issue was originally noticed towards the end of 2019- to early 2020 and has proceeded to get so bad we no longer trust the integrity of the vehicle for family trips or even to routine doctor appointments for fear of the vehicle stalling in heavy traffic.
After replacing every code thrown at me on my 2012 traverse, it continues to sit in my driveway un-working. Last time I had it "repaired", while driving home from the mechanic, the check engine light came on, the vehicle started losing power with lights visibly dimming. I pulled off the freeway and pulled over and checked the battery cables. It was working fine. I get back in the vehicle to drive the rest of the way home and the traction control started toggling on and off and a check air back message came up. Just then I started feeling like I was being shocked by my driver seat!!! Since the dealership or privateechamics can not figure out what is wrong with it, I had a friend get me all the information on this vehicle. There is zero recalls on my vehicle but I found a recall for the wire harness under the driver and passenger seats and also under the dash, calling to replace and splice those wires. My vehicle has the yellow harness that was recalled buy the dealership says my VIN is not included. It's been 2 yearssince all this has begun and that I have been without a reliable vehicle. (my ex who co-signed but did noy pay for it, refuses to sign the title over). Just save yourself the headache and buy non gm. You would think they would be willing to fix something that is so unsafe to it's customers. Electrical faults, engine faults causing failure while driving full speed (with my daughter in the vehicle), and fuel pressure issues leaving me stranded on multiple occasions which even helped lead to a job loss. This vehicle has put our safety and livelihood in jeopardy one too many times.
I have been having issues with this car cutting out/stalling for 2 years now. I keep taking it in to mechanics to get it fixed and it seems to work then randomly leaves me and my daughter stranded. Sometimes it will stall once and keep going... Other times it has taken me 3-4 hours to get home. I've had a major tune up done, replaced the fule pump, fuel pressure sensor, map sensor, purge valve canister, cleaned the throttle body, and replaced relays. It has stalled on freeways, and middle of rush hour traffic leaving me stuck in unsafe locations. Similar models have recalls but not mine. Guessing they pick and choose how many of their vehicles they are willing to fix.
I noticed the last few days the engine of my 2012 chevrolet traverse was slow to start. I thought it was the battery, but it was still holding a good charge. The check engine light was not on. I was driving it at 35 MPH on a rural road when the engine shut off without warning. First time it ever happened. I started the vehicle and it was slow to start. When it did, I attempted to drive it and it would shut off again immediately. Happened 3 times in a row. Every electrical component inside the vehicle was still working. I let it sit for about 2 minutes and restarted the vehicle again. I then drove it to a parking spot about 30 yds away. While doing some research, I found this to be a common problem with gmc / chevy with the ignition switch, yet no recall.
My husband and I went to the store with our two kids just to grab some groceries. We live less than 5 miles from the grocery store. On our way home the car started shaking while idling and acted like it was going to stall out on us. We were in the middle of the intersection when the car decided to start sputtering, shaking violently and then shut off. Thankfully enough we were able to pull into a parking lot to try and figure out what happened. After multiple attempts the car finally started back up. We were not able to go above 20 MPH. We found out that the fuel pump went out so we spent the $300 to replace that. Once that was replaced we thought we were in the clear. About two days later the same thing happened again except I was on the expressway doing about 70-80 MPH. Same thing, was able to start it up again after multiple attempts, couldn't go above 40 MPH this time. About two months ago we started having p0017, p0018, p0019 trouble codes pop up. We tried to replace the sensors and they were still popping up. We cleared them, about 5-10 minutes later they would pop back up again. Thursday the car was working fine. It was running great, no shaking, wasn't acting like it was going to stall out. The engine light was still on but we are now to the point that there is some sort of electrical issue going on. This is our only vehicle, and we have two kids and jobs to get to. We are tired of putting money into this trying to figure out what's wrong with it. My parents owned this car before we did. We are the second owners. I find it pretty convenient that everything starts to go downhill after warranty dates are up or after you hit a certain mileage. And with the strike that just happened, gm isn't wanting to take any responsibility for the fear of losing money yet again. Issue a recall or you will end up with lawsuits. Either way you will lose money. Save some lives.
I was driving down the road going 45 miles an hour when the engine of the traverse just shut off while driving. I was extremely lucky that I was able to coast to a safe spot but there was no power steering. I was on a 2 lane road that gets a lot of fast traffic and was barely able to get to safety.car would not start up again but electrical was still on.traction control light lit up briefly a week before the incident. At the time of engine shut off-there were no warning lights or any indication. This is a manufacturing defect that has been well documented-so many people have complained about the exact same thing happening. I can't believe that no one is taking these vehicles off of the road! This is so crazy dangerous-someone has to do something to get these vehicles off of the road. Someone is going to get killed.
The electric in the vehicle has shorted out and made the headlights stop working in the middle of driving home in dark. The next day the passenger side wiper stop working and you have to turn wiper on high to even get driver side wiper to work. The door locks with not unlock or lock doors as well as windows won't go up and down.
I am on my 3rd engine since purchasing this vehicle. Since day 1 I have had issues with the traction control and stabilitrac. Randomly service lights come on for those as well as reduced engine power while driving. The engine has locked up on me twice. I have had numerous electrical issues with the vehicle. When the car idles or I'm stopped at a light my service lights come on. My transmission is now an issue. I have spent over 15k on repairs for a vehicle I bought for 17k..I was lied to when I purchased the vehicle being told I was the 2nd owner instead of the 5th. The passenger air bag has a code. The AC doesn't work, the heat would blow all the time even if off and on cool, now the blower doesn't work at all. The windows don't open.
While driving my computer system shuts down. First the light on my dash saying 'traction control activated' comes on, the check engine light comes on, then the computer reboots. This has happened 3 times so far and while I am driving around 70 MPH down the highway. I called chevy and they said this is normal.
Flashing engine light, stabilitrack light, traction control light, all of the different codes flashing, then air conditioner blows hot, vehicle won't go forward, it just stops right there,and there is nothing you can do. It generally happens when you're driving on city streets stopping or starting.
While moving the vehicle jerks as if something is going on with transmission. It has been checked and all is ok. Check engine gives codes and then they disappear. The lights flicker inside and out. These symptoms come and go. Several mechanics have checked out this vehicle and cant find anything wrong with vehicle. Also took vehicle back to chevrolet. Also the vehicle is being illegally monitored and tracked. This could be causing all issues with vehicle.
When I turn my air on and my speed limit hits 25 miles per hr my car shakes at a neighborhood street and it was really scary on the freeway cause I swerved to the right cause it was shaking so bad. Then when I let go of my gas for 5 seconds to stop the shaking it stalls and I have to push the gas pump at least 3 times to make it drive. It also smells like my gas is leaking and it is worse when I turn left or right. I'm afraid it might catch on fire. My headlights would go off for a couple of days sometimes for a week but would turn on all of a sudden and they are brand new headlights. My airbag light would go off and on every other week. Its just frustrating having this car cause there is always something different on the dash board saying something is wrong with the car.
In december of 2018 I took my car to diane sauer in warren ohio because the stabilizer traction control light came on and the car was driving very rough. I took it to diane sauer and service manager keith said nothing was wrong with it and didn't charge me for the diagnostic report. I took my car back in january 2019 with same problem but worse. So bad I got off the by-pass and had it towed. Diane sauer had my car for two weeks and never called about the car. I had to repeatedly call them. After two weeks they say the engine was gone. Keith told gm it was due to lack of maintenance. I provided gm and diane sauer with all receipts of my oil change. I bought that car from diane sauer brand new!!! I took care of the car and after seven years they say the engine is gone!!!! No way!!! I took great care of that car!!! Diane sauer needs to stand behind their products!!!! Diane sauer would not be in business without your customers who support your business!!!! Stand behind your products!!!! Be honest!!! The trust is gone!!!!!!
Service air bag light is intermittent as an icon also in text of drivers display. I have only owned this car for four months and have had it to a gm service dealer twice. First trip costed $254.15 for an impact sensor and diagnosis. Two days later lights one again this time tensioner kit was replaced. It's been about four weeks and the lights are back on again. It happens anytime, driving or being started, no rough terrain just cruising and lights will come on.
The first night when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees my car wouldn't start so I replaced my battery spending $188 for a brand new battery. The very next morning the car still wouldn't start so I got someone to jump me off. It cranked with no issue. When I put the car in drive it would not accelerate beyond 35mph. I then attempted to turn around and go home and my car would only reverse and would no longer move in the drive selection. In neutral the car locked up and wouldn't drive. I eventually drove in reverse illegally down the highway in morning rush hour traffic. I enventuallt made it home and let my car sit for an hour while calling for assistance. When I went back to restart the car is acting as if the battery is dead. This was not only dangerous with 4 children inside but unsafe to be stuck in traffic will no way to accelerate in drive. My car will no longer crank without a jump I took it to a mechanic who stated that he couldn't see the issue and recommended that I simply trade it in which isn't an option currently.
The service traction control light comes on and then it will give you a misfire in one of the cylinders. Also the vehicle appears to almost shut down. The braking system on the car also feels funny. My mechanic has checked everything and cant find anything wrong. The stuff that I describe before is the latest things to occur.. I have complained for a long time now about the illegal tracking of this vehicle and all of my vehicles. I have made complaints to the department of justice, the media and to the internal affairs here where I live in gwinnett county georgia. This illegal tracking is being done for the purpose of gang stalking.....the tracking information on this vehicle and all my other vehicles has been shared with a large number of people.
I have had many ongoing issues since car purchase. Electrical , air conditioning and injector issues. Car does not seem safe. Lights go out every few months whilde driving when it is dark. This is very dangerous. 1st replacement on light was done while under warrant, however, chevy dealer failed to address the issues causing the light to burn out and simply changed light out. It has been continuous with us changing lights, brake lights and headlights. Car would lose power and jerk as well as had gears problems while traveling on a fwy with cars going an average og 60 MPH. Car would not auto shift above 20-30 MPH. Gas smell upon start of vehicle and the list goes on. Stuck open evap purge solenoid setting ses light cac case 8-2106770252 dalila lopez--- scanned ECM found code p0300 p0496.performed diagnosis. Performed injector balance test found bank 1 injector out of specs.replaced 1 3 5 injectors. It seems that there is a possibility that the injector issues may have caused other problem with the vehicle which cannot be denied nor confirmed. An oil pan gasket has been leaking as well when less than 90,000 miles. Safety has been an ongoing concern. I am requesting that the electrical issues that have not been resolved since the 1st light went out in 2014 to be resolved at gms cost. In addition I am asking that the oil pan gasket replacement be done at gm cost . In addition, I am requesting reimbursement of my down payment of $10,000 on my vehicle.
This incident occurred twice. Driving down the freeway at freeway speeds, a loud clunk was heard, the vehicle jerked, check engine light appeared, check stabilitrax and traction control messages appeared and stabilitrax disabled, speedometer remained frozen at speed this incident occurred. While driving to safe location to stop, vehicle appeared to be stuck in a specific gear that is lower than normal for freeway driving, rpms were much higher than normal. When attempting to accelerate from a standstill, vehicle appears to have no power (probably due to accelerating from 0 MPH in a higher gear). I took vehicle to bowman chevrolet service center for attention and they were unable to duplicate the incident though they did state that they see error codes in the system for loss of communication. After testing and troubleshooting for up to 2 weeks, service department stated that they are unable to determine the cause of the error but during their testing they found the battery needs to be replaced. Assistant manager of the service center states that a battery replacement may or may not fix the problem. I made a case (#[xxx]) with chevrolet but the adviser received information from the dealership that was false and stated there was nothing further he could do. The information he received from the dealer is that they were waiting for me to authorize charges for additional diagnosis. I did authorize bowman chevrolet to replace the battery. My concern is that I am now taking back a car that is a safety hazard and allowing my wife to drive, and daughter to ride in, this vehicle that has a known issue. Luckily for us the issue occurred at night when there was no one on the roads but if it occurred during rush hour it could cause an accident. 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).
"takata recall" I have had this car for a few years and every year I have had to replace the alternator and or battery. This morning I was driving my son to daycare and my son to work the check battery systems light came on. I know from previous experience that the car is about to completely shut down. As expected a few miles up the road the traction light, ABS light and other lights appeared on the dashboard. The car shut down completely, the hazard lights will not even turn on. As I stated before this is the third time that I have as this problem in the same amount of years. I have taken it to the dealer to be checked but the are not sure what to look for due to the fact that there is not a recall. This needs to be investigated. These cars are built to hold families. The car shutting down for no reason and without much warning is putting lives at risk. The chevy traverse is a popular car for families because of the space. There are hundreds of complaints from other families having this same exact problem. Please don't wait until it becomes deadly to take action.
After pulling onto a highway and accelerating to 60 MPH, all of the lights on the dashboard of my 2012 chevy traverse came on including traction control, battery, engine light etc came on and my vehicle lost power when pushing the accelerator. I pulled to the side of the road and turned off my engine and waited 5-10 minutes, when I restarted my engine, the dashboard lights were still on. I pulled onto the highway and the vehicle still would not accelerate faster than 30 MPH so I made a u-turn in the highway, returned to my home, and the vehicle would not go up my driveway. I rolled back down the driveway and again waited on the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and when I restarted the vehicle, made a loop in the highway and finally was able to go up my driveway to return home. Fyi - I called www.safecars.gov and was told there are no recalls on the 2012 chevy traverse, and I would have to pay for it's repair even though there were 196 complaints online of other people experiencing the same issues. I have five grandkids and a disabled husband who I have to drive 80 miles to the dr 2-3 days a week. I cannot afford to pay to fix this vehicle and I received absolutely zero sympathy from the lady who answered the phone. I get that she does not do the recalls but as a person who needs my car and who is experiencing a very dangerous situation, she could offer no advice and did not complete a complaint on my behalf. It was obvious it was not her problem because she kept repeating that I would have to pay.... Poor training and poor customer service skills. I have worked in government for 20+ years and I know how to speak to customers who are upset for good reason, even if I cannot give them the response they are seeking, they hang up the phone feeling like they were heard.
I was driving my car on I-75. The door locks started locking and unlocking, the vehicle lost power and went from 65 MPH down too 25 MPH, and the traction control off and on kept switching. The vehicle would not gain speed, even while depressing the accelerator. No check engine lights or any other lights were on except for the traction control off/on lights. I was almost hit by a semi. I pulled over, shut the vehicle off for 5-10 minutes, and restarted it. No lights were on, and I attempted to drive home. While in a slow speed on a side road, approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly started locking and unlocking, and this time suddenly accelerated. I put the car in neutral. Again the traction control off and on kept displaying on the dcim. Each time the vehicle randomly accelerates or decelerates the doors will unlock then lock and unlock and lock, the warning chime goes off rapidly and the car will then either decelerate or accelerate. The traction control off then on then off then on comes on, and then the car is fine.
I started my car and drove out my driveway as soon as I get to the corner to turn my sterling wheel locked up and then I had to hurry up to brake in order to not hit the sign and curb. Finally when it released I got to the main road and was driving about 20-25 MPH my vehicle radio started to switch from fm to cd on its on and then I couldn't acellrate to a higher speed. The vehicle display showed service traction control, service stabilitrak and traction control turned off. There was some kind of engine loss but it stalled out too. This happened two times now! I see it has been a problem with the traverse since 2011 models. The chevy dealership does nothing to fix this. I am terrified to drive this car with my family and have us get in an accident. I have owned this car for 1.5 years. Someone could get hurt or killed while driving one. They are not finding out the issues or recalling these vehicles!!
I was putting groceries away in the back of my parked traverse whenthe lift gate suddenly slammed down and hit me on the back of the head. Lift gate opens then slams shut, won't remain open.
2012 chevy traverse engine light and traction control light come on. Engine loses power and requires the vehicle to. E restarted to regain power. We have had the vehicle checked by the dealership 3 times for the same reason. The dealership has reset the computer each time. The last time the diagnostic computer the dealer has stated low fuel volume. The traction control and engine light come on the same day usually within an hour or two. The service advisor told us to try hi test ethanol free gas. We did as told with a fuel treatment they put in the tank. The lights still came on. When the traverse is started in the morning(cold start) the engine runs rough. This vehicle only has 47000 miles on it and was purchased new. We have alway kept the vehicle maintained. Last year the traverse started using oil a quart or more in 1000 miles when driven on long trips.
I bought this car used in april 2016, within 72 hours I noticed it was making some horrible noises. My family mechanic said the idler belt tensioner was bad, multi motor issues, 2 fuses were blown, 2 bad window motors, AC was not super cold and the airbag recalls were all still present. I took it back to the dealer to get serviced and one of the employees wrecked it in service and no one told me so I found it when I got home, they kept my car for close to 5 weeks to repair it and then take it to an autobody shop since the dent was bad enough were the rear quarter panel needed to be replaced. Now that I have it back, I have experienced multi times where the power steering goes out in the rain. And today the AC stopped working. I am not saying this is the case for everyone but after researching it, it does appear I am not the only one with negative comments about these cheaply made "american" SUV's. I am a single mother and although I make good money- I do not have enough saved up to take it back to the shop for repairs. I am extremely disappointed in the dealership and chevy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet traverse. While driving 45 MPH, the traction and electronic stability control warning lights illuminated. The instrument panel failed and the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,739.
Major saftey risk: my traverse was well maintained was often filled with soccer kids. The safety failure could have been deadly! While driving, the auto began displaying the following messages in rapid succession: battery saver active, service battery charging system, service traction control, service stabilitrak. I parked the car to drop of my kids, the car would not start again. After a jump, I headed for the dealer which was 4 miles away. Operations appeared ok initially. On the expressway, the car electronics went out. Not just radio and A/C, but all electrical. I realized that the engine was no longer running while in rush hour traffice on a chicago expressway. No hazards, no way to lower windows, I was extremely lucky to find a gap in the traffic to get to the side of the road and park. From the shoulder of the expressway, cars continued to fly past me at high speed. This was absolutely chaotic and dangerous. I waited for aaa to arrive. Aaa was forced to tow (my traverse is front wheel drive) rather than flatbed because without electricity we the car was stuck in park. At the chevy dealer, they quickly read the error codes and presented me with a $1,400 estimate to replace the alternator. Sharing my frustration and pointing out that this type of catastrophic failure was well beyond any reasonable expectation of a presumably safe vehicle, they found a way to lower the cost to $607. (I do respect and appreciate the service department at the dealership.) this clearly should be a recall issue and chevy should correct these issues on their dime. I bought the traverse with the expecatation of safety and reliability. I am now very skeptical and am hessitant to fill this 8 seater with kids the way I used too. Many others have experienced similar failures. This is a potential mortal danger to drivers, passengers and other innocent bystanders!
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet traverse. While driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to control. The contact stated that the vehicle began to sway to the left and right without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history