First issue is, when you stop driving the traverse, place it in park and hit the button to turn off the engine, it will shut off the engine but not the electronics. The car displays "action required shift to park" even though it is already in park with the red p lit up. You cannot turn off the vehicle until you repeatedly start the vehicle, place it in drive then back to park. Eventually it will work correctly. Vehicle will not lock when this happens. This now happens every time I try to turn off the vehicle. I am just out of warranty and dealership says I need to replace the entire steering column as the recommended fix from manufacturer did not work. All of which are out of pocket expenses despite this being a well known issue. Also, vehicle will randomly have a long delay before the vehicle shifts in gear. You shift to d and hit the gas and the engine revs like it is in neutral and eventually it will finally start to go. This delay with engine revving also happens randomly when at a stop and accelerating through intersections and I have had a few near misses of almost being hit because of this! This second issue only seems to happen when going from a stop.
2018 Chevrolet Traverse transmission complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 196, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was stopped at an intersection and the transmission did not allow the vehicle to move forward, it appeared to disengage even though the shifter and dash icon were set in "drive" mode. There is also an alarm sounding when I shut the vehicle motor off and the dash screen reads "shift to park". I found that I need to restart the vehicle and shift out and back in to "park" in order for this alarm to shut off. It appears there is a bad connection between the computer and the transmission or visa versa. Gm has already issued several tsbs related to this vehicle as you might be aware.
I have started getting the error message shift to park when the vehicle is in the park mode. It is not possible to shut off the vehicle off while the error is present the issue occurs on all surfaces (flat and sloped surfaces ). The issue is happening more frequently and after research appears to be a well documented problem on this vehicle.
Transmission - will not engage into drive. When you try to accelerate transmission shutter, jerking, will not engage properly. You can feel it now until speeds of 55 MPH. Sitting a stop light. The vehicle will engage speed on its own. Sometimes in the morning start will not engage. Stop engine goes to auto-stop. On dash start engine. Major problems. Already had ECM reprogrammed several times.
Started getting a "shift to park" message when trying to shut off the vehicle, even tough the gear shifter showed being in park. When this occurred, the motor would turn off, but the electronics in the car would remain on. Keep in mind that this vehicle uses a smart key with push button ignition and door locks. If the battery goes dead, you have to break into the vehicle. A quick google search showed this to be a common problem in the traverse. The shop foreman at the local dealership confirmed this to be a common issue. The gear shifter (also electric) had failed and had to be replaced by chevrolet.
2018 chevy traverse when decelerating around speeds under 35mph city driving the vehicle will randomly rev up and the RPM will go up to 4000 or 5000 RPM, this also happens while braking. Sometimes the car will jerk forward as if it was going to accelerate and other times it just stays at a high RPM for 5 seconds or less until I either come to a complete stop or try to accelerate and it does not respond. The engine sounds like it is in neutral and the accelerator is being held down. It also does not respond to the gas pedal when it is reving like this, and if I try to accelerate the car will eventually kick into gear and lunge forward. Took it to the dealer withing the first few months of owning it and they could not replicate the issue and said the computer did not return any issue. This problem comes and goes since I bought the car brand new in 2018 and concerns me, because it feels as if the car is accelerating on its own and may cause me to crash.
When turning off car and have gear on park light appears with "shift to park" and light will not turn off.
Several instances have occurred when I have put the vehicle in park and attempted to turn the vehicle off I received a message "shift to park", even though the vehicle is already in park. When this occurs, it will not allow me to turn the vehicle off. It will take several minutes of shifting the vehicle from drive to park before it will register the park position.
When I shut off my car it says to shift into park regardless of the fact that it is and won't shut off for a while I think the shifter has a defective problem
The vehicle auto-stopped at a stop sign. When it restarted and I made a right turn out of my neighborhood, the vehicle would not accelerate, it would only lurch. It lurched as if someone was punching the gas pedal quite aggressively. The vehicle's engine light eventually illuminated. The car had to be towed. At this time there is a service bulletin for this issue (from february 2018) but no known repair.
The car does not register when the car is in park after I turn it off. It reads 'shift to park' and I have to spend several minutes jiggling the shifter or restarting the car and going through different gears. It is a very big inconvenience. I took it to the repair shop as it started right after the warranty ran out. They said either the shifter needs to be replaced or the gearbox via a conversation they had with someone they had at chevy. They were told chevy and gmc are aware of it being a problem but it's not on a recall level yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet traverse. While attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift into gear and the "shift to park" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to camino real chevrolet (2401 s atlantic blvd, monterey park, ca 91754, (323) 264-3050) where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 9. The VIN was unknown.
Takata recall my 2018 chevrolet 3lt awd traverse that was purchased in march 2018 and with only 15k miles does not recognize that it is in park when placed in park. When the engine is shut off, an alert pops up telling us to shift to park and will not fully shut down. We then have to wiggle and move the shift gear into different gears to attempt to get it to accept the fact that it is in park. Most times it takes 10 minutes or more to shut it down. This happens everytime the traverse is driven. I have been stranded with my kids because of it not shutting down. We were told that we need a new shift gear assembly.
Vehicle starts intermittently and once started it will run for a while, then engine will turn off, all power steering, brakes etc will not work. Tried jumping the vehicle and would not power cycle.
After I shift car in to park I get a warning alarm to "shift to park". I contacted dealer and was advised that it was okay to drive and safe however it takes me anywhere from 2-5 mintues to get it to shut off or sometimes I have had to leave it on.
From a complete stop when starting off the front end pulls to the right took it to dealer they said its normal... Gear shifter wont stay in park..have to start and stop several time.. When pulling off car fills like its shaking and shuddering..
Issue 1 when you stop driving the traverse, place it in park and hit the button to turn off the engine, it will shut off the engine but not the electronics. The car displays 'action required shift to park' even though the shifter is in park with the red p lit up. You cannot turn off the vehicle until you repeatedly start the vehicle, place it in drive then back to park. Eventually it will work correctly. It also seems to clear if I shift all the way down to l then back to park. Issue 2 randomly (but often) when you start the vehicle and shift it into drive there is a long delay before the vehicle shifts in gear. You shift to d and hit the gas and the engine revs like it's in neutral. Looking at the display the d keeps flashing then eventually it will stop flashing and the vehicle will go in gear. This is happening more and more frequently.
My vehicle's transmission is lagging. It sometimes won't go when in drive and given gas. The engine will rev up but won't move. It shifts hard as well. The shift to park indicator comes on when the vehicle is in park and not moving. The radio screen sometimes won't turn off or on, like it's froze. When I turn the vehicle off and all power is off, I can walk in the house and about 4 minutes later my radio comes on by itself. Even if the radio is powered off. The volume will only go up to 32-36, as far as sound, while the radio screen shows 63. It's not loud at all! When I turn the volume button down, the radio increases volume but still isn't as loud as before. It has less than 30,000 miles on it and it's very upsetting. I've already had to put in the shop to replace one faulty part already.
Slowed down for stop light and tried to accelerate and engine, transmission and accelerator felt disengaged, engine backfired, car hesitated and jolted felt transmission disengaged. This was on a street.
Driving late at night with family down a state highway/city street with some stoplights and rotary, vehicle suddenly seems to be intermittently losing power or transmission slipping when driving. When giving gas entering rotary, intermittent slipping/power loss (like a skipping power/slipping transmission) worsened - felt greater loss of power and for slightly longer periods. Noted engine light came on. Worsening intermittent power failure/slipping/hesitation/jerking continued when giving gas to engine for ~1/4 mile until pulled into shopping mall parking lot. Felt lucky to be able to reach lot, called for flatbed tow to dealer. Dealer had vehicle for 1 week, and when assessment complete, reported dtc p0011, p0014, p0021 and p0024 cam codes. They visually inspected with no concerns, test actuator system operating. Search for bulletins revealed document 5251270 with no repair yet for anomaly, which describes "some customers may comment that the ses [service engine soon] lamp is illuminated. This lamp may have come on by itself or in some cases, the customer may experience drivability issues such as a stall, lurch, stumble, hesitation or power loss after an auto stop/restart." notes technician may find the above listed codes. Cause is listed as "a software anomaly that allows the 'verify sync' status to not restart and reach full 'sync' when the engine restarts. The ECM then reports actual cam positions as '0' while it continues to command the actuators to move resulting in engine roughness and/or drivability concerns (as stated above) with the possibility of setting multiple cam phaser performance dtcs." instructions on the bulletin are to check and clear codes and return vehicle to customer. Bulletin created on 5/7/2018 with 5 updates since. Brought vehicle back to dealer due to concerns of lack of fix and safety when recurs, dealer unable to replicate.
I had stopped for a red light on a city street. The auto stop was on (stops the engine idling) and when I attempted to go after the light turned green, I would press the accelerator and the car would lurch forward, then do nothing, lurch forward, then nothing and the engine light came on. I got it into the nearest parking lot and turned it off. I restarted the car, the engine light remained on and then I had the car towed to the local chevrolet dealership. The dealership looked at the car, said it was a "known issue" in cars of this make and model year, but they didn't have a fix for it yet. They told me they cleared the error codes and to keep driving it and let them know when it happened again. I said I was concerned about it doing again and me possibly being hit by someone who expected my car to move and the dealership said my other choice was not to drive it until the software fix was available; however, they could provide no timeframe on when or if a fix would be available.
In early april 2019, approximately the first week of april, I was driving the traverse on a hill and stopped at a stop light. When the light turned green, I attempted to step on the gas and pull forward, but the car rolled backwards. I looked down to see if I was in reverse, but the car was in drive. This specific incident occurred a total of two times. On april 23, 2019 around 9:40 am I was driving and my car stalled multiple times during this trip. I was not sure if the car was going to make it to my final destination. The check engine light illuminated. On april 24, I received a call from the dealership. The dealership informed me that the car showed 4 'codes'. P0011 'a' camshaft position ' timing over-advanced or system performance bank 1 p0014 'b' camshaft position ' timing over-advanced or system performance bank 1 p0021 'a' camshaft position ' timing over-advanced or system performance bank 2 p0024 'b' camshaft position ' timing over-advanced or system performance bank 2 these codes represented a software problem related to the engine. Tim informed me that according to the gm bulletin (pip5568e or document id# 5251270), the recommendation is to delete the codes and that there is not a software solution to the problem at this time. The dealership informed me that because of the severity of the symptoms I was experiencing related to the codes he did not feel comfortable with the recommendation from the gm bulletin and he would be escalating the issue to the gm district manager. The ultimate result is that they want to delete the codes and have me come pick up the car as there is no solution to the issue at this time.
As I was waiting at a red light and proceeded to to turn green I pressed on the gas to accelerated and the vechicle began to jerk and lerch forward and would not advance almost as as it was losing power or not respoding to the gas pedal. Very scary in the middle of an intersection. I have taken my SUV in several times now for the same issue and have been told there is now repair yet issued by gm. I purchased my car in sept 2018 and started having issued just months after. This is scary and unsafe.
While driving my traverse today the vehicle suddenly jerked to a stop while driving through a restaurant parking lot twice, then while attempted to accelerate to the suicide lane on a 4 lane road the check engine light came on and the engine began to over rev red lining as if it couldn't change gears. This could have caused a serious accident and certainly should not be happening on an automatic vehicle with 16,000 miles on it. On arrival at dealership I inquired if this was a known issue and was informed they had two of the same year model and make cars that had repairs completed due to a strikingly similar issue. I'm requesting this be reviewed or investigated as there are also reports on forums across the internet of other 2018 chevrolet traverse drivers experiencing this issue between 10,000 and 20,000 miles meaning it may be a larger scale issue the consumers are facing and the manufacturer is putting us at undo risk by not issuing a recall or notice regarding this known issue. Not to mention many of us spent $45,000 or more for these vehicles and should not be having these issues. Thank you for any help you can provide.
While driving on flat level surface the vehicle would sporadically shift into first gear. I pulled over shut off the vehicle and it corrected itself. The next day after putting it into drive it wouldn't shift out of 1st. I tried putting it in l and manually shifting and it still wouldn't leave 1st. This is a direct safety issue as it does this while driving. It jerks the vehicle and if an inexperienced driver experiences this it will be fatal.
Sporadic transmission failure during operation of vehicle. During operation of vehicle a sudden jerk of the transmission occurs and the vehicle is unable to shift gears in transit. I am force to pull over and stop vehicle in order to procedure. This has occurred 3 times in the past 7 months. Dealer has informed me that gm reported they are unable to repair this problem at this time.
On freeway at 75mph with cruise control on, every time it goes uphill there is a constant surging feel like it wants to shift from 8th to 9th gear but it doesn't shift down and keeps surging. I suspect a transmission problem or something related to the computers and how they determine when to shift with cruise control on.
When placing the vehicle into drive, on numerous occasions, the vehicle would act as if the transmission was in neutral. The drive "d" indicator on the dashboard would flash. After a few seconds, the transmission would engage and on more then 1 occasion, the car jerked forward. Some occasions I would have to place the vehicle back into park and then back to drive for the transmission to engage properly. Took vehicle back to dealer around a dozen times trying to replicate the issue with no luck. Dealer believes they know what the issue is, but could not find any hard codes with the obd2 to get authorization to make repairs.
Started SUV then noticed check engine came on once driving. Went down a major road and noticed the SUV was losing power and wasn't shifting properly. Had my kids in the car and was able to turn around to get back to my house. Once I got it to a safe spot I pressed on the gas to properly park it. Then the SUV jerked forward in a sudden amd hard fashion and I almost hit the car in front of me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet traverse. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and switching from park to the drive position, the engine would rev when the accelerator pedal was pressed but the vehicle would not drive. On several occasions the vehicle had rolled forward as if the transmission was in the neutral position. The failure had occurred on 7 separate occasions. The vehicle was taken the local dealer garber chevrolet saginaw (8800 gratiot rd. Saginaw, mi) who was unable to duplicate the failure or diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2018 Chevrolet Traverse?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history