The transmission changed gear on its own from drive to brake, without warning. I was lucky no one was behind me when this occurred.
The worst 2019 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.
- Transmission170
- Electrical114
- Engine65
- Fuel system26
- Brakes22
- Steering19
- Suspension14
- Driver assistance13
- Seat belts13
- Airbags10
- Body7
- Acceleration4
- Lights4
- Visibility4
- Wheels2
- Seats1
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse
Check engine light 29Shudder 15Jerking 14Stalling 13Transmission failure 12Battery drain 10Seat belt 8Ball joint 7Hesitation 6
Recalls 3
Air bags: critical fasteners
- 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
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
- Risk
- Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑888‑988‑7267, Buick Customer service at 1‑866‑608‑8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Recall number 20V668000 · Recall details
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Buick Encore, Chevrolet Spark, Traverse, and Trax vehicles. The Sensing Diagnostic Module (SDM) on these vehicle may not have been turned off of "manufacturing mode," preventing the air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM module to the correct mode, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 18365.
Recall number 18V774000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse 820
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This service bulletin provides information about GM Accessories
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- Unknown or other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
2019 Chevrolet Traverse fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 20 | 26 | 22 |
| 3.6L 6‑cyl | FWD | 18 | 27 | 21 |
| 3.6L 6‑cyl | AWD | 17 | 25 | 20 |
What 2019 Chevrolet Traverse owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The car was started and then a loud pop was heard. When I exited the vehicle i observed the tail light housing on the drivers side had exploded off and could see smoke and smell electrical burning. I immediatly turned the vehicle off.
9/2/26 I reached out to Chevrolet to alert them that I had a SHIFT TO PARK sensor failure. I was physically putting my car in park and it did NOT recognize that my car was in park. I was unable to park or turn off the vehicle. I had to put on the E brake and essentially ask another adult at daycare to come collect my child from my car. Had I been trying to get to work that morning in an unsafe area, this would have made for an even WORSE situation as I work in unsafe areas as a pharmacist at CVS. I paid roughly $700 for the dealership to fix this and asked them to use their Good Will Policy and they refused. This was Terryville (CT) Chevrolet. My case number with Chevy MFG was 109401396. Now, on 10/7, my Stabilitrak warning keeps popping up. Every time I move from a stop to a driving situation (at a light, etc). To make matters worse, I was starting to drive from a stop light and my parking brake activated and I was almost rear ended. I called the dealership and they say there are no recalls on Stabilitrak. There is a prior GM bulletin PIT5662B that may touch upon this. I am unable to get to a dealership until 11/4 so I wanted to create this ticket and also discuss the prior ticket.
driving at about 10:30 pm on 10-3-26 light rain and was on a katy rd. app 25-30 mph went to slow down and the sevrice saftey restaint system light came on and i looked at the message and then it went off the info center and the side curtain air bags deployed a loud pop i , the steering locked and i was trying to stop on hte brake and car stopped as it nosed the frt in to the ditch
The transmission failed at 80,735 miles. The vehicle will not reverse.
in 2019 GM put out a Bulletin No.: 19-NA-206 to fix an error message for shift in park which means the car thinks it is not in park when it really is. All covered under warranty. in 2022 I had this error message but only the harness was part of the technical bulletin. my extended warranty covered it for the harness. in 2024 GM revised the bulletin to include the shifter console. in 2026 I get the same error message and now GM won't cover the console included in the revised technical bulletin. they knew this was a bad part since they revised the bulletin to include the console. now I'm out of warranty and the GM Customer Assistance denied any responsibility of the incomplete bulletin fix in 2022. GM needs to issue a recall on this part that they know is defective and leave us stranded.
I have now had 3 transmissions and 3 torque converters put in my car and GM refuses to do anything to fix this issue.
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 3 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle decelerated, and the vehicle was uncontrollable. The vehicle crashed into the brother's vehicle parked in the driveway and pushed the vehicle forward. The vehicle then crashed into a desk before stopping. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while parking the vehicle in the driveway at the brother’s residence. The contact and her husband were inside the vehicle at the time of the failure. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact was taken to the local medical center. The contact sustained pain in the right knee. The vehicle was inspected by the insurance company and deemed a total loss. A Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 60,324.
While parking the vehicle, after putting the transmission lever to park, and turning off the ignition, the doors unlocked and I started to exit, at that moment the vehicle started to roll backwards. I was able to avoid running over myself and got back into the driver's seat when I saw a "shift to park" message on the dashboard display. It took multiple cycles of restarting and stopping the engine and shifting to park to actually have the transmission shift to park. The problem continues and is becoming much more frequent and taking more attempts to actually put the car in park. This is obviously a safety issue, because drivers may exit their vehicles and may or may not realize that the ignition is on, that the battery can run down and strand them, possibly in a dangerous location, or the vehicle can move, injuring themselves or others. Also the door locks won't work. This is a well-known problem among multiple General Motors models. It is a systemic design flaw of the switch, not a random breakdown and not caused by abuse or misuse. Some vehicles have been recalled, some of the same model and year as mine. But, the recalls are specific according to VIN, and yet for some unknown reason, my specific VIN is not recalled. The problem is known and well documented. The solution is known. The safety problem is known, but apparently only if the VIN is in a certain range. All VINs matter. I will take my vehicle to an authorized dealer for repair. But there should be a recall and repair for all vehicles with this known (defective by design) switch. Also there should be full reimbursement to those who have already paid for repairs.
When driving at about 50 mph on a highway, there was a loud noise from the rear of the vehicle (something breaking) and the vehicle immediately veered into the oncoming lane (thankfully there was no traffic coming towards us, it is typically a busy road). While braking, I was able to steer it back towards the right, but soon after lost complete control of the vehicle and could not steer. The traverse went into a ditch and rolled with myself and two young passengers. Two vehicles that were behind us stopped to aid. The driver immediately behind me said there was nothing unusual (no smoke, sparks, etc) until we lost control. He checked the roadway where it happened and found a sheered off bolt. When we got the traverse to the wreckers, they lifted it up and within a minute or two found the location the bolt came from. It was the rear passenger side upper control arm knuckle bolt. I didn't see any recalls on something like this, but I do not believe something like this should have happened in a vehicle that has just 49,510 miles and barely any rust on it. I need answers. My family and friends could have been attending a funeral this week had circumstances been slightly different. I have the collision report number but not the actual police report on hand just yet.
Compare the 2019 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 2019 Chevrolet Traverse
Is the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?
Owners have filed 412 complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse, 1.2 times a typical Traverse model year.
What is the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse year score?
The 2019 Chevrolet Traverse scores 68 out of 100 (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 2019 Chevrolet Traverse?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 170 complaints, typically around 60,324 miles. Next is electrical (114).
How many recalls does the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse have?
3 recalls, covering air bags and power train.
Was there a recall on the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse transmission?
Yes, 1 recall: 20V668000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Traverse have bad transmission?
The Chevrolet Traverse model years with the most transmission complaints are 2018 (196 complaints), 2019 (170 complaints) and 2011 (79 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse get?
Official estimates for the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse range from 20 to 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 20 city and 26 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2019 Chevrolet Traverse?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history