Selling a Chevy Traverse that won't run

First, two checks. Put the VIN through a recall search, then ask a dealer whether GM's extended coverage still reaches your truck. Most of the first-generation programs have aged out. The recall search still matters: each early-truck recall covered below lists a free repair.

Three generations, three powertrains

Every number here was tallied from NHTSA's public data on Traverse complaints and recalls, downloaded October 10, 2026.

The short Traverse Limited run of the old truck also carried a 2024 model year. This table still puts all of NHTSA's 2024 Traverse complaints in the third row, since the counts go by year, not generation. Curtain air bag recall 21V246 reaches from 2010 to 2019 and is counted in two rows.

2009-2011: heavy steering and a chain to watch

Steering draws more complaints than anything else on the 2009 (218) and the 2010 (299). On the 2011 it slips to second place, at 129. GM's bulletin 14329B names the likely culprit on these years: a power steering pump that wears until hydraulic pressure drops. In GM's words, the vehicle "may revert to manual steering which requires greater driver effort, particularly at low vehicle speeds." Dealers flushed the system, fitted a new pump and, if it hadn't been done, a new steering gear valve housing. GM's clock on that program was a decade or 150,000 miles, and every 2009-2011 Traverse has now outlived it.

Engine complaints climb on the 2010 (134) and 2011 (131), though NHTSA's counts don't say which part failed. For the 2009 Traverse with the 3.6 V6, GM did extend coverage on timing chains. Special coverage 11340C says that "under certain driving conditions, and with the vehicle's original oil change intervals, the timing chain could wear prematurely." It paid for a new chain for 10 years or 120,000 miles. A later GM repair bulletin, 12-06-01-009F, lists 2009-2012 Traverses for timing chain kits, but it adds no coverage.

Two more GM programs touch the early trucks, each for 10 years or 120,000 miles. Special coverage 14404 covers a cracked clutch wave plate in the 6T75 six-speed on the 2009, which can cost the truck third gear, fifth gear and reverse. Special coverage 14582 covers a throttle position sensor on 2009-2012 Traverses that can make the engine run rough and cut power.

Belts, air bags and the liftgate

Belts and air bags make up 8 of the 19 first-generation recalls. Recall 14V266 covers lap belt pretensioner cables that can fatigue and snap, on Traverses built June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014. Its 1,339,355 vehicles include the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. Recall 14V118, a 1,176,407-vehicle campaign shared with the same Buick and GMC models and the Saturn Outlook, gave 2009-2013 trucks soldered side air bag connections.

Air bags lead complaints on each year from 2014 to 2017: 255, 160, 161 and 261. Recall 23V334 covers driver inflators that may explode during deployment on 2014-2017 Enclave, Traverse and Acadia models, 995,085 vehicles in all. Two smaller campaigns, 21V782 and 22V246, cover the same risk on other 2013-2017 builds. Each one ends with a new driver air bag module at no charge.

On 2009-2012 Traverses built through March 9, 2012, an open power liftgate can drop without warning. That is recall 15V415, a 691,144-vehicle campaign with the Enclave, Acadia and Outlook. The repair is new software for the liftgate motor.

2018-2023: the nine-speed years

Power train trouble tops the 2018 list (143 of 462) and the 2019 list (131 of 410). GM wrote two technical bulletins for the 9T65 nine-speed. Bulletin 18-NA-379 covers 2019 trucks stuck in first gear or reverse that won't upshift or pass 25 mph. GM says a software anomaly may cause it, and the fix is the latest transmission control module software. Bulletin 18-NA-091 covers a slight shudder during shifts below 40 mph. Neither one is a recall or a warranty extension.

Two GM recalls reach the gearbox itself. On some 2018-2020 trucks, recall 20V668 covers a start-stop accumulator endcap that may be missing bolts. Transmission oil can leak out, and that may progress to lost drive. It is a 194,105-vehicle campaign that also takes in the Equinox, GMC Terrain and other GM models. On the 2023, recall 23V172 covers transmissions built with the wrong sun gear, which can let the driver-side half-shaft come loose. Its 8,744 vehicles also include the Blazer, GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT5 and XT6. A third campaign, 21V817, comes from Braun: on 639 wheelchair-ramp conversions of the 2020-2021, a screw and clip can rub the transmission case and may cause a fluid leak.

The 2020 shares the record for recalls with the 2009, at 8 each. Its list includes a cracked right-hand frame rail (19V643, 3,420 Enclave and Traverse models, where dealers could replace the whole vehicle), a fuel pump nozzle burr that can stall the engine (20V639) and overcured Continental tires (20V684).

2024 on: turbo four and brake complaints

In North America every third-generation Traverse has the 2.5 turbo four, rated at 328 hp, and an eight-speed automatic. Service brakes lead complaints on the 2024 (49) and the 2025 (104). NHTSA lists no recall for them, and the counts don't name a cause.

Traverse complaints and recalls, year by year

Source: NHTSA's data as pulled on October 10, 2026. Each complaint here is one owner's report to NHTSA under that model year. "Leading component" is the category the file names most often that year. A recall campaign that spans several model years counts in each one.

The lone 2026 recall, 26V114, is a GM-wide campaign to get the electronic owner's manual onto the radio, not a Traverse defect.

Repair it or sell it?

Set the repair quote beside what a running Traverse of the same year, trim and mileage brings. When the quote swallows most of that figure, selling the truck whole usually comes out ahead. Go in this order:

1. Run the VIN through NHTSA's recall search. The air bag, belt and liftgate recall notices all list the repairs as free at a Chevrolet dealer.
2. Ask about special coverage before you pay for a steering pump, a timing chain or a transmission. Most first-generation programs ended at 10 years, but the dealer can still check the VIN in GM's system.
3. Shifting trouble on a 2018-2020? Ask whether the 18-NA-379 software or recall 20V668 applies before anyone prices a rebuild. The bad transmission guide walks through symptoms and the math.
4. Rough running or a reduced-power message on a 2009-2012? The throttle position sensor in coverage 14582 is a known cause. Rule it out before you decide the engine is finished.

Selling your Traverse whole

1. Write down the VIN, mileage and trim, plus what's wrong. Say whether it starts, drives or only rolls.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say where it's parked, whether that's beside the house, at the curb or behind a repair shop. Flag flat tires or a locked steering column, so the tow operator brings the right equipment.
4. Keep it complete. Leave the wheels, the catalytic converters and the third-row seats in place. Anything already pulled changes the offer, so list it.
5. When the tow truck shows up, the driver takes the title and keys and looks at your ID. Keep or return the plates as your state requires; after you sell lists each state's rule.

Looking at other Chevy people movers? See the Equinox, Blazer and Tahoe, or the full Chevrolet list.