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CarComplaints.com Notes: There are a fair-number of power steering related complaints which is a continuation of problems from the previous model year. Considering the problem tends to happen beyond the standard warranty (73k+) it's best to avoid this vehicle or at least be prepared for the $1,300+ repair.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,248 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Chevrolet Traverse fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2011 Chevrolet Traverse Owner Comments

problem #19

May 272022

Traverse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The driver's side mirror is cracked, in addition to the catalytic converters - bank 1 and 2, they sold me this car like this and reset the engine light.

- Phila, PA, USA

problem #18

Jun 092021

Traverse

  • miles
vehicle stalls at 40mph when slowing down and you have no power steering or any other engine running support. This is very dangerous it is hard to steer and stop, you coast till you you hopefully can find a safe area to stop and restart vehicle and drives normal until the next time you are above 40mph. no codes or mil lights. repeatable every time. Everyone in the vehicles safety is at risk and so is anyone else driving in our area, can't stop or steer fast with no engine support. has not been diagnosed by dealer yet. we are trying to get it in for diagnosis.

- Bay City, MI, USA

problem #17

Jan 202019

Traverse

  • 101,000 miles
While driving normally on a freeway where speed limits are 65+ the car suddenly lost engine power and its impossible to reach speeds above 15 mph. Several codes appear "service traction control" "reduced engine power" "traction control off". the cause is a faulty throttle body, which is not a serviceable part it just randomly fails. Online forums show reports of this problem 100S and 100S of times dating back to at least 2014, on low mileage vehicles no less. Dealers deny knowing of a problem. Chevy has been notified many times by many customers yet no recalls have been issued and dealerships aren't aware of the problem in order to fix it. A loss of engine power like this could be fatal. If your fortunate enough to be near a dealership you might find a repair. Otherwise your stuck trying to limp it to a shop, find the part and reset the idle codes. This is turning into a very expensive repair.

- Longmont, CO, USA

problem #16

May 022018

Traverse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I am having problems with freon remaining in my car. It has been flushed and tested several times for inconsistencies and there seems to be none.please help me with this problem

- West Point, MS, USA

problem #15

Aug 012017

Traverse

  • 0 miles
This vehicle continues to have unpredicted problems. Wiper problems brake issues

- Buffalo, NY, USA

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problem #14

Oct 012017

Traverse

  • 0 miles
Codes are as followed: P0008, P0496, P0221, P0017, C0242, C00561

- Buffao, NY, USA

problem #13

Jul 132017

Traverse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Timing change

- Laplace, LA, USA

problem #12

Jun 122015

Traverse

  • miles
On my 2011 Chevy Traverse on the fuel gauge once the fuel level reaches a half tank it suddenly drops to empty. It is hard to read the fuel level after that because honestly who has time to sit and calculate milage used everyday (I know I don't) I have read on other forums that this was happening on other years of Traverses and was told to report it. Even if the car sits for awhile it won't read the correct fuel level that is until fuel has been added to above the half tank mark.

- Meridian, ID, USA

problem #11

Feb 142015

Traverse

  • 96,000 miles
I purchased this 2011 Chevy Traverse in Feb. Of 2015, so I believed it to be a fairly new car in good shape. Not even a month later the gas hand becomes faulty and is not showing the correct amount of gas, and starts fluctuating. Next I'm riding on the freeway and the truck immediately starts slowing down and reads loss of engine power and shuts off right in the middle of the freeway. Now I am freaking out with me and my kids in the car and others flying around me doing 75 to 80 mph to my decreasing speed. I was scared for my life and my children's lives as cars and trucks are speeding around and honking at me. The truck dies and I barely manage to get to the side so that I would not be hit. I then get the car towed to the local dealership who then says that the truck needs a water pump which turns out to be under my extended warranty. They also reset my fuel sensor because they say they tested it and it was still good. So it only cost me $100. I pick my truck up and it works fine for less than a month and starts up again. I run out of gas on a busy street and get another tow. Back to the Chevrolet house it goes. This time they reset the check engine light and says its still not the fuel pump, sensor, or anything because they cannot find anything at all. I go pick it up once again and on my way home ran out of gas, while the gas level is reading right at half a tank. I know there was gas in the tank when I ran out and when the truck was towed. The dealership kept my vehicle for a whole week and all they did was got the truck on level ground, obviously, and the truck ran all the gas out while parked and they were 'trying to find the problem'. so now the gas hand is not working at all and I'm always putting gas in it and taking a chance because nobody knows whats wrong. This vehicle has been nothing but a headache and this problem needs recalling before one dies.

- Abilene, TX, USA

problem #10

Jan 182016

Traverse

  • 90,665 miles
While driving to work early January 18,2016 my check engine light and stability control light came on, not a minute later my steering went out and I hit a road sign. I had turned off the traction control before leaving my house as instructed by my service advisor at the Chevy dealership. I believe GM is responsible for the damage to my vehicle. Took my 2011 Traverse to the dealership that same day. Lights still on, and by the time I got it there the vehicle was shaking terribly, they diagnose it as throttle body codes PO221-PO121 & PO300. They fixed that problem, but took no responsibility GM to take responsibility for this problem. I wanted a safe vehicle for myself and my family, now I am not sure if it is safe even with the repairs that were done.

- Fulton, NY, USA

problem #9

Dec 192015

Traverse

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle stopped accelerating while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was able to be pulled over. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Russellville, KY, USA

problem #8

Dec 182015

Traverse

  • 126,000 miles
Driving down the interstate at 70 mph, the dic display error reads stabilitrak needs servicing, traction control off, and reduced engine power. It slowed me down from 70 mph to 25 mph in less than 20 seconds. I had to get over 3 lanes of heavy traffic onto the shoulder. This vehicle almost caused a major accident. I know there have been many complaints with GM vehicles regarding this issue. Just how many people have to die before a recall is issued?

- San Marcos, TX, USA

problem #7

Aug 012015

Traverse

  • 97,374 miles
I was driving on the 95 and suddenly my car was flashing reduced engine power and the check engine light popped on. Our speed dropped all the way down to 20 from 65. I have seven children who driving in the car with me and were horrified at all the traffic around us while we tried to coast to the side. Thank god no one hit us! the check engine light is still on and we have replaced the trottle body, fuel pump, and a few other thing that popped up on the diagnostic testing for the check engine light. 16 codes popped up all at the same time. Way too expensive to fix everything and pay payments or the car still. Please help.

- Levittown, PA, USA

problem #6

May 292015

Traverse

  • 99,000 miles
We bought the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse used with 99,000 miles on it. We noticed that on the car fax, other than just routine maintenance, the car had its fuel tank replaced. We questioned it, but did not think we would have problems, as the car was well taken care of. Every since we purchased the vehicle, when we fill up the car, it does not register on the fuel gauge correctly, if it registers at all. We cannot take long trips in the car without having to stop every so often and put gas in it, as we dont know how much is in there at any given time. This is a major concern to us. I see that there is a recall for the 2014 vehicles, but I also see that this has happened alot with the 2011 Traverse's, but no recall has been issued. I am hoping with this additional complaint and ongoing problem, that something will be done before someone gets seriously hurt, if they havent already. I do not know who the previous owner of my vehicle was, but they obviously had the same problem, hense replacing the fuel tank. Chevy, please issue a recall for this.

- Lindale, TX, USA

problem #5

Jun 102013

Traverse

  • 25,678 miles
Engine power was suddenly reduced while driving with the messages: Traction control off, service traction control, service stabilitrack, engine power is reduced. Dealer found code P2135 was generated (faulty throttle position sensor). Throttle body unit was replaced. The same problem occurred 2 years later on 6/12/2015. Again the throttle body needed to be replace. Based on my experience the throttle body unit design is systemically bad and has caused two safety related incidents.

- Saint Charles, MO, USA

problem #4

Feb 182015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
I was traveling to work this morning (2/18/15) on a Missouri state highway and suddenly power was reduced dramatically on my 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. I immediately looked at my dic and noticed the following readings listed: "service stable track", "engine power reduced", "traction control off", "service traction control". also, my check engine light came on as well. I was able to pull over to the shoulder of the highway but my maximum speed was only 15 mph. I stopped on the shoulder of the highway and put the vehicle in park and then put back in drive. I went back in to traffic but my maximum speed was only 40 mph. After arriving at my office, I noticed the engine appeared to not being running properly, as if it wasn't getting the right fuel/oxygen mixture. I called the GM dealership to inform them of the problems and took the vehicle to them for testing. They diagnosed the problem as needing to replace the throttle body and the part would not be in until tomorrow. I will be picking the vehicle up tomorrow after the repair and I hope this doesn't happen again because if my wife or son had been driving the vehicle, it may have resulted in an accident on the highway. This is something that should never happen in a vehicle, the chance of an accident on a busy interstate or highway is very likely when your speed in reduced dramatically.

- Sikeston, MO, USA

problem #3

Jan 242014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
It has to do with power to the engine being reduced. It has happened to me three times. Each time, I received three error messages ("traction control off", "service traction control", "service stabilitrak"), each time power reduced to my engine, and each time I paid substantial sums to the dealer to have it fixed, but each time it happened again. The first time I paid dealer #1 about $150 (if I recall correctly) to have them clean carbon from a sensor on the throttle body (which, coincidentally, I've had several problems caused by "carbon", according to the dealer #1). The second time, same thing, but paid only about $45 (to dealer #2 because I was out of town). The third time, I paid $600 for a completely new throttle body, including all of such sensors, from dealer #1. I am not confident that it is any safer now than it was before, since the track record is so poor (neither of the prior fixes solved the problem). Two of the three times (time #1 in January 2014, and just now for #3 in January 2015), I was on the highway at a high rate of speed, and fortunately the cars behind me were able to swerve and avoid rear-ending me at the last minute.

- Dexter, MI, USA

problem #2

Aug 012013

Traverse

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving at 40 mph, the fuel gauge did not function properly and displayed an incorrect reading, which indicated that the fuel level was half. In addition, the contact stated that the rear window wiper failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #1

Nov 182014

Traverse

  • 110,000 miles
Four times today as I was driving my Chevy Traverse the traction control went off, the stability control went off, and a message flashed that I could experience a reduction in power, which happened immediately after the notification. The car barely had enough power to make it safely out of traffic. This happened one other time last year but when we brought it to the dealer they could not replicate the problem.

- Lake Ridge, VA, USA

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