Most common 2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems
Share of the 669 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Traverse complaints by model year
Best Traverse years: 2013, 2021, 2020. Years to avoid: 2025, 2024, 2011, 2023, 2010. Compare all years →
2010 Chevrolet Traverse recalls (5)
Air bags › Critical fasteners
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.
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.
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge.
Seat belts
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles…
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available.
Air bags › Side/window
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014.
Seat belts
General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet traverse, Buick enclave, GMC acadia, and Saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat.
Remedy: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on August 18, 2010.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse:
Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform)…
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM).
What 2010 Chevrolet Traverse owners say
Steering all 331 →
The steering on vehicle is intermittently nearly impossible to turn. GM has a service bulletin that addresses problem and extends warranty. My vehicle is beyond the warranty time but still under the mileage. I called GM and the will not offer any assistance of warranty or cost share. This should be a recall as it's a serious safety issue!! There's likely been injuries and deaths because of this very problem. You never know when it may act up and when it does it's extremely dangerous. GM customer service reference # 9-6768504646. Let me know if there's something you can do to help and/or if not. Thanks
I was driving at approximately 30mph on a road the traction control/stability track light came on and my car lost almost all power. it went from 30 to about 5mph. thankfully i was on a slower road and close to my house so I was able to get home. If I would have been on a highway I could have been killed. i quick google search showed thousands of other complaints with the same problem, my question is why is nothing being done. are they waiting for a certain number of deaths??
Engine & cooling all 186 →
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would stall. The contact mentioned that the vehicle required to be revved in order to prevent it from stalling. The contact stated that when the failure occurred a previous time, there was a lot of smoke, and she noticed that the driver's side air filter had caught fire, however, extinguished itself. The contact stated that she did not have to contact the fire department, nor did she sustain any injuries. The contact stated that she contacted the dealer, and she was advised that there were no recalls on her vehicle at the time. The failure mileage was 100,000.
My check engine light started coming on and found out from mechanic there was an issue with the stretching of the timing chain (P0008) . Car started making clanging noises and now needing a $3000 repair . After researching the problem, I have found out that there was an ongoing problem with belts and had recalls for 2009 , which was covered. Gm knowing there was a faulty design tried to reprogram the oil life monitor as a corrective action for the population of vehicles meaning THEY recognized the sensitivity of system. It wasn't effective enough because now people are having issues at higher mileage and outside their warranty. GM knew this would happen and are now pushing the cost onto their loyal customers. GM needs to show loyalty to their customers and own up to the poor design. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 66 →
This vehicle is dangerous. Looks great on the outside but horrible on the inside under the hood! Since my son bought one for me it's had problems with engine revving and not shifting gears, and air conditioner continually going out even after repairs, and power steering leaks. I kept taking it to repair and oddly no technician anywhere could help! Read the reviews and watch the youtubes! This vehicle (all years) should be stripped from the market and considered under lemon law no matter the age! The culmination of my problems happened when leaving town, entering highway and accelerating and clicking cruise control! Immediately the car revved past 7 rpms and out of control! I had all I could do to stop it - then it died completely! The tow truck driver was also in an unsafe situation with many cars passing at high speed when he had to put special lifts on the back wheels! Scary! …
2-18-2022 Complaint Previous NHTSA report #11339183 Ongoing complaint with additional information. Tag #[redacted] Georgia. Onstar failed with direct manipulation from Emergency Management Agency Statesboro Georgia daily mapping and stopping my vehicle Chev Traverse ([redacted]) to harass, threaten and obscene language under High density radio communication and mobile cellular tower use blocking my cell phone [redacted] for GAMES. Human not Robot. [redacted]
2010 Chevrolet Traverse engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse a good car?
Based on 669 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2010 Traverse rates use caution: 1.8× as many complaints as a typical year of the Traverse at the same age. It is one of the Traverse years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?
The steering — 331 complaints, 49% of all complaints for this model year, most often about hydraulic power assist › pump. Next are the engine & cooling (186) and transmission & drivetrain (66).
How many recalls does the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, the most recent from April 8, 2021 (critical fasteners). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Traverse?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2021 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2025, 2024, 2011, 2023 and 2010. See the full Chevrolet Traverse years comparison.
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Traverse problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 76,000 miles; 19% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.