Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Chevrolet Traverse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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??
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving 20 MPH in an above ground parking facility, the accelerator pedal seized. The brake pedal was depressed, but failed to slow down the vehicle. The vehicle crashed through the gate of the parking facility and also crashed into a parked vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed; however, the contact was cited for reckless driving and failing to operate a vehicle in a safe manner. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was first towed to calibre collision and then to john elway Chevrolet (located at 5200 s. Broadway, englewood, colorado 80113, tel: [phone]) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that it would take several weeks before the investigation would be finalized. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 861039. …
My 2010 Traverse experienced a severe safety issue this morning. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the traction control warning light illuminated and the engine speed was immediately reduced to approximately 15 MPH. This occurred without warning and in heavy freeway traffic nearly causing my vehicle to be rear ended by several other cars. I turned on my hazard signal and managed to reach the road shoulder after traffic had cleared. After stopping for 10 minutes I restarted the vehicle in an attempt to drive to the closest dealer for service. After covering about 6 miles the same warning lights appeared and the vehicle speed was reduced again, but I manage to reach the dealership. At the Chevrolet dealer the vehicle was diagnosed that the throttle body had failed & needed to be replaced. The dealer service department stated that this was not a warranty item. …
The biggest issue is intermittently going into "low engine" mode, warning blinks for only a second then the car will not go more than 10 miles an hour. This is quite dangerous to me, my family, and other drivers- imagine this happening on the freeway? Does this issue need to result in a death before it is looked into by the company? The car will not shift out of gears- happens intermittently with no warning signs whatsoever. The issue happens when I go above 40 MPH, the the rpms goes to 9+off the charts and I cannot go into the next gear. Since it happens only randomly mechanics have a hard time finding issue since it does not always do this for them. Our last visit suggested to replace the transmission, but at a price that is more than the value of the car, that is hard to stomach. …
When driving it on the highway, the check engine light came on in the car and flashed the words: traction control off, service stability, rear park assist off, engine power being reduced. The vehicle went from 70 MPH to about 25 MPH. I was almost hit by the other vehicles as this happened. The seatbelt has also not been latching fully and this morning the airbag sensor came on and said check the airbag system. But then went off after about 20 seconds, while I was stationary.this is clearly hazardous and makes driving to work and to my children's things impossible and extremely dangerous. Now I've done my research and what most people believed and mechanics was that it was the throttle body sensor being dirty, we had this cleaned last year. This also seemed to only occur after the temperature outside goes below 30 degrees. …
Stabilitrak/traction control/reduce engine power. While driving down interstate 75 north in tn on November 28, 2015 at approximately 10:30 pm with my husband, 6 year old, and 3 year old; my 2010 Chevrolet Traverse suddenly dinged and then the flashed the following messages on my display: stabilitrak, traction control, reduce engine power. This resulted in a rapid deceleration from about 75mph to about 25mph. We narrowly avoided being hit by a semi-truck behind us, as the car rapidly slows without brake lights notifying other drivers. Thankfully, the semi was able to quickly swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting us. We pulled over and shut down the engine. When we turned it back on, the warning lights were off and the car ran normally. This is an extremely dangerous situation, which appears to be quite common in numerous GM vehicles. …
The current mileage on my 2010 Traverse is 74K... Driving down the highway at 60mph all of a sudden the traction stabilizer control/ABS lights come on the dashboard and the car started decelerating, down to 45 MPH and more. While the gas petal was being pressed no acceleration would happen. Went to pull off to the side of the road to get out of harms way, and all of a sudden the acceleration came back. The remainder of my drive the traction stablizer control/ABS stayed on with no other acceleration problems, until I arrived to work. When backing out of a parking space the vehicle would not go in reverse, while giving it gas in reverse the vehicle continued to go forward. Put in park, waiting, then tried it again. The traction stabilizer control/ABS lights went off and I was able to reverse just fine. …
Truck was being driven on the freeway, driver accelerated to pass another vehicle and it acted as though it had run out of gas. It was pushed to the gas station and filled up with gas, then it wouldn't start and eventually the battery died. It was jump started and drove a few miles to the house with a knocking sound. Independent mechanic evaluated it and said the engine is blown. It had regular maintenance, without missing an oil change, all maintenance has always been done on this vehicle since it was bought brand new in June of 2010. There were three safety recalls, one including a gas tank issue, and although several messages were left on the "recall hotline", no return call was ever received. Mechanic says there is metal in the oil but the engine oil is not low.this vehicle is too new to have a blown engine. Help!
My car could have gotten me killed. I was on my way to work,stopped at a stop sign and when I mashed the gas to go it said stability track off ,motor reduced. My car literally was in the road with traffic coming. There was no way to turn it off . Another day I had to pull over on a four lane because it done the same and wouldn't go. This is so dangerous to anyone who has these Chevy Traverse.I have looked at many reviews and this is a big complaint out of hundreds of people on the same issue. It's a matter of time before someone is killed. It's not safe for an individual much less a family,because you never know when it's going to shut down. No shop can fix this problem. I've had new tires,sensor,and reset and it doesn't work. Please consider looking at all the reviews on these cars.
After some major maintenance work summer of 2018, car began to show more work needed. Summer of 2019 while driving on flat city road, power steering became difficult to turn & control curves and, check engine light came on. Parked the car until able to repair. Mechanic repaired power steering module car seemed OK. After about 2-3 weeks, check engine light & power steering problems again , now engine power reduced while driving w/stabilitrak warning & back up cam sometimes works. Whle driving , hard to turn on curves, corners and at appropriate posted speeds bc engine slows on its own and wont give enough power for flats or hills. Heating takes much longer to warm cabin and window button sometimes wont work.
Acceleration complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, 6% of the model year's 669 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Chevrolet Traverse acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Traverse acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.