Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
The contact owned a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact discovered that the driver's side door, the driver's side seat, and the ceiling had caught on fire and was burned; the windshield was also cracked. The vehicle was unoccupied during the fire. A Fire Department report was filed the following day and the Fire Department inspected the vehicle and determined that the wiring was hot to the touch and could have possibly caused the fire; the vehicle was deemed totaled. The local dealer was not contacted. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start and occasionally stalled while driving. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted after a while. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with ignition switch failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone, but no assistance was provided. The contact was transferred to a dealer for assistance, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the electrical plug was damaged by the previous dealer who performed maintenance work on the vehicle. The contact also stated no warning lights were operable on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
It happened 2 yrs ago in May. My kids and I were waiting in the vehicle and it cut off all of a sudden. My boyfriend checked it out and wasn't sure what the problem was. The vehicle got towed. Mechanic said it was a bad ECM. Whomever sold me the vehicle had an Arcadia ECM. The mechanic from the dealership I took it to said it's on back order. 6 months later he said there's nothing they can do for my vehicle. So it stayed in my yard for so long. We bought a used ECM from a used auto part. Today my boyfriend had to go on YouTube just to figure out what's wrong. He was under the hood almost the whole day and now it's fixed. The only problem is the check engine light is on.
The airbag light on the dash keeps coming off and on randomly. Stays on for a period of time or goes off after a couple seconds. Also for electrical, I was driving down Hwy and the vehicle died and turned back on within 5 seconds. Had to jiggle battery cables for it to come back on. I had two small children in the vehicle and I don't feel it's safe to drive any longer.
Two items: Item 1. Transmission switched to neutral by itself traveling at 65 mph. At about 5-6 seconds after the incident, transmission resumed with no further problem. This has happened 3 times. First time was mid 2022. Second and third times happened in late 2022. Appeared to be an intermittent problem. Took to dealership. It happened to a mechanic who drove the vehicle. Dealership thought they fixed the problem. A dealership mechanic, while addressing item number 2 below in 3rd week of April 2023, experienced the motor going into neutral. They had replaced the ignition switch to possibly fix item #2, and were test driving the car, when during the test drives, the motor went into neutral by itself two separate test drives. Item 2. While driving at highway speeds on a freeway in mid February 2023, the engine stopped (speedometer and RPM gauges went to zero). …
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]
Me & my family were driving on the highway, doing 65 MPH, & suddenly the chime in my vehicle goes off, & in the display window it reads service traction control, service stabilitrak & park assist off. Also the engine light & I believe the stabilitrak light come on. Then the vehicle just slows down & when I try to push the gas to go, it will not go over 20 MPH. I put my hazard lights on & luckily I was just a few minutes from home. The next day I take my vehicle back to greg May Honda where I purchased it, they put it on that machine & they said I would have to take it to a Chevy dealership. That same day I take it & they tell me it's the throttle body. So I drive my vehicle home & try to come up with the money to make the repair & I take my vehicle to my personnel mechanic on feb 27, 2015, they replace the throttle body for $521.79 (I do have receipt). …
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. …
The check engine light has been on for two years in my Traverse and my local mechanic doesn't know why. For about the same amount of time, when filling the tank we have to turn all electronics off and then after the fill we have to pump the gas pedal and coax it into starting. Again, local mechanic doesn't know what to do that won't cost a fortune, so advised to continue driving if what we do works. For the last month or so the stabilitrak warning light has come on periodically and then the reduced engine power light also comes on. This happens when it is really cold. At first nothing else happened, but the last three times we did lose power. I went down to 40mph while driving on the interstate and then at 21 below last night we couldn't go over 10-15 MPH. After turning the car off for a while it normally re-sets which it did last night and we finally made it home. …
Electrical complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the electrical system of the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, 9% of the model year's 669 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Chevrolet Traverse electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.