Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Chevrolet Traverse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's friend owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to function as designed. The contact stated that the liftgate would spontaneously slam shut. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V415000 (Structure). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
While sitting at a stop sign my Traverse was hit on the driver's side by the tire and fender. The side air bag or front airbags didn't deploy. The vehicle that hit my Traverse had airbags that deployed. My wife was 4 months pregnant and didn't have proper protection of the multiple airbags this vehicle has. She injured her knee from banging into the dash board and caused great concern about the health of our unborn child. The sad part is now we receive a letter that our car is part of the recent side impact air bag recall on the Chevrolet Traverse. The reason why it didn't deploy in the accident is because of wire issues on the airbag system. Unsafe at any speed.
For some reason the rubber seals on all the doors seem to fail at different point. I had the dealer replace the driver and passenger door seal 2-3 times (while the car was under the 36,000 mile mark). The back door where only replaced once each. Now that the car is at 62,000 miles, it looks like 2 door seals are falling apart. This creates a massive wind noise in the car. I have never seen this failure on any car I have ever owned. I have a Jeep wrangler with 100,000 miles setting next to my Chevy all the time with no issues
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that when the lift gate was opened electronically, it went up and, once it reached the top, shuttered and closed extremely fast. The failure mileage was 54,000. Update 01/15/16 ma
The rear lift gate when open is suddenly falling. It has already hit me and multiple family members in the back and head because it falls without warning and is very dangerous. This is very similar to the problem with the power lift gate that has already been recalled. To quote the power lift gate recall web page: "these struts May prematurely wear and the open liftgate May suddenly fall. It May strike a person, increasing their risk of injury."
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. When opening the liftgate, the power liftgate gas struts suddenly failed and caused the liftgate to drop suddenly. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed as part of NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. While opening the liftgate with the key fob, the liftgate unexpectedly closed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
The rear support for lift of door failed- vehicle was stationary the driver side windshield wiper failed - vehicle was in motion on highway A/C blows freon through vents- stationary, in motion- has been in shop 3 times condenser, A/C lines have been replaced- still does not hold freon for long
2011 Chevrolet Traverse- I bought the truck in 2013 certified, pre-owned for roughly $35K all in from robert Chevrolet. Have had several electrical and mechanical issues with it over the past 2 years. Windows have stopped working numerous times, mirrors as well. Left tail light has gone out 3 times, headlights have had issues as well. Most recently my passenger side step rail snapped off as my 13 year old 115 lb daughter stepped on it. I have 4 children, my youngest is one and a half years old and one concern I have is that the other side rail snaps off and as my wife is putting my son in car they fall on concrete if that rail should snap as well. In general, I do not trust this car or feel safe in it at all. …
There has been a leak in my Chevy Traverse 2011 for a long time but we had no idea because it was under the foam in the carpets. We found water in our battery compartment behind the seat. We had to remove the seats in the car and found black mold under the carpets. We have been so sick for awhile(daughter diagnosed with autism) Chevy/GM wants to charge us 1400+ to fix the problem that has probably been going on since we purchased the car brand new in 2011. I am so saddened that our families safety is not Chevy's priority. It has 48000 miles on it so it is out of the warranty window. No help from Chevy to take the responsibility to fix this issue. Have I mentioned they have had my car for over a week and still cannot figure out where the water is coming from??? Oh and they didn't have a loner for us either.....
Related recalls
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.
Body complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, 3% of the model year's 608 complaints. The component named most often is body (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Traverse body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-415 (hatchback/liftgate, Jun 30, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Chevrolet Traverse body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to body & structure 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.