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).
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.
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.
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.
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. …
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. …
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. …
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. …
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.
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.
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?
Fuel System complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, 4% of the model year's 608 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Traverse fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2011 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 2011 Chevrolet Traverse fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries and 1 death to fuel & propulsion 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.