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).
In January 2016, my vehicle started having stability track issues. It got so bad I had the car sit up for a month then called a mechanic out to diagnosis the car. They sent me to the Chevy dealership and they fixed something within the steering, but that did not stop my stabilitrak from malfunctioning. While driving the stabilitrak light turns on and says it needs servicing. Then it makes the engine slow down and it starts stalling so we have to pull over and turn the car off and turn it back on for it to do the same thing again within minutes. If the cruise control is on it turns it off starts to stall and puts my family and I in danger, I just thank god we've been able to alleviate major accidents. It's been one minor accident but because we were already going slow it didn't affect either car, so we let it go especially because our vehicle was at fault not the people behind us.
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.
My stabilitrak has been going in and out for years with no issues. I had it checked but told it was OK. Now it has started stalling on me. And I was slightly rear ended last night on vacation. I called the Chevrolet 1 800 # and told no recall on this. However on line is hundreds of issues with this model. So over the last 2 weeks it has been going frequently. The steering is just making noises and crunching sounds when turning
The first time this happened, I was driving a hilly back road from school the service stabilitrac and traction control warning lights came on then the engine power is being reduced warning light came on and the car immediately slowed to a crawl with very little steering control. I was able to drive it on the shoulder to my mechanic at no more than 20 MPH and he said that 4 of the 6 coils needed to be replaced. A $700 repair. Second time it happened (12/3/14) I was driving on I-95 doing 65 and all the same lights came on again but this time the car instantly reduced the speed and I was crawling at 10mph. I had several near misses with other cars as we were all traveling at the posted speed in rush hour traffic. I struggled to get the car to the shoulder. I stopped the car and restarted and everything reset and I was able to drive for about a mile or two and it recurred. …
While traveling on the hwy at 65 MPH I got a message on the dash that read "service traction control" then "service stabilitrack" then "engine power reduced" all simultaneously. Then I lost power and went drastically from 65 MPH down to about 40 MPH. I almost got ran over by a semi truck!! I pulled vehicle to the side and slowly made my way to the nearest exit. Once I got off the hwy I tried to make my way back home, but the power was reduced to a crawl, so I pulled into a parking lot and ended up having to get it towed to the shop. They diagnosed the car and found no mechanical issues, only what seemed to be a "glitch" in the computer system. Suggested that I May need to replace the throttle body. I picked up my car and it drove fine for 5 days then it did the same thing again, luckily I was in my neighborhood. Drove it home and parked it. …
Vehicle had error messages, service traction control, traction control is off, service stabilitrax, engine power is reduced. Vehicle was slow to accelerate and experienced decreased speed. Vehicle vibrating while idling. Was told by dealer not to continue to drive the vehicle because others with same error messages stalled out while driving the vehicle, could not get the car restarted and had to be towed. The sudden slow acceleration and decreased speed are safety issues which need to be addressed by GMC before someone gets killed or seriously injured. Dealership said codes were p2176, p0121 and p0221 all related to tps sensor. Replaced throttle body, total cost $607.42. Not covered under power train warranty or extended warranty. …
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. …
Electronic stability control recall I was driving along at 60 MPH the interstate when my engine light turned on, the first warning said 'traction control turned off', immediately followed by 'service traction control', then immediately followed by another warning light "service stabilitrack", then immediately followed by another warning "reduced engine power". The vehicle went from 60 MPH immediately down to 20 MPH. Remind you that we were on the interstate, in rush hour traffic. This immediately turned into a very serious situation. We are very fortunate that we were not rear ended, and cause huge pile up. We managed to make it over to the shoulder, we are still not out of danger as semi trucks, cars, are driving by us at very high speeds in low light conditions. Our car was being blown side to side from the wind force from these vehicles. …
Stability traction control system problems. I have a 2011 Chevy Traverse. Problems erupted after I finished paying it off. I had this car for 7 years now and 100K miles now. For the past year the traction control system has failed multiple times. At first I took it to the dealer and spent over $3500 to fix it. A few months after the problem came back. The dealer was asking for almost $4000 stating that it was something else not fixed before. Even a mechanic from the dealership told me to get rid of it because lots of people were complaining with same issues. At first the "traction control system off" comes on the screen every time I drive for a long period of time. Followed by "service stability traction control system". Now as soon as I turn the car on the same messages appear. Just a week ago I was in the highway and "power loss warning" came out in the screen. …
I was driving down the interstate at 65 MPH and all of a sudden the cars dings and starts flashing service stabilitrak, engine power is reduced, traction control off, and service traction control. It was dangerous because the car dropped from 65 MPH to 20 MPH with no warning! It was instant!!! I pushed the on-star button (after pulling off the road an collecting myself because I was almost rear-ended) and asked them to run diagnostics. They told me the car was safe to drive. I needed to turn it off for a couple of minutes and it would reset it's self. So I did and it did! They told me to take it to the dealership within 4 days. I did that! The dealership said they couldn't do anything because the lights were gone! They stated it was probably a glitch. So I went on my way after a few choice words (this was dangerous!!!!!) it has happened 8 more times since then! …
Traction Control complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 114 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, 19% of the model year's 608 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Chevrolet Traverse traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.