Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Chevrolet Traverse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving down the freeway at about 67 MPH when the message "Traction Control Disabled" came on my display & the car immediately went into "limp mode"! By some miracle I was able to muscle the car out of the slow lane, onto the shoulder as I lost my power steering once in limp mode. I waited a few minutes, car started up just fine, so I shrugged it off. Fast forward 1 week later & the same thing happened to me on my way home on a curvy mountain road. The power steering was again non-existent & luckily, there was no one behind me, nor did anyone come around the corner & hit my disabled car. Once again, it started up, no problem; however, this is when the harsh forward thrust started happening, & the transmission seemed to be slipping gears. The RPM's would rev to the 6000 range & immediately fall down to 1500. …
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact stated that the power steering pump was leaking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the power steering pump and the rack and pinion needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 127,305.
It sways left to right really bad.. but when it rains or even even the car detected that it's going to rain.. as soon as the car senses it is going to rain u can't even drive it.. it like hydro plains even before it starts to officially rain.. very dangerous plus I had to replace the two back tires because they seemed like they were being forced and drug that all u seen was wires coming out of the tread
Power steering intermittently fails at low speed we have had near collisions and as a result my wife cannot drive the car she's not strong enough to turn the wheel at low speeds I'm afraid somebody's gonna get in a wreck with this or another car like it I've heard other complaints from traverse owners about the same thing
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. While driving 20 MPH, the brake pedal was difficult to depress and failed to respond. In addition, the steering wheel failed to move left or right and the vehicle lost power. As a result, the contact crashed into a bus terminal wall. Additionally, the key failed to release from the ignition. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact, passenger, and rear passenger occupant sustained chest injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 92,000. *
Hard to steer at lower speed (when parking or coming out of parking, when turning) in one occasion I did hit another vehicle wile turning to my right, luckily there were not serious damages and no injuries to any of the parties involved. I can barely turn at lower speed, I have taken my vehicle to the dealership and they are telling me that the power steering pump needs to be replaced and the rack and pinion as well. Cannot afford over $3,000.00 in repair costs. I did a little bit of research and found out that there are hundreds of Chevy owners with similar problems.
White smoke was coming out the car and my car eventually sat on fire. I had to call the fire department.. fire department stated that it was a electrical issue
My Chevy Traverse was hard to steer, almost impossible to drive. I had fluid on my garage floor, luckily I live a mile from the dealer. After checking the vehicle they followed the leak and stated that I needed a new rack and pinion, power steering pump and then an alignment. Total bill $ 2,600 and they were not sure if this fix would the problem. They stated that they never saw such a problem in a vehicle that had less than 70,000 miles. Of course the original warranty had expired and the extended warranty. I bought the vehicle used. The dealer gave me the option of just doing the rack and pinion and taking my chances with the power steering pump. I declined all work and had my mechanic do the rack and pinion and it was still not cheap. And I had to go to midas to get the alignment. …
I have a 2012 Chevy Traverse that made noise with turning, was leaking power steering fluid and became very difficult to steer while driving. Power steering fluid would puddle underneath the vehicle. I only have a little over 35,000 miles on it. The bumper to bumper warranty expired in 6/15. I took it to my mechanic who determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. I called Chevy and they stated that they were unaware of an issue of this nature with my type of vehicle and that I had no outstanding recalls. They stated I needed to have it towed (they offered to pay) to a dealership to be accurately assessed as if my very experienced mechanic was not able to determine there was an issue. I was told that based on my VIN my vehicle doesn't have any issues. I told them that based on my vehicle the VIN has problems and that the VIN does not predict whether it will have issues. …
My wife and I purchased a used 2012 Traverse with 56,000mi on it last summer. We now have 76,000mi on it, and just recently we have experienced the power steering loss that many other Traverse owners have been complaining about online. I am glad to know that we are not the only people to experience this issue - and I am very disappointed in GM that there has been an issue with the power steering systems on these vehicles and there has not been a safety recall issued. This most recently happened to my wife while pulling out of our driveway onto a busy road - power steering completely went away. Unable to steer the vehicle, she ended up in the opposite lane with oncoming traffic - slammed on the brakes and quickly put the vehicle in reverse and backed into the front yard and parked the vehicle. …
Steering complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, 18% of the model year's 354 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Chevrolet Traverse steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2012 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 2012 Chevrolet Traverse steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to steering 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.