Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Chevrolet Traverse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the driveway was on a slope, and his wife was attempting to reenter the vehicle while it was in parked and the engine was running, and in the process the vehicle began to roll forward down the contacts driveway, the contacts wife was injured in the process receiving bruises to her left leg and right hip, medical attention was required for the contacts injuries. The vehicle was brought to a stop upon crashing into a lawn mower trailer and the contact's garage with the vehicle's front passenger side quarter panel. Property damage was reported. The vehicle was going 5 MPH at the time of the crash. The contact confirmed that after the incident, the vehicle was still in the parked position after the crash. The vehicle was not towed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was not filed. …
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while parked or stopped at a traffic light, after releasing the brake pedal the vehicle failed to move. The contact had to wait approximately twenty to thirty minutes and restart the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after leaving the dealer for maintenance work, there was an abnormal grinding noise coming from the brakes. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer twice where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they replaced the brakes however, the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
On January 9, 2022 I was unable to release the parking brake. When I turned the car on, an alert popped up saying "service parking brake". When I tried to release the parking brake, it would not release. It still made the sound as if it was trying to release but the parking brake was still engaged. I turned the car off and went back into my house for 10 minutes and then came out to try it again. Again, when I turned on the car, it said "service parking brake". I tried to disengage the parking brake and it wouldn't release. I pulled the button up as if I was setting the parking brake and pushed it down to release 3 times, with no change. On the 4th try, the parking brake disengaged. I received an email from OnStar Notifications informing me of the issue and directing me to take it to a service center. (Pic of email attached) This component has not been inspected by anyone. …
The issue is with the Traverse Stabilitrak system. The Stabilitrak system controls, includes traction control, emergency brakes, tire monitoring, etc. as I understand it. The Stabilitrak lights has been intermittently coming on for several months. I took the truck to the manufacture and was charged over $1,700.00 to fix the problem. After the repairs, I picked up the vehicle and within three miles of the dealership the issue manifested itself again. The Stabiltrak system light usually indicates as the vehicle waits at a traffic light, and just as I accelerate for the signal change. The vehicle frequently stalls at that point, creating a rear end hazard, and a dangerous situation for me and other commuters. Upon returning the vehicle to the dealership, they claimed not to be able to identify the issue, that they initially charged me over $1,700.00 to fix. …
The vacuum pump had a catastrophic failure. This led to failure of assisted breaking, and caused brake pedal to go rock hard while driving on the roadway. Metal shards from the vacuum pump broke off, and has now entered the engine. Chevy knows this vacuum pump is flawed, but did not include my model of vehicle in the recall. Even though it uses the same part. I received a "brake assist" message on the dash about 15 seconds prior to the loss of brakes. I had my wife and two kids with me, and this jeopardized their safety. Further research on the matter states this is a known issue at GM, but for some reason my year and model were not included.
Shift assembly has failed twice - April 2021 and April 2024. For both occurrences, the vehicle spontaneosly stops registering when I shift into park. When I shift, the vehicle sends a warning to shift into park. There is a safety concern because I cannot determine whether or not the vehicle is actually in park. The GM dealer determined that the issue is a faulty shifter switch and harness and a faulty shift knob. Both were replaced. In April 2021 transmission shifter (part #84698649) and jumper harness (part #84733196) were replaced.
September 26th 2023 i noticed my traverse accelerated by itself while in park i reported the evap issue made my check emgine light come on and stay on i noticed gm recalled 2019 traverses and up a year models for the same reason but not 2018 models on september the 7th 2023 i also got a code saying control moduoe communication chassis expansion can bus offf when the check engine light ccame on also please help me with this matter i have a child i have to be responsible for im scared of this problem
The E Brake engaged while driving our car, by the time we could safely stop our vehicle, less than a mile, the transmission fluid reached 175 degrees and our vehicle was smoking. We took the traverse to a local service center, they stated this has been a known issue with the make and model of our car. There is a service bulletin about this issue. The brake actuator is faulty, and allows water to seep into the actuator creating a short to ground the electric park brake actuator.
The emergency park brake engaged automatically, and the battery had to be disconnect to reset it. When the vehicle is shifted to park, the dash display says shift to park even though the vehicle has been shifted to park. Have to start and turn off engine, the shift lever back and forth for vehicle display message has been cleared. This has happened more than once
Brake complaints in other Traverse years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the brakes of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, 8% of the model year's 464 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Chevrolet Traverse brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, though it has 2 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 2018 Chevrolet Traverse brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.