2012 Chevrolet Traverse Problems, Recalls & Reliability
587 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 61/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Other leads the reports, typically around 95,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2012 sits among all Traverse years
What owners report
“I was driving down the street. Everything went out on my dash speed odometer, and gas light hand . I was losing power. Then i notice it said service stabilitrak control off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
“The vehicle at 125,000 the check engine light turned on and there is a problem with the timing chain stretching. It is the crank shaft/cam shaft. It is over a $2,000.00 repair and the mechanic said this is a common problem with chevy traverse's.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
“Power steering does not work at low speeds 90% of the time, my wife can't drive the car ( very dangerous situation ). Parking has no power steering at all, at 10 mph steering control comes back.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
“Flashing engine light, stabilitrack light, traction control light, all of the different codes flashing, then air conditioner blows hot, vehicle won't go forward, it just stops right there,and there is nothing you can do. It generally happens when you're driving on city streets stopping or starting.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
“My airbag light went on and after 2 service call the dealer determine that i would need a new airbag installed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
“Was bringing my children home from school and engine light and traction control light came on, reduced my speed and i couldn't keep up with traffic so quickly got off the road. Looked at the dash and saw it said engine power reduced. Turned off the car few seconds and i was able to drive home…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Traverse
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 453 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 90,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 60,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick…
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…
Fix: 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. The…
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008,…
Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner…
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, AND GMC ACADIA VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN,…
Fix: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE WIPER ARM NUTS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2012.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 21V245.
Technical service bulletins
1,554 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2012 Traverse TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?
The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse drew 587 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 61/100, scored against the model's worst year (2011).
What are the most common 2012 Chevrolet Traverse problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse are other (125 complaints), engine (117), and steering (62).
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Traverse problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Chevrolet Traverse problems around 90,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 60,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.