2009 Chevrolet Traverse Problems: Steering (445 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse is Steering (49% of 445 owner reports). There are 8 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Steering — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 445 complaints · 8 recalls
What problems show up on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
218 of 445 filings named Steering (49% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Transmission / driveline (48 reports).
There are 8 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Seat belts, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.
What owners reported
System named most often: Steering 218 complaints · 49.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 17
- Fires 2
- Injuries 16
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering (STEERING) | 218 | 49.0% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 48 | 10.8% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 37 | 8.3% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 18 | 4.0% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 11 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) | 11 | 2.5% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 11 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 10 | 2.3% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 9 | 2.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 64 | 14.4% | 3 crashes · 1 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 14V118000 was reported 727 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 15V415000 was reported 1,028 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 22 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 62 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 36 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V615000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V073000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V153000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V240000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V375000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V118000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V266000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V415000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | AQ10001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ19003 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA20002 |
Safety Recalls (8)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Seat belts, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, and Body / frame.
-
Recall campaign 08V615000
Seat belts
- Report date
- Component:
- Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
- Consequence:
- IN A VEHICLE CRASH, IF THE RIVET IS MISSING, THE BUCKLE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE MOUNTING STRAP, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE PASSENGER.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLES IN THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS, AND REPLACE THEM IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 26, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; GMC AT 1-866-996-9463; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 09V073000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY AFTER THE DRIVER HAS EXITED THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP IS FULLY ENGAGED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE CLIP DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE SHIFT CABLE WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 09V153000
Safety recall 09V153000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- IF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS IN THE PARK POSITION, THERE WILL BE NO UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT. HOWEVER, IF THE KEYS ARE LEFT IN THE IGNITION, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS IN ANY POSITION OTHER THAN PARK, AND THE VEHICLE IS PARKED ON A SUFFICIENT SLOPE, IT COULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT. THIS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE PARK BRAKE CABLE LINK (CONNECTOR) FREE OF CHARGE. GM ANTICIPATES THAT THE DEALER BULLETIN WILL BE SENT MAY 5, 2009 AND OWNER LETTERS WILL BE MAILED IN JUNE 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 10V240000
Safety recall 10V240000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 10V375000
Safety recall 10V375000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 14V118000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
- Remedy:
- 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 center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
-
Recall campaign 14V266000
Safety recall 14V266000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
- Remedy:
- 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 mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
-
Recall campaign 15V415000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- 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 recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 10 of 445 complaints · page 1 of 18
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Limp mode. It doesn't have speed only goes about 10-20 mph, doesn't give any gas it'll stall act as if it wants to shut down. Transmission Shift Cable. Stalls want let me get gas or nothing slowing down in traffic, it just gives up. No. yes. others Check engine light, Stabilitrak/traction control system, ABS sensor Whenever the check engine light came early part of December.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I just bought the car from sb auto . The car I had for 4 days wasn't making funny nosies nothing. The timing went when I was driving the car it came to a dead stop lost power steering . Had me and my son in the car thankfully I was Turning into a complex when it happened. It's got 159163 miles
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that when she started her vehicle and shifted into drive (D) and depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that she attempted to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle nearby her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I bought the car in August of last year and drove it for about 3 days before it started giving me problems. First incident I was driving my children home from the hairdresser and the car completely went out us on the highway, after repeated attempts for a half hour or so I was able to start it and drive it back home very slowly..this happened twice I went to get it diagnosed and codes came up for crank shaft sensor and o2 sensor, before I could even get that fixed more problems came up, the steering wheel began to become stiff and almost impossible to turn, while picking my son up from school I was trying to pull away from the curb in the drop off spot and almost hit another car and a child because the steering wheel stiffened up on me!!! I was told I would need an entire steering rack!!! ...also the key has gotten stuck in the ignition and wouldn't start and I had to have it towed to a mechanic for that as well. Driving up hill one day I lost power that made it seem like it was stuck in low, then we lost reverse altogether as well as the ability to climb hills. I got the transmission repaired, barely made it home before it started doing the exact same thing, no reverse and won't go up hills, so I had to get it towed back to the shop to fix it once again, now I find out that the computer went bad as well and was causing the car to perform in neutral. This car has given me nothing but problems since I bought it! It is very dangerous to be on the road! I don't understand how they're even still in circulation!! This is by far the worst experience I've ever had with a vehicle! Upon doing research online I seen that there were HUNDREDS of people with these cars experiencing the same problems. Something has to be done!! I had the car almost a year and only got about a week's worth of use!!
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I bought my car and not even a month later I was driving off the interstate and it shut down on me. I had it towed to my house and it won’t start anymore. The car makes a funny clickin noise. It could have killed me if I would have wrecked.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Wiring failing, abs won't work, track control not working, reverse camera, stable track,
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The car appeared to have lost power, not while entering the freeway. I pressed on the gas, but it made a loud sound and barely moved. I then saw smoke, pulled over and the car cut off. The car continued to smoke. I opened the hood, and it was a fire under it. Prior to driving, the check engine light was on.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Airbag “Service Airbag” light appears on dash intermittently.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I bought a used car and maybe it’s just wear and tear but I’ve seen it in lots of forums on the internet also. My back end sways going around curves almost like I am fishtailing and then my traction control dings and it says service traction control and also my car jumps when in idle the rpm needle moves with it. It acts like it doesn’t want to get up and go at about 60. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about the engine and transmission going out in vehicles. I didn’t know this when I bought the vehicle. I have 2 kids and I need this car to take them to school and errands. I don’t know if this is normal wear and tear or if it’s something wrong with the car from the beginning
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Both catalytic converters are bad and the vehicle only has 89k miles
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners named Steering most often — 218 of 445 reports (49%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA lists 8 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Seat belts, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.