2013 Chevrolet Traverse Problems and Recalls (162 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse is Engine (15% of 162 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
25 of 162 filings named Engine (15% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Electrical (20 reports).
There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2012 has 353 reports on file; this year has 162. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 7
- Fires 2
- Injuries 6
- Deaths 0
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine (ENGINE) | 25 | 15.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 20 | 12.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 20 | 12.4% | 1 crashes · 2 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 16 | 9.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 15 | 9.3% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 13 | 8.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 12 | 7.4% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) | 4 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 2 | 1.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 29 | 17.9% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
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 21V246000 was reported 2,308 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V782000 was reported 2,490 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V118000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V266000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V246000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V782000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ19003 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA20002 |
Safety Recalls (4)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.
-
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 21V246000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- 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 customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
-
Recall campaign 21V782000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners named Engine most often — 25 of 162 reports (15%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags. 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 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. 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
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.