2021 Chevrolet Traverse Problems and Recalls (88 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse is Electrical (22% of 88 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Electrical — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse?
19 of 88 filings named Electrical (22% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Engine (14 reports).
There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags and Transmission / driveline. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2020 has 224 reports on file; this year has 88. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What to check before you buy a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse
A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.
Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
Skim a few owner reports below for Electrical. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.
What owners reported
System named most often:Electrical 19 complaints · 21.6% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
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.
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 21V817000 was reported 134 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
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 and Transmission / driveline.
Recall campaign 21V472000
Airbags
Report date
Component:
Airbags (AIR BAGS)
Consequence:
Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy:
Dealers will update the air bag calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N212340220.
A transmission fluid leak can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, a leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the screw and clip, and inspect for signs of contact with the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Braun customer service at 1-800-488-0359.
Roof rail air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy:
Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 29, 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 N212352140.
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
Transmission shutters at lower gear going from 20-30 mph approximately and at the speed of 60-70 mph. When this happens it causes a delay in acceleration and for the whole car to shake. This was also noted by my mechanic even after changing transmission fluid and had concerns for the safety if it was to completely disrupt the transmission causing an accident. I was advised to check for recall since a lot of these makes and models have been having this issue. The SUV only has about 64,000 miles on it and has had all of its routine maintenance done regularly. I have only had it in my possession for 6 moths. No engine lights on. I do a lot of highway driving and I am concerned that this issue will possibly cause an accident. Ameritech Tire and Auto at [redacted], Inwood, WV. August 12, 2026 was date of service.
The welding that holds the exhaust together has failed. They offer a Special Warranty to cover only the passenger side, however it has failed and exhaust is super loud. Also reading 4 codes from check engine alert. All are P0420 (cat convertor). The smell of exhaust and cat convertor is super disgusting
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an inspection, where a leaking oil pan gasket was diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred on a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse he owned. Although the vehicle had been taken to the dealer two months prior, the dealer did not find the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,400.
On [XXX] I purchased the vehicle from Bakersfield Hyundai within days I reported break failure and notified them about a noise that was coming from the SUV that sounded like a mini motorcycle, they first said (Xavier) that the noise would go away because it had just gotten serviced but they kept me there for four plus hours and said I had to take it back which I did and again I took it for break replacement and I told them the noise would get louder and sometimes it would smell inside the vehicle like vinegar again they did nothing they falsely said I declined to stay because of time Which I didn't I asked if they were able to provide me with a vehicle while mine could get serve since I have children that attend school to who they said no, so I couldn't stay longer I had to pick up my children from school this is my only vehicle so Hyundai would not do anything about the breaks nor that sound the vehicle started making beeming noises from across the dashboard the main screen freezes and not to mention the vehicle stalls I have to jump start it, also when I sent Hyundai a video of the exhaust pipe ruptured they automatically contact Chevy and vehicle has to be towed to them there was a very strong oder of vinegar and rotten eggs coming into the cabin to which I had let Hyundai dealership know but they didn't document they said I had to take it to Chevy now they replaced the pipe but the vehicle still has issues starting up the screen still freezes and once in a while I still get that smell of vinegar in the cabin I have paperwork from Chevy and Hyundai I also have video, pictures and txt from Hyundai personal admitting to knowing about the pipe leak not to mention I was exposed to this for about 40 minutes I had driven my children to school I had my OBGYN appointment to which I informed my doctor I was experiencing a headache and dizziness I thought it was because of early pregnancy not knowing it was carbon monoxide I miscarried that following day 4/13/26. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMAT
Check engine light came on and I noticed that the cooling fan would continue running for several minutes even after turning vehicle off. Had a mechanic run the diagnostics and the code came back as a thermostat/cooling issue. Although when I called to make an appointment and told him the issue and that it was a 2021 Traverse, he knew exactly what the issue was. He said that is a very common issue in all 2021 Chevy/GM engines. Online research provided a couple special coverages for repairs on 7 different GM vehicles from that same time period. Of course, the Traverse is one that is not included. Seems fairly obvious this was a GM engine issue from all vehicles in the 2021-2023 timeframe. Not sure how they can only pick out 7 models, but I am hoping an update can be made to add the Traverse and any other GM models that have that same 2021 engine.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse?
Owners named Electrical most often — 19 of 88 reports (22%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags and Transmission / driveline. 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 2021 Chevrolet Traverse?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on. 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.
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.