Chevrolet Traverse Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2018 At least twice the 47 complaints of a typical Traverse year. Most described: shifter errors.
Best years: 2021 Under three quarters of the 47 complaints of a typical Traverse year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2024. Includes the 2024 Traverse Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new Traverse.

Traverse problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Traverse year drew 47 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (44.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (47), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2018 Traverse Avoid Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	139	466	2
2019 Traverse Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	75	412	3
2014 Traverse Most described: loss of power or limp mode	71	549	7
2011 Traverse Most described: loss of power or limp mode	65	608	5
2023 Traverse Most described: loss of power or limp mode	60	95	2
2016 Traverse Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	49	292	5
2017 Traverse Most reported: air bags	45	361	3
2022 Traverse Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	44	103	1
2015 Traverse Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	39	314	5
2010 Traverse Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	35	669	5
2020 Traverse Most described: the check engine light coming on, then shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	35	235	8
2012 Traverse Most described: loss of power or limp mode	32	354	5
2013 Traverse Most described: loss of power or limp mode	30	162	4
2021 Traverse Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	23	95	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Traverse for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	2	30
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	186
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	0	148	4 to 5 stars
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	2	95	4 to 5 stars
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	103	4 to 5 stars
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	3	95
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	8	235
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	3	412
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	2	466
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	3	361
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	5	292
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	314
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	7	549
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	4	162
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	354
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	608
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	5	669	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2018: 466 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Traverse
Model year	Complaints
2010	669
2011	608
2012	354
2013	162
2014	549
2015	314
2016	292
2017	361
2018	466
2019	412
2020	235
2021	95
2022	103
2023	95
2024	148
2025	186
2026	30

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 18 to 23 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2024.

2026: gas 22 mpg

Show as a table

Chevrolet Traverse best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	19
2011	19
2012	19
2013	19
2014	19
2015	19
2016	18
2017	18
2018	22
2019	22
2020	21
2021	21
2022	21
2023	21
2024	23
2025	23
2026	22

Every Traverse year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Chevrolet Traverse years should you avoid?

The 2018 Traverse is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 47 owner complaints of a typical Traverse year in its first three years. Owners of the 2018 most often describe shifter errors. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Chevrolet Traverse years?

The 2021 Traverse is the best year: it drew 23 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 47 complaints of a typical Traverse year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chevrolet Traverse years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2018 (139) drew the most, then the 2019 (75). Owners of the 2018 most often describe shifter errors or getting stuck in gear.

Which Chevrolet Traverse years have the most recalls?

The 2020 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (8), then the 2014 (7). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Chevrolet Traverse problems?

In the 5,079 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, apart from warning lights, owners most often describe loss of power or limp mode (468 complaints); shifter errors or getting stuck in gear (425 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019); and stalling or shutting off (335 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chevrolet Traverse year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2024 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.