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CarComplaints.com Notes: There are a fair-number of power steering related complaints which is a continuation of problems from the previous model year. Considering the problem tends to happen beyond the standard warranty (73k+) it's best to avoid this vehicle or at least be prepared for the $1,300+ repair.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
80,039 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Chevrolet Traverse engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Chevrolet Traverse Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Feb 252015

Traverse

  • 75,785 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on highway at 60 mph. Reduce power light and stability control light came on. Traverse slowed down to 20 mph. I could not accelerate. I was almost rear ended on the highway. Brought the Traverse to the dealership where they replaced the throttle body. Time for a recall.

- Rosemount , MN, USA

problem #36

Feb 262015

Traverse

  • 59,688 miles
I was driving to work and luckily had already gotten off the freeway, driving aprox. 35mph the vehicle started to loose speed, a couple of msgs were popping up "stabilitrac off" "service stability control" "reduced engine power". the speed dropped down to about 5 mph, I had to pull over in order for the vehicles behind me to pass me. I put the vehicle on park and while idling, it started vibrating. I turned it off and then turn it back on. After this it seemed to be doing good., enough for me to get to work

- Rio Rico, AZ, USA

problem #35

Jan 222015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 71,558 miles
Stabilitrak warning light engine losing power down to 20 mph.went online this is an on going problem with many GM cars and should be fixed at the cost of the manufacturer.

- Willoughby, OH, USA

problem #34

Feb 192015

Traverse

  • 105,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on the highway in nh in traffic when stabilitrac/reduced power/traction control light came on and car slowed down to 15 mph on a busy highway. Barely made it off the next exit as car wouldn't go over 10 mph. Luckily the cars behind me did not slam into me as it was a dangerous situation. A recall is needed is it is a serious safety issue.

- Kingston, MA, USA

problem #33

Feb 182015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
I was traveling to work this morning (2/18/15) on a Missouri state highway and suddenly power was reduced dramatically on my 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. I immediately looked at my dic and noticed the following readings listed: "service stable track", "engine power reduced", "traction control off", "service traction control". also, my check engine light came on as well. I was able to pull over to the shoulder of the highway but my maximum speed was only 15 mph. I stopped on the shoulder of the highway and put the vehicle in park and then put back in drive. I went back in to traffic but my maximum speed was only 40 mph. After arriving at my office, I noticed the engine appeared to not being running properly, as if it wasn't getting the right fuel/oxygen mixture. I called the GM dealership to inform them of the problems and took the vehicle to them for testing. They diagnosed the problem as needing to replace the throttle body and the part would not be in until tomorrow. I will be picking the vehicle up tomorrow after the repair and I hope this doesn't happen again because if my wife or son had been driving the vehicle, it may have resulted in an accident on the highway. This is something that should never happen in a vehicle, the chance of an accident on a busy interstate or highway is very likely when your speed in reduced dramatically.

- Sikeston, MO, USA

problem #32

Jan 302015

Traverse

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the traction control off and the engine power reduced warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

- Chatham Township , NJ, USA

problem #31

Jan 302015

Traverse

  • 59,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When I pulled out of a driveway and began to drive down the street, my Traverse message board read, traction control off, engine power reduced, service stablitrac. I was unable to accelerate past 40 mph. My car was unsteady and shaky. I called GM and they stated that I have recalls issued on the car but none of them have anything to do with my current issue. It seems this is a common problem that GM is not addressing concerning a faulty throttle body. I am very frighten to drive especially of highway and with my children in the car. I bought this vehicle because I believed it would be safe for my family.

- Reynoldsburg, OH, USA

problem #30

Jan 042014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
When driving normally down the road warning text flashes and displayed stabilitrack disabled, traction control off, and reducing engine power. The vehicle suddenly decelerated and almost caused a crash due to the sudden deceleration.

- Collierville , TN, USA

problem #29

Jan 082015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
On six separate occasions in 7 days, my vehicle has displayed the following messages, traction control off, check stabilitrak, and reduced engine power then suddenly reduces speed significantly unwilling to accelerate. I have to pull over, turn off the car and wait several minutes before I can turn the car back on for it to drive correctly. This is extremely dangerous and I know it is a recurring issue for many GM 2010-2012 vehicles and no recall or solution has been made yet.

- Rehoboth, MA, USA

problem #28

Jan 052015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
While traveling on the hwy at 65 mph I got a message on the dash that read "service traction control" then "service stabilitrack" then "engine power reduced" all simultaneously. Then I lost power and went drastically from 65 mph down to about 40 mph. I almost got ran over by a semi truck!! I pulled vehicle to the side and slowly made my way to the nearest exit. Once I got off the hwy I tried to make my way back home, but the power was reduced to a crawl, so I pulled into a parking lot and ended up having to get it towed to the shop. They diagnosed the car and found no mechanical issues, only what seemed to be a "glitch" in the computer system. Suggested that I may need to replace the throttle body. I picked up my car and it drove fine for 5 days then it did the same thing again, luckily I was in my neighborhood. Drove it home and parked it. The next morning it drove just fine, no issues, and today it happened again. I have spent the last few hours reading hundreds of other complaints describing the exact same scenario, and found that they are taking their vehicle into the dealer and getting parts replaced only to have it happen again and then more parts replaced and it continues in this cycle... this from only one forum and there are a number of others a like!

- Forney , TX, USA

problem #27

Dec 112014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

As I was driving, I received three messages on my vehicle: Service traction control, service stabilitrak and engine running at reduced power. Took the car to my local mechanic and they flushed out something (I don't remember what exactly). It ran fine for a few weeks then as I was on the freeway the same messages appeared and as I was trying to accelerate up a slight incline, the car's speed was decreasing even though I was pushing on the gas. Luckily I was in the right lane and there was light traffic or there could have been a major accident as I could not increase speed. Took the car to the dealership who says I need the throttle body replaced and it will cost $600. After looking at this site, I see there are many, many complaints for the same issue. This should definitely be a safety recall!

- Willowick, OH, USA

problem #26

Jan 062015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 73,500 miles
Driving on the road and all of a sudden the dashboard lights up. The car tells me that the "stabilitrack needs to be serviced" and "reducing speed". the car just slows down and I can't go above 15 mph in the middle of the road with cars all around me driving at the same speed. Thank god I was able to pull over to the right and get off the road. I shut car off and waited a few minutes. I turned car on and the system reset itself and car was fine. Now its doing it again as my wife drove it today. Researching online, I see many people are having this same problem. GM needs to recall these vehicles and fix this problem. Someone is going to get killed in an accident!

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #25

Jan 082015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 53,235 miles
I was driving along at 60 mph when my traction control light turned off, followed by "service stabilitrack", followed by "reduced engine power" and my vehicle went from 60 mph immediately down to 15 mph. If I were in heavy traffic or had any vehicles following me, this would have caused a major accident and potentially serious injuries, to me, my (xxx) year old son and whoever was behind me!!! *trparts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #24

Oct 062014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 116,000 miles
The first time this happened, I was driving a hilly back road from school the service stabilitrac and traction control warning lights came on then the engine power is being reduced warning light came on and the car immediately slowed to a crawl with very little steering control. I was able to drive it on the shoulder to my mechanic at no more than 20 mph and he said that 4 of the 6 coils needed to be replaced. A $700 repair. Second time it happened (12/3/14) I was driving on I-95 doing 65 and all the same lights came on again but this time the car instantly reduced the speed and I was crawling at 10mph. I had several near misses with other cars as we were all traveling at the posted speed in rush hour traffic. I struggled to get the car to the shoulder. I stopped the car and restarted and everything reset and I was able to drive for about a mile or two and it recurred. I happened 8 times before I was able to get it to the Chevy dealer. The dealer took 3 days to try and diagnose it and said it was probably the throttle control. They replaced it $493! and told me they did not know if it would fix the problem - it may last 1,000 miles or 20,000 miles. If it happens again I will have to bring it back and they would have to take apart the engine which would cost me $5000!!! this car is unsafe! I/my family could be injured or killed if it happens again! recall it! codes shown in diagnostic were P0300, P0305, P0221, P0121.

- Rising Sun, MD, USA

problem #23

Jan 042015

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 55,800 miles
Driving at 65 miles per hour, the truck feels like it is losing power, the more gas I give it does not matter. The console say the stability control is off. I pulled off to the side of the road turned the car off and restarted it. It went for about 3 miles and came back on again. In researching this seems to be a defect as this does not appear to be uncommon. This is extremely dangerous. I am glad I was driving and not my (xxx) year old daughter. The dealer wants $600 to fix a throttle cable. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Manassas , VA, USA

problem #22

Dec 112014

Traverse

  • 68,000 miles
I was driving from hagerstown md. When my Traverse went from me driving 70mph. To 35 miles ph. It put my Traverse in limp mode it shut down rightwhen iam getting ready to pass I barely got off of 81 South I didn't have enough power to even pull to the side of the highway the throttle body sensor shut down turned off the traction control slowed the engine down to almost a complete stop.

- Winchester, VA, USA

problem #21

Dec 022014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 77,000 miles
I was entering onto the freeway when my stabilitrack turned off by itself and my engine power was reduced. I was very nearly rear-ended as my car couldn't safely accelerate (accelerate at all really) as I was coming onto the freeway. A search on problems similar to this appears very prevalent within the Chevy line of vehicles, especially the Traverse. This is a very serious issue and was very unsafe where it occurred. It almost caused. It's very disappointing to see how many people are experiencing this same issue and Chevy hasn't issued any kind of recall to try and fix it.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #20

Nov 192014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 52,000 miles
I bought a 2011 Traverse last winter. I was so excited about my new family car. Wednesday, the service stabilitrak, service traction control and reduced engine speed came on with no notice. Luckily, I was on a neighborhood side street taking my kids to school. I called to setup an appt to have a Chevy dealer look at it but after turning it off while filling the tires up the lights all went off. Called back to see if they still wanted to see it and they said no because it must have just been a sensor... appt canceled. Thursday drove with no problems. Now today, Friday, I hop on the expressway in Chicago traffic and bam right as I am merging, ding ding and my car just revs and won't get up past 40 mph, all the same service lights came on. So scary! I have my little kids in the backseat and terrified to pull over on the side of the eisenhower, slowly get to the next exit as I pray we won't get rear ended. Call as soon as I make it home for another appt and the first time any Chevy dealer near me has open is 4 days from now. Looks like we will be parked at home for the next 4 days. It really frustrates me that we bought this "reliable family vehicle" that I am now scared to drive my family in. It's even worse now googling this issue and seeing many other having the exact same issues and nothing is being done for us.

- Glendale Heights, IL, USA

problem #19

Nov 112014

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Stabilitrak control, anti lock brakes and engine speed reduced. Wife's car while on her way to work. There are hundreds if not thousands of consumers with this exact same issue with various makes/models of GM vehicles. Once the throttle body / throttle positions sensor becomes dirty, it sets off a series of failures causing the vehicle to reduce power to the point where it can only travel at about 35 mph. This is a very dangerous situation to place drivers in. I called my local Chevrolet dealer to inquire about whether or not this was covered under the 5 year 100,000 mile power train warranty and was told that it was. When the dealer verified that it was the throttle body, they told me that it would cost me about 500 dollars and that it was not covered under the powertrain warranty. This is a vital engine component. How can it not be considered to be part of the power train?

- Petoskey, MI, USA

problem #18

Nov 062013

Traverse 6-cyl

  • 5,700 miles
When driving my 2011 Traverse, it would reduce engine power and advise service. It would drop power to the point car was not drive able. I would shut car off. Wait and then able to drive it at low speeds (15 mph). This of course created a dangerous situation on the highway.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

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