Premature stretching of the timing chain. This is a documented and admitted defect by General Motors for the 2009 model year Traverse vehicles, service bulletins 10287C - April 2012 and 11340A - May 2012. Our vehicle, which is labeled as an early 2010 model year vehicle (built in October 2009) was built in the same factory (spring hill, tn) and with the same components (3.6L V6 engine) as the vehicles that were included in the bulletins but we did not receive the extended coverage. Our vehicle should be covered in the special program.

- Arvada, CO, USA

Timing chain was replaced Apr 2015 at 60,380 miles, timing chain needs replaced again Oct 2017 at 77,689 miles, major part of engine should not have failed this quickly, timing chain is defective? may have caused loss of power, at high speeds during freeway driving, with possible devastating results, found numerous articles online describing this problem

- Mentor, OH, USA

Soon after purchasing my 2010 Chevrolet Traverse in January of 2017, I brought it to a transmission specialist to have it serviced. They indicated that it was about to fail and it needed major work. I contacted a local GM dealer to see if there were any recalls and to see if I should have it serviced by GM staff. They said that there were no recalls and I should have the transmission specialist, buffomatic transmission service, do the work. I did so and buffomatic found that the transmission wave plate had failed causing other components to also fail costing me $4860. I did some research, which was confirmed by buffomatic, that this wave plate problem is common in GM transmissions and a recall has been issued on other GM models but not the Traverse. I sent requests to both the dealer and GM directly that this recall be extended to my Traverse. Both denied my request. I am therefore appealing to NHTSA that GM be required to honor the wave plate recall and refund me the $4860 I paid for the transmission repairs. Thank you.

- Delmar, NY, USA

Received engine code P0008 within 24 hours of purchasing used from russ darrow dealership

- Menomonee Falls, WI, USA

Randomly transmission gets stuck in gear and will not shift. Stop the car, turn off and then start and problem usually clears and transmission will shift normally. Problem may clear for a week, a couple of days or may happen again on re-start. Does not seem to be a pattern to failure. Can happen at start-up or after the car has been driven for awhile in the middle of traffic. Appears to be stuck in a lower gear since this happens @ 20 mph. Can happen on highway when slowing down for construction and then try to speed up but can not - must pull over and re-start car.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

Transmission gets stuck after about 3rd gear and does not want to shift causing vehicle to jerk violently and driver is not able to control the speed of the vehicle. Does not happen every time, happens once in a while out the blue when driving on city streets or highways. Also heard of this happening on other vehicles same make and model. Please look into this for future problems with this company.

- Cicero, IL, USA

Check engine light came on at about 78,000 miles. Dealer indicated it was the drive chain needed repair ($2000-2500). This problem was covered by special policy #11340B ' special coverage adjustment ' timing chain wear " in 2009 Chevy Traverse models. My vehicle has had excellent maintenance and care, usually by the dealer. This should not be an issue at only 78,000 miles.

- Marstons Mills, MA, USA

Engine light is on/off lately, codes P0017 camshaft position correlation bank 1 & P0008 engine position system performance bank 1.

- South Portland, ME, USA

At 88,000 mile I have recieved a P0008 code - timing chains. This is odd to have stretched timing chains at this mileage. Reviewing similar complaints on the internet, this seems to be a common problem with 3.6 L engines made before 2011. I contact GM with no avail. Being such a common complaint by many why isn't GM standing behind this problem?

- Saint Charles, IL, USA

Several malfunction indicator warning lights and messages continue to appear on the driver console under certain driving conditions. They warn "service stabilitrak" ; "service traction control" ; and, "engine power is reduced" these malfunction alert are accompanied by a severe deceleration of the vehicle and no response or very modest response when the accelerator is depressed. This issue has presented itself four (4) separate times in 2016 and 2017 while the vehicle was being driven on highways (3 times at speeds of 60 mph) and always when the temperature has been near or below freezing (32 degrees). GM has notified me of this issue impacting cars of the same year, make and model. However, the vehicle on board computer (obc) clears after the 3rd restart (according to the dealership) and proof of the error via the obc is wiped out (only leaving me with video and pictures, which GMC will not honor in its repair protocol). As stated, this reoccurring issue is being experienced at high speeds on busy highways and the car will quickly throttle down to speeds of 30-40 mph -- which is a very dangerous situation in a highway environment (like the 495 beltway in Washington, DC). I truly fear for my safety in driving this vehicle and GMC is complacent in having me prove through the obc that this is happening, and then having a dealership recreate the issue. There a hundreds of references to this issue as I searched the internet for answers long before GMC reached out to me. GMC is playing games with consumers and advising that this issue dows not pose to safety hazard. My experiences in this vehicle are proof that their claims are false. Please investigate this issue --- contact me --- GM's protocol is getting in the way of addressing dangerous vehicle issues.

- Kensington, MD, USA

Check engine light stayed on. When brought to the dealer I was told that the code was indicating that the timing chain was stretched and needed to be replaced. The car has less than 80,000 miles and has had excellent maintenance. This problem also occurred with 2009 Traverses and GM extended the warranty on those models to 120,000miles/10 years and paid for the repair. When calling GM about this same problem in the 2010, we were told there was nothing they would do. The dealer told us it would cost us 3,200 to fix the problem. This problem has been reported on various sites by thousands of people. We were told if the problem was not fixed it could cause extreme engine damage when it breaks. GM should take responsibility for this defect before someone has a serious accident as a result.

- Saint Paul, MN, USA

I have an issue with the electrical system when the vehicle gets wet from rain or any kind of moisture I lose all warning chimes, blinkers on occasion, and the lights will flicker at times. Defective timing chains in a vehicle that was manufactured in 2009 where an extended warranty was issued for vehicles having faulty timing chains but since my vehicle was sold as a 2010 I don't qualify for the special extended warranty. While driving around a bend with the defective timing chain I have encountered a loss of power on the highway which almost caused a wreck while my kids were in the car on a trip.

- Goose Creek, SC, USA

Our 2010 Traverse has just over 91,000 miles on it. We took our vehicle to a local GM dealer to have a check engine light diagnosed. The dealer came back and informed me we needed to have our timing belts replaced and would cost at least $3000 to repair. The more I dug into this diagnosis, I've come across numerous posts from other '09-'10 owners with the same issue. Some had experienced sudden loss in power while traveling at highway speeds and others hadn't even had a check engine light come on. There were some owners that had to have these items replaced at around 60,000mi. I have reached out to GM and they informed me that there is nothing they can do to help alleviate this cost, nor are they in a position to issue a recall. They also informed me that we missed the 'warranty period' by a year and a half and that there are no 'special bulletins' related to my vehicle. I asked if they had an increase in other calls about this same issue and they denied any knowing of this. My dealership told me that they are seeing such an increase in this issue that they keep an inventory of parts on hand and they perform at least 3 timing chain repairs a week. I'm fortunate that our dealership is working with us on doing what they can to alleviate some of the cost, but GM is not doing anything on their end to acknowledge there is a potential problem or willing to help out.

- Rochester, MN, USA

I am having timing chain issues as everyone else I have seen or read about my sub only 78,000 miles and GM will not extend the warranty on this part

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

I am writing because I have had this vehicle a little over 1 year and put less than 18,000 miles on it and yet it is constantly in the shop for costly repairs. I am currently wondering where drivetime sources these vehicles from because a used car should not have to be in the shop as much as my car is especially when drivetime's chosed extended warranty company aeverex only wants to pay for repairs that they deem fair to pay for which is a disadvantage for a buyer such as myself. I have consistently paid my note on time and got the run around for 2 weeks on the last repairs that aeverex took their time addressing. I don't mind making minor repairs like tires or maybe a hole in the muffler but to have to replace a timing chain within a week of the purchase and an engine flywheel and starter in barely a year of the purchase makes it seem as if these cars were broken down before being sold to unsuspecting customers such as myself by drivetime and their refusal to assist to the customers in their time of need makes it seem as if they were intentional on getting these damaged goods off of their hands. I am filing this formal complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because this is an important issue as my car has stopped in the middle of oncoming highway traffic and I could have been killed. This vehicle is a true lemon and I only wished that I had done more research on drivetime before purchasing from them. I have had to replace wipers in the first month in addition to the timing chain and tires the next month, front brake lights, back brake lights, a flexplate, a flywheel, and multiple other repairs. Please respond and offer some type of assistance.

- Washington, DC, USA

Timing chain dead at just 106,000 miles

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

June 2016, approx. 114,000 mi - felt a lurch in stop & go traffic; flashed "service stabilitrak, " "service traction control, " "backup alerts = off". the check engine light appeared. A few miles down the road when traffic sped up, I realized I only had one gear and could not accelerate above 60mph. A serious problem on the interstate! several hours later, the check engine light remained on, but the car drove normally -- straight to the repair shop, where it was deemed to need $2400 in transmission repair due to the following fault codes: P182E & C0561. They will replace the transmission mode shift sensor and the transmission control module. The mechanic also informed us that we will eventually need a $700 repair for the control arms in the rear suspension -- ge has corrected a known fault in the parts. All this is on top of a $3000 repair done in April 2015 at 92,500 mi. For known steering defects. In that case, as the Traverse warmed up, the power steering got hard to turn. GM repaired part of the problem at no cost, replacing power steering pump and gear housing. Another mechanic completed the replacement of the rack and pinion assembly that was also part of the problem. These are both substantial defects and repairs needed in a vehicle that was expected to last much longer before needing more than routine maintenance.

- Worthington, OH, USA

Without any warning the shifting gear stop working when placed on park, the truck moves forward or backwards depending on where I park it, the person washing my truck was lucky to be able to stop it when he noticed it was moving backwards when parked uphill, it could have been a terrible accident possibly fatal!

- Alamo, TX, USA

The timing chain has stretched and the dealer says it will take 19 hours to change it. Auto mfg went to timing chains from rubber belts, so they don't have to change it. The warranty is for 5 yrs or 100,000 miles. This is a known issue and the warranty for this expensive job should be extended. Once the chain brakes, the car is done. The car makes noise and doesn't accelerate properly because of this issue. First noticed the check engine light on about 6 months or so ago. It wasn't until we broke down in Canada that the dealer there said it was the timing chain when they replaced the throttle body.

- Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA

My transmission has gone out in my SUV. When researching about Traverse transmissions I have found that every year model that has been made has problems with the transmission when they reach 80,000+ miles. Chevy has a recall and updated warranty for 2009 models but not other models. I think a major recall needs to done on the Traverse due to transmission issues. If you go to www.chevytraverseforum.com or even just google Chevrolet Traverse transmission problems hundreds of angry customers comment about the problems they have with the Traverse's transmission.

- Bessemer, AL, USA