Chevrolet Traverse: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chevrolet Traverse: 15 model years scored from 4,296 NHTSA owner complaints and 53 recall campaigns. Worst year 2025, best year 2022.
Chevrolet Traverse: which years to avoid
Across 15 scored model years the Chevrolet Traverse ranges from 46/100 in 2025 to 88/100 in 2022 — a 42-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Traverse at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Service Brakes (111 of them).
Avoid: 2025 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
The first-generation Traverse (2009–2017) carries timing-chain and engine complaints on the 3.6-litre V6, plus the steering-rack and power-steering complaints of the 2011–2014 years. The 2015–2017 cars score in the 70s. The second generation from 2018 has a moderate record with the 2021–2023 years above 85. The third generation launched for 2024 with a 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder replacing the V6; the 2025 year is following the usual launch pattern with a spike in electrical and transmission complaints.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2022 (score 88). Worst: 2025 (score 46, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 | AVOID | $6,767 | 173 | 0 |
| 2024 | 64 | CAUTION | $4,931 | 138 | 0 |
| 2023 | 86 | BUY | $4,448 | 85 | 2 |
| 2022 | 88 | BUY | $4,501 | 95 | 1 |
| 2021 | 85 | BUY | $4,524 | 88 | 3 |
| 2020 | 69 | CAUTION | $5,030 | 221 | 8 |
| 2019 | 61 | CAUTION | $5,563 | 403 | 3 |
| 2018 | 65 | CAUTION | $5,695 | 457 | 2 |
| 2017 | 72 | BUY | $6,012 | 361 | 3 |
| 2016 | 78 | BUY | $5,942 | 291 | 5 |
| 2015 | 76 | BUY | $5,720 | 313 | 5 |
| 2014 | 58 | CAUTION | $6,186 | 547 | 7 |
| 2013 | 81 | BUY | $5,696 | 162 | 4 |
| 2012 | 80 | BUY | $6,080 | 354 | 5 |
| 2011 | 69 | CAUTION | $6,510 | 608 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Traverse, through the years →
Traverse sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Traverse on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Traverse
Across every Traverse model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Air Bags921 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Engine876 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train738 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System734 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other434 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc)347 complaints across all Traverse years · typical job: Yaw sensor or ESC module replacement$660–$1,560
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Chevrolet Traverse years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2025 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2025 is the weakest at 46/100, with its complaints concentrated in Service Brakes.
What are the best Chevrolet Traverse years to buy?
2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 88/100, on 95 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Chevrolet Traverse problem?
921 of the complaints filed against the Traverse across all its model years sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04