2023 Chevrolet Traverse: What to check before buying

The transmission loses drive or locks into a low gear. Reports describe slipping into what feels like neutral, getting stuck in first gear, refusing to upshift past about 10 mph, and seizing abruptly in traffic or intersections. Several failures arrive between 13,000 and 22,000 miles. Two crash reports involve the vehicle rolling away after it was shut off or left in gear. Many owners link failures to recall 23V172000, but some VINs are not covered, and others say the recall part is unavailable.

Exhaust leaks make up most of this category. The front flex pipe cracks, often at the welded hanger, which causes a loud idle and noise from under the car. Leaks tend to show up between 30,000 and 40,000 miles and come back after repair. Owners raise carbon monoxide concerns. Recall coverage is confusing. Some dealers say no recall applies. Others confirm one but report the part on back order for months. A smaller set of reports describes the engine shutting off at low speed.

The infotainment screen goes black and takes the radio, chimes, and backup camera with it. Dealer software updates and a stereo replacement do not always fix it. Alternator failure is the more serious pattern. Battery saver warnings and falling voltage end in a stall, sometimes at 50 MPH, and replacement parts are reported on back order. Other reports cover a brake booster pressure sensor fault with a hard pedal, a computer module that sets off the lights, horn, and wipers while parked, and engine wiring melting against a hot surface.

The hazard button can stop working while the flashers are on, leaving them running, and the replacement part is reported on back order. Automatic headlights wait until full darkness to come on, which owners say makes the car hard to see at dawn and dusk. Other reports describe high beams that light up treetops instead of the road, with the dealer declining to adjust them, and a failed rear brake and turn signal light.

The deploying airbag injures the driver's hand in both reports. The airbag cover or emblem cuts the left hand and tears tendons in the thumb and hand. Drivers also report chest injuries, including a bruised heart and partially collapsed lungs. Another vehicle caused both crashes, and neither report says the airbag failed to deploy. The concern is injury from the airbag cover itself.

A rear side window shatters with a loud pop while driving, with no other vehicle or object nearby, and glass sprays across the cabin. The other report here is a broken weld on an exhaust bracket, which matches the exhaust hanger failures reported under other components. Only two complaints fall in this category, so neither one shows a broad pattern yet.

The brake pedal goes hard and the car barely slows, with a service brake warning on the dash. Both reports appear to come from the same vehicle, at 25,597 and 27,965 miles. The second event added a steering wheel that felt locked, wipers stuck halfway up, a horn and radio acting on their own, and theft protection warnings on the highway. That is a full loss-of-control risk, and the first dealer repair did not prevent it from happening again.

One report describes the car losing propulsion or failing to hold in park, which raises the risk of a crash or roll-away. The other describes a loud sound from the front pipes at startup around 30,000 miles, with no warning lights. That symptom matches the front exhaust pipe leaks reported under the engine category. Neither report includes a diagnosis or repair.