2024 Chevrolet Traverse: What to check before buying

Front brakes squeal early, often from about 3,000 miles, and dealers tend to call it normal. Several cars show 18% pad life on the dash by roughly 17,000 to 20,000 miles. In some cases a faulty pad wear sensor causes the low reading, not real wear. The serious pattern is a defective master brake cylinder. The pedal goes hard or sinks to the floor, "Brake System Failure" warnings appear, and the car is hard to stop. These failures happen under 9,000 miles, and repairs wait weeks for parts.

Transmission fluid leaks and sudden transmission failures dominate, often within the first few thousand miles. Some leaks trace to bolts that were not fully tightened, and many occur with no warning light. Other cars lose drive and show "Reduced Acceleration", hold one gear at high revs, downshift without warning, or will not come out of park. A clutch piston failure is named in one case. Several failures hit in traffic or while accelerating from a stop, raising rear-end risk. Owners also report slipping, shudder and harsh jerks.

Key-not-found faults keep the car from starting, sometimes again after dealer reprogramming, and locked wheels make towing harder. Low-battery and charging warnings return after repeated shop visits, and some cars fail to restart around 10,000 to 15,000 miles. Wider electrical faults can cut power steering, block shifting, or set the parking brake while reversing. Repeated misfires with loss of power also appear. Turn signal and brake light failures wait on backordered parts. One report involves a fire and one an injury.

Coolant leaks make up most reports. They come from the upper or lower radiator hose, the radiator, or the coolant pipe, often with no warning before a puddle appears. Some cars become undrivable, and replacement hoses sit on backorder with no loaner offered. Leaks show up around 15,000 miles and can come back after repair. Sudden loss of acceleration also strands drivers in traffic. One oil pump failure locked an engine at 3,333 miles, leading to engine and turbo replacement.

Coolant loss and highway stalling appear in the 2 reports here, with no shared pattern. In one, the radiator and coolant system fail around 18,000 miles. After the repair, the car fails a state inspection and the dealer cannot find why. In the other, the engine shuts off at 65 mph on the interstate with a check engine light and restarts only on the third try. A new catalytic converter did not stop the stalling, which began at 3,900 miles.

Third-row head restraints stick. Some will not fold down, so the seat cannot stow. Others stay folded when the seat is raised, leaving a passenger without head protection. The problem appears from the first miles, as low as 240, and dealers often provide no fix. Tether straps that will not release the seat can leave the third row unusable. A separate report describes the driver's seat moving and clicking during acceleration or braking with lighter drivers.

Automatic braking slams on for hazards that are not there, both moving forward and in reverse. Rain, wet sensors and shadows are common triggers. The stops can skid the car and nearly cause rear-end crashes. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault, and replacing a rear sensor did not cure it in one case. "Forward Collision Avoidance" and "4WD Unavailable" messages may appear together. One report describes adaptive cruise and Super Cruise not working at delivery.

Power steering cuts out while driving. Sometimes the whole car shuts down too, with dark screens and no brake assist. Warning signs include a flickering camera, air conditioning cycling on and off, and a dash full of lights. The events occur at speeds from 15 to 40 mph. A separate report describes a rumble-strip noise and steering wheel shake that gets worse under braking. There are only 3 filings, but the loss-of-control risk is serious.

The power liftgate opens and then lowers on its own within seconds. In one case it struck a person loading groceries and caused a minor head injury. A replacement hatch motor did not stop the failure, which began around 12,000 miles. The other report repeats the third-row headrest problem. It also describes Summit White paint chipping and peeling within 2 weeks of ownership, under 1,000 miles, with no gravel exposure.