Reliable Auto DB

2012 Chevrolet Traverse reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse over 15 years — 11 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Traverse years here — under the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Liftgate, and Seat belts.

2012 Chevrolet Traverse
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

354

Per year

11

Recalls

5

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (115 of 354), then Electronic stability control (ESC) (84) and Steering (62). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Traverse has 162 complaints, 10 per year. The 2012 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall air bags, critical fasteners 2021-04-08 · NHTSA campaign 21V246000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
Recall structure, body, liftgate 2015-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 15V415000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.
Recall Seat belts 2014-05-20 · NHTSA campaign 14V266000
Summary General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.
Remedy General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.
Recall air bags, side and window 2014-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 14V118000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper, linkages 2012-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 12V151000
Summary GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, AND GMC ACADIA VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. SNOW OR ICE BUILDUP ON THE WINDSHIELD OR ON THE WIPER MAY RESTRICT THE MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER ARM, CAUSING THE WIPER ARM TO LOOSEN AND CAUSE THE WIPER TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Remedy GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE WIPER ARM NUTS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2012.

Complaints by component (354 total)

Engine
115
Electronic stability control (ESC)
84
Steering
62
Air bags
48
Electrical system
48
Powertrain
46
Speed control
37
Visibility and wipers
17
Fuel and propulsion system
15
Seat belts
15
Service brakes
15
Structure
11
Suspension
9
Seats
8
Traction control
3
Wheels
3
Back-over prevention
2
Engine and engine cooling
2
Equipment
2
Exterior lighting
2
Tires
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Air brakes
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Visibility
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

10

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

320123201326201433201539201648201758201867201930202021202192022420237202462025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "It sways left to right really bad.. but when it rains or even even the car detected that it's going to rain.. as soon as the car senses it is going to rain u can't even drive it.. it like hydro plains even before it…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Speed control · filed 2025-11-11
  • "The car feels like it’s bouncing everywhere on any kind of surface and now there is a loud very loud rattling noise coming from underneath the car and the car starts shaking excessively if you try to accelerate"
    Suspension, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-10-09
  • "White smoke was coming out the car and my car eventually sat on fire. I had to call the fire department.. fire department stated that it was a electrical issue"
    Steering, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2025-08-25
  • "Shift Interlock Malfunction. Put the shifter in park. Car did not register in park but locked gear shifter. Car would not restart or return to park. Emergency Brake had to be deployed."
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-03-14
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle stopped abruptly. The check engine, traction control, stability control, and air conditioner warning lights were…"
    Electronic stability control (ESC), Engine, Fuel system, gasoline · filed 2025-02-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Traverse all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 16 23 19 MPG $3400
Traverse front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 17 24 19 MPG $3400

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2012–2017
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (dexos1) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 245/70R17 to 255/55R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-782 covers certain 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2008-2017 Buick Enclave vehicles: the driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect, sending sharp metal fragments into the cabin; dealers replace the driver's air bag module. Recall 14V-266 covers certain 2009-2014 Traverse vehicles among other GM Lambda crossovers: the flexible steel cable connecting the seat belt to the front outboard seats may fatigue and separate so the belt may not restrain the occupant; dealers inspect and repair or replace the lap pretensioner. The published unit counts for these campaigns are shared across the listed GM nameplates.

Compare

Next year 2013 Chevrolet Traverse See every Chevrolet Traverse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?

Owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse over 15 years — 11 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Traverse years here — under the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Liftgate, and Seat belts.

What are common problems with a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (115 of 354), then Electronic stability control (ESC) (84) and Steering (62). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Traverse has 162 complaints, 10 per year. The 2012 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013.

Has the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse been recalled?

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse?

Owners have filed 354 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse is 19 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse?

2nd generation (2018-2023).

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Traverse use?

5W-30 (dexos1)

What does NHTSA recall 21V-782 cover on the Chevrolet Traverse?

Recall 21V-782 covers certain 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2008-2017 Buick Enclave vehicles: the driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect, sending sharp metal fragments into the cabin; dealers replace the driver's air…