2012 Chevrolet TRAVERSE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD has an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. It excels in various crash tests including front crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Notably, the vehicle is equipped with standard electronic stability control to help the driver maintain control during sudden maneuvers. However, it does not feature forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the car has had 342 complaints reported and has been subject to 5 recalls. While the safety ratings are exceptional, these numbers indicate that there have been some issues with the vehicle that potential buyers should be aware of. Overall, the Chevrolet Traverse offers top-notch safety performance, but it's essential for drivers to stay informed about any potential concerns or recalls.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

342

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated

Complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet TRAVERSE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"vehicle died while taking off from the intersection. leaving us stranded on a busy highway. engine had sized but oil has been changed every 5k miles with synthetic. no warning light just shut off and wpuld not restart. with 6 kids in the car"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-12-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to three different independent mechanics and on all three occasions, it was diagnosed that the timing chain failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 95,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-01-01
Complaint:
"my mechanic replaced my a/c refrigerant hose due to a leak and my a/c conditioning compressor. he said that he has replaced the same parts on a number of other vehicles similar to my 2012 chevy traverse. he said the damage to the a/c refrigerant hose was due to a bad design where a bracket is located too close to the a/c refrigerant hose."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-03-04
Complaint:
"check engine light came on had the codes checked and i had the engine taken apart twice because the timing chain had jumped causing it to run rough and light came back had to do again and it was fine for a few months but mechanic said the engine is the same as the enclave and acadia which both have had recalls on this issue. this happened the first time while car was in motion."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-03-06
Complaint:
"i was driving 65 miles per hour down the freeway. oil pressure warning light flashed, heard knocking in engine compartment, warning shut off momentarily, then, oil pressure warning light appeared again, along with knocking in the engine compartment. at that point the engine shut down on its own, and i had to pull off the road immediately, to avoid a collision. i had the vehicle towed to a repair shop, or they informed me that it was a skipped timing chain and i would need to replace the motor. total cost estimated at $8,800"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-04-12
Complaint:
"we purchased a 2012 chevrolet traverse from ray chevrolet in fox lake, illinois in late february. we recently experienced a very high repair cost that we inquired about getting reimbursed for on case number [xxx]. we asked for reimbursement due to the fact that the repair is common to this vehicle make, model and year and there is a service bulletin # sb-10052863-8590 (12-06-01-009d dated aug/2013) substantiating this. we were denied coverage from gmc stating that our vehicle vin number was not included on the bulletin. our vehicle has the same timing chain problem as those vehicles that are covered, yet our vin was excluded. we believe that either your containment of the issue was conducted in error leaving some vehicles like ours out of the scope of containment or that vehicles are purposely left out of the scope of the problem to create a false reporting and avoid recall of all affected vehicles. our claim was escalated to a senior advisor at gmc who after a short investigation stated that our vehicle is not covered under the extended warranty that all other vehicles with the same problem are covered with. this is outrageous and is not acceptable! we have been gmc customers for over 40 years. we are asking again for a refund of the repair costs as our vehicle has the same timing chain problem. if we do not receive an equitable solution for this, we will be sure to publicize the actual happenings to the public for all to know and be aware of how gmc treats long term customer loyalty.*dt sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'*jb"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-04-12
Complaint:
"2012 chevy traverse had complete engine failure with no warning signs while driving. the car repair shop said it needs a complete new engine. they said it looks as if something in the engine failed and stoped pumping the oil through."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-03-08
Complaint:
"at approximately 99,000 miles, the engine warning light came on while on an out of state trip. an auto store read the code as timing chain stretched. and stated that we should have the vehicle repaired soon. we returned home from our trip and shortly after received a warning "engine power reduced." the car would not accelerate quickly. in attempting to take the vehicle in for repair the traction control function quit operating. we were informed that there was a technical service bulletin from gm stating that this problem would be repaired by gm under warranty. we took the vehicle to our chevy dealer who stated that this vin is not part of that recall. the vehicle has 100,243 miles."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-10-09
Complaint:
"we purchased our 2012 chevy traverse brand new in april of 2013. i had the extended pip warranty 6 years, 60,000 miles. the mileage is 65,674. on 9/12/2020 while driving rural state road at 55mph the engine stalled losing power steering and brakes. we safely pulled to the side. the engine started back up with the check engine light on and an obvious knock. towed the traverse to the dealership for service monday when they opened. drivers village dealership cicero ny checked vehicle and confirmed 'very bad knocking when vehicle is running, noise changes with rpms. scanned and found p0016 crank cam.' diagnostic repair fee of $250 determined the #1 bank rod broken- need engine replacement. they also reported oil level full and clean with 57% life remaining. the oil has always been changed at the 3,000. i was presented with two quotes to install a gm new engine or a rebuilt engine. both options are over $8,500 to repair."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-12-09
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the traction control warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to provide a cause for the failure. the vehicle was then taken to videon chevrolet of phoenixville located at (600 nutt rd, phoenixville, pa 19460) where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. the failure mileage was approximately 102,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2020-08-04

Recalls for the 2012 Chevrolet TRAVERSE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
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.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > BODY > HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
Date of incident: 2015-06-30

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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