2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Electrical System Problems

91 NHTSA complaints on file

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Electrical System Issues in the 2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE

91 electrical system complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. Of these, 1 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.

91
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

All Electrical System Complaints

#11717338 |
After refueling we re-entered I495 Northbound. While traveling in the fast lane of traffic my vehicle shut off. I lost all power, including the ability to use On-Star. The vehicle refused to start for thirty minutes. This problem repeats within a mile of refueling. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer. The first time the said it was a sensor in the stable trak. This last time they claimed a bolt on the battery was loose. There was no pre-warning the car just stopped in rush-hour traffic on the busiest highway in America.
#11713479 |
My 2018 Traverse has had several issues the past few years such as the electrical components in the car turning on and off randomly, a shift to park message which has been fixed twice, and the most current problem is the transmission. I was out of town 160 miles away with my family of 6 and we were about to drive home when the engine started to sound forced while I was driving. It wouldn't go past 30 mph and I had to quickly and safely get off the road and look for a mechanic. Had we already gotten on the freeway my family would have been in much more danger. After driving cautiously to 2 mechanics they referred us to a transmission service location. We had to leave the car there for several hours and came to find out that the transmission needed to be replaced and it would...
#11713502 |
I am experiencing and "Shift to Park" notification on my dashboard when my vehicle is in park. This causes my vehicle to stay in accessory mode where ally electrical stays on when I am attempting to turn the vehicle off. Due to the inability of fully turning the car off, my car battery can potential drain out. I have experienced the issue for up to 30 minutes before the notification clears. This is an intermittent issue and comes and goes every few months. When I take it in for service, I'm told the issue can not be recreated and I am stuck with no resolution.
#11709074 |
The Chevy suffers from the "Shift to Park" issue due to a faulty park switch in the shifter assembly, which is an electrical issue. Apparently GM does not cover this repair but it is dangerous as the car does not shut off even when engine is off and the gear is in park.
#11707685 |
The shift to park started popping up randomly for a month now does it every time I try to turn my car off. I have to wiggle, push the button and more times than not I have to turn back on the car and move gears to see if that will help (which it doesn't). Super annoying
#11706918 |
After shifting from drive or other gear to park, vehicle will not register vehicle is in the "park" gear. Vehicle is in the "park" gear and will not move but is not turning off. "Shift to park" is displayed on the display. Vehicle will not shutdown the display system and keeps beeping. The issues worsens over time and continues to drain the battery. The vehicle is kept on.
#11704842 |
Transmission issues since 85k miles, park to shift sensor error since owned, rear ideoendent suspension bolts were stripped needed alignment. Car has not performed since ownership.
#11704574 |
The car has a "Shift to Park" error message. We noticed a recall for other 2018 Traverse vehicles and wonder why ours is not covered. Car will not shut down completely. Battery is drained. Dealer is requesting $767.43 to repair when other GMC/Chevy vehicles are identified in a recall.
#11703604 |
Shift to park sensor refusing to acknowledge that car is in park and will not allow car shut off
#11700250 |
Shift to park errors over multiple years, shutter when accelerating. Now pressure control solenoid code vehicle will not go in reverse or shift out of first gear. Transmission needs replacement. This is my family vehicle, i have 3 small children and it has turned off at stop lights etc. My families safety has been jeopardized many times driving this vehicle, especially the last time in particular. The vehicle stopped engaging in reverse and then in first would accelarate by itself on the way home from my 8 year olds baseball game.
#11699692 |
i am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall because this is a serious safety issue. One if the vehicle does not completely turn off and you are not aware of the issue then your battery can run out. If you are in a urban/remote area which I am no dealerships for about 50 miles away can be a serious problem being stranded on the I 15 freeway. When you put the vehicle in park sometimes it pops out of gear too. There were no previous warnings prior to the shift to park dash...
#11691206 |
electrical codes saying power steering failure which could cause loss of control of vehicle catalytic converter failure - leading to oxygen sensor failure and burnt spark plugs. engine sputters. If you look online its non-stop reports of this same year having the same issues of catalytic converter failures. health concern, emissions concern, safety concern. GM needs to recall and replace these
#11690670 |
My car has twice been fixed with this shift to park message and now it is in the shop once again to be fixed!! And this has also had the torque converter fixed twice now. And it is still doing the same issues. This needs to be something that Chevy is replacing. I am a single mother and can’t afford all these problems and yet I keep having to make a car payment and get these things fixed.
#11686091 |
Frequent symptom is an "Action Required: Shift to Park" message on the dashboard. Which is preventing my vehicle from shutting down properly, and causing the battery to drain, and hinder my car's ability to start in addition to getting trapped in the vehicle because the vehicles fail to shift to the ‘Park’ position preventing me from being able to exit the vehicle. This is a known issue affecting various GM models which one being my 2018 traverse by GM but not willing to make official recall of the issue. There is a class action settlement due to this issue that was not privileged to me as an owner of a used vehicle included in this notice and have.
#11664488 |
The vehicles fails to recognize it’s in park and does not shut off. Shift to park indicator turns on. Frequently have to park on incline and worried the vehicle will roll. The vehicle will not completely turn off and this has caused the steering to lock. When the vehicle finally turned off, then turned it back on we couldn’t get the steering wheel to unlock. Had to drive it with what felt like no power steering for a period of time. Shift to park indicator blinks and warning light appears that says no remote is detected, yet the remote is in the vehicle. Been in a situation where had to quickly get in to a Dr but the vehicle wouldn’t turn off so had to leave the vehicle running. At that point anything could happen, but had to take care of a sick child.
#11650947 |
For the past 3 years my 2018 Traverse will randomly say shift to park and won't let me turn my vehicle off even though I am in park. In the last week it has gotten worse happening almost every time I drive it and not recognizing that I am in park for anywhere from 2-10 minutes.
#11643859 |
Truck stuck in shift to park
#11639872 |
I recently had my alternator fixed and the torque converter last year. I was having issues with the battery staying charged, car would jerk, radio, heat and air would shut off and come back on, car would go in reverse although I'm trying to go forward, shift to park warning message when car was in park and there are shortages out something that will connect and disconnect the Bluetooth when I'm on calls via Bluetooth. I picked my car up from Love Chevrolet 1/28/2025. Everything seemed fine but the car still jerked when I would take off at lights, make turns or go up hills. The shift to park message is still happening. When I park the car and turn it off the car makes a sound and the warning pops up. The car lights will not go off when this happens. I have to turn the car off and...
#11635041 |
I own a 2018 Chevy Traverse and have been experiencing an issue with the stabilizer trak. When my vehicle goes in idle, occasionally I am getting an alert to check the stabilizer trak. I have reached out to several mechanics and they have all stated that this is a common problem with the 2018 and 2019 chevy traverse. This is a safety issue with this vehicle and I’m wondering how there is no recall for it with it being a common issue found. This issue caused issues with controlling our vehicles, will Chevrolet take action.
#11629813 |
The vehicle will not shut off and vehicle information screen states Shift to park. When this happens we have 2 options. 1st to sit and wait for the vehicle to turn off(takes over an hour on average), 2nd Disconnect the negative battery connection. The vehicle shuts down nearly instantly. Then reconnect the battery before being able to use the vehicle again
#11625719 |
The gear shifter in my vehicle consistently fails to lock into “Park.” Whenever I place the car in “Park,” a message appears on the dashboard stating, “Shift to Park,” which prevents me from turning off the vehicle. It takes multiple attempts to get the shifter to lock into place and for the message to disappear. This issue is not only frustrating but also poses a potential safety hazard, as the vehicle does not reliably indicate that it is in “Park.”
#11618260 |
Had my traverse for two years, second owner. When I received the car, it had to immediately go into the shop as they couldn’t figure out why all sorts of dash lights where coming on. My car was at the dealership for three weeks and ultimately they replaced the chip, stating that was the issue. Two months down the road, I get the shift to park error message starting. Fast forward to 4 months ago when the stability error message starts to intermittently come on and off. 30 days ago I got the first of the service charging system message and the battery saver mode. My car shut itself down while I was doing 55 miles per hour on a back country road. Every lthing locked up and I had to force a turn to get out of traffic. It was determined my battery was good but alternator was bad....
#11611997 |
When putting my car in park and shutting off. My traverse says warning shift to park when I am clearly in park. I cannot lock my doors and horn beeps. It continues to ding with warning!
#11610813 |
The car will not turn off 85% of the time. When I put it in park and hit the start/stop engine button the vehicle does not turn off. It shows a message "Shift to Park" but it's in park.
#11606943 |
So since 8/02/23 when the vehicle had 54,000 miles it began to give electrical problems. I bought the car 01/16/23 it had only 26,000 miles. The service battery charging system light and battery saver mode went on and also the reduced steering light which began to shut the car down I immediately pulled over. Took it to gm dealer they tested battery was dead then charged it checked alternator it failed so they replaced alternator. 7 days later 8/10/23 the car is still running rough idle. Had savi code p0496 evap flow during non purge replaced purge solenoid. The car still the engine slightly was not 100 percent fixed I told them every time it wasn't good. 02/12/24 I took back to dealer engine running rough and every time I put gas it was hesitant the transmission I am assuming check engine light was on code p0496 the gm dealer...
#11604030 |
This concerns a defective transmission control (shifter) assembly. The defective shifter assemblies prevent the vehicles from detecting when the driver places the car in “Park.” As a result, the vehicle goes into accessory mode and one cannot shut off or lock the vehicle, the instrument cluster displays a “Shift to Park” message even though the gear shifter is already in “Park,” and the battery drains. Because one cannot reliably turn off their vehicles when reaching their destination, the Defect substantially impairs the vehicles’ ability to provide safe and reliable transportation. Shifter assemblies are not expected replacement or maintenance parts and absent a defect should not require replacement. Nonetheless, GM had knowledge of the defect and GM fails to repair the GM known Defect. Chevrolet service department has confirmed the defect.
#11600573 |
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the driver’s side taillight was blown due to water entering the taillight assembly. While driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the battery failure warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the following day while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The battery warning light remained illuminated along with the check engine warning light. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,700.
#11596895 |
Shift to Park error occurs 90% of the time I put my car into park. The car turns off but none of the electrical does, like its in accessory mode. Dings when you try to leave the car and will not lock. Display reads 'Shift into Park'. I have to jiggle the shifter to get it to engage. Could be a couple jiggles or 5 mins of jiggling and restarting the car, shifting from drive to park over and over.. This has been "repaired" once under warranty. Now that it is out of warranty the manufacturer refuses to cover any of the expenses on this known issue with a bulletin per your website. I did not realize this was happening to so many. Should be a recall for sure! VERY FRUSTERATING.
#11596554 |
when driving my vehicle with the air condition on after about 25 minutes, the audio system completely goes out. no sound from the stereo, the backup camera alert, the blind spot alert, the "clicking" sound from the blinkers, all chimes, everything. The mechanic looked at the car and stated that this is a result of the condensation from the HVAC system entering the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) module through the module vents. He stated this should have been a recall as it is an extreme safety hazard as it prevents any audio alerts of the blind spot or backup camera warning systems. He states the ANC module should be replaced and a secondary shield should be installed to prevent this in the future. The sound eventually comes back once the condensation dries up but once the Air condition comes back on again shortly all the sounds go out again.
#11590822 |
The emergency park brake engaged automatically, and the battery had to be disconnect to reset it. When the vehicle is shifted to park, the dash display says shift to park even though the vehicle has been shifted to park. Have to start and turn off engine, the shift lever back and forth for vehicle display message has been cleared. This has happened more than once
#11585173 |
Shift to park. Car won’t turn off and me and kids are stuck in car. 2nd vehicle this has happened to. This is very dangerous as my car is stuck on.
#11577025 |
My quarter panel taillight has stopped working due to moisture in the light (no visible breakage on light). This part is on continuous backorder with no ETA of coming back in stock. Dealer has ordered part but will not give a loaner car. GM acknowledged backorder but will not give rental reimbursement. I have three children I am to put in this car that does not have a left turn signal or brake light. I feel unsafe driving this car as I may be rear ended but everyone I talk to says they can't do anything. What am I to do.
#11575898 |
It has a leak and having electrical issues. Everything else unknown.
#11561367 |
I had just got gas and the vehicle took longer than usual to start/turn over. I was leaving the store and sitting at the stop sign that is on a small incline. When I proceeded to go, my truck shook a few times, cut off, and I had no control of the vehicle. The brake pedal would not push down and my vehicle began rolling backwards. There was a car behind me that started honking his horn because I was going to run into him. I pushed the start/turn off ignition button and tried the brakes again and it worked. I had to sit there for about 5 minutes to get myself together because I was terrified to take off again. About a week later I was pulling out from my subdivision and the truck started alarming to service the StabiliTrak as I was pulling out. At the moment, the...
#11558284 |
I was driving on the highway and without any warning, the acceleration did not work in my car. I coasted to the side of the highway and waited for over an hour for a tow truck to arrive. Chevrolet replaced the transmission. I was told Chevrolet would consider rebates if I go through a Chevrolet dealership to fix it. They charged $2,000 over other shops, but only offered $200 off. They also took over a month to repair my vehicle. I wish I did not use them for repairs. Also, during heavy rains, the car leaked water through the electrical components in the roof. We intervened several times, but water persistently came through. Finally, we purchased the car at under 30,000 miles and immediately needed to replace the exhaust and shift to park feature. The car would not recognize when I was in park and could not turn off.
#11542274 |
When I put my car into park and turn it off I’m Shift to park error code. So the car stays on and won’t turn off. I turn the car on and off shift the gear and nothing happens. I have to sit in the car a hope that it goes into park. See photo.
#11541335 |
Put vehicle into Park and push engine stop button. The engine does not shut off and shift to park light comes on along with alarm. You cannot shut off and lock the vehicle. This is a serious safety issue which GM has not issued a recall. They issued a Technical Service bulletin 19-NA-206 to dealer and requiring customer to pay for the update. This should be a safety recall. There are many complaint on file from GM customers on various models. Can you investigate this and get them to correct this safety issue.
#11539511 |
SHIFT TO PARK error comes up when park to shut down. Does not allow shutdown of the car without beeping notices. Not allowing doors to lock or driver to exit. Must be fairly common as Google shows a lot of workarounds or how to fix a clip under the shifter knob down in the console.
#11534303 |
Side Detection unavailable alert keeps coming and off on, when car is started. The alert comes and goes.
#11522046 |
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the interior and exterior lights remained illuminated. Additionally, the radio remained on, and the horn sounded off. The instrument panel displayed the words "Shift to Park," which, the contact performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
#11518493 |
This Traverse is the Redline Edition. Beginning in November 2022, the Right Passenger quarter LED tail Lamp stopped working. it operates the turn signal and stop light. It is unavailable since that time. It is now 6 months I have been operating this vehicle which is unsafe. It is the whole assembly and I cannot replace it with the regular taillamp due to the wiring harness. I was told from Chevrolet to go to the dealer and the dealer tells me that the part has been on National Backorder for months.
#11513964 |
I placed my car in park & an alert went off stating, “shift to park.” My car would not turn off, after multiple attempts, until I turned it on & off & drove the car a short distance. This has happened several times this month, with no warning or symptoms. My car is currently in for service & the dealership mentioned there’s a shortage in the switch, requiring a $400 repair. I feel my safety & that of others, is at risk, as my car currently does not know if it’s in park or drive. What’s to say this issue won’t arise, when I’m driving down the interstate at 70mph? Or I am having a medical emergency & can’t turn my car off to place it in park? I did a google search & apparently this is a very common issue with this type of car. The dealer mentioned it...
#11513147 |
Car has many issues: Jerks Shift to park error when it is parked causing car to have lights on for hours Brake error Fuel issue Traction error Computer failure at times I got the car used was not fixed when I received it needs recalls I have kids you people expect me to pay for your faulty equipment please make this right if I het into an accident it's because of your brand
#11501095 |
Shift to park error. Happens often when the car is in park, the error states that the car is not in park and has an alarm that goes off. I am unsure if the car is safely in park and not sure my car will lock if I do not try to cancel out the message by continuously starting the car back up and shifting the gears to ensure it is in park. It happens very frequently. I was told by the dealership that they have replaced a lot of these parts and they are not sure why a recall has not been issued yet.
#11487516 |
Rear taillight has moisture inside which can cause an electrical shortage. Upon Google search, there are tons of other 2018 Traverses with the same issue. I contacted the dealership about a GM service bulletin about the same issue but they stated we would have to pay out of pocket for this issue.
#11485706 |
The driver information display indicates the vehicle is not in park when it is shifted in park and engine is turned off. A warning chime goes off and will not stop until the button on the shifter is flipped multiple times. I talked to the service manager and he indicated that many vehicles are showing this fault. The entire shifter assembly would have to be replaced to fix the issue. There is a microswitch on the assembly that is the cause of the problem. My concern is this false indicator could lead to a safety issue for drivers who don't understand the issue. Also why isn't a recall issued by GM since many vehicles have displayed this problem. My other concern is the daytime driving light is intermittent on this vehicle but what else is next to fail electrically.
#11484643 |
The vehicles dashboard lit up with a service emergency brake, and then the brakes locked up while the car was in motion on the roadway.
#11482577 |
When I turn off the vehicle, there is an audible dinging that does not stop and a message "shift to park" on the screen. This warning and message does not stop and therefore would run down the battery if left. I googled a solution before taking to the dealership and it turns out, this is a common failing in many Chevy vehicles. It is a small part located in the shift control, literally a 1 inch strip of flexible metal, that isn't making a good connection to a sensor. Chevy should fix this or replace for free since it is clearly a defect, but instead service departments charge a diagnostic fee ($169) and I was told it would be a $777 fix on top of the fee. With the "shop fees" it would cost $1,000.
#11469641 |
Attempted to park vehicle in level parking lot. Vehicle appeared to go into Park. Driver Information Center indicated that vehicle was not in Park and provided warning bells. When exiting the vehicle was providing warning more warning sounds and would not stop. Vehicle was in Park, but would have run warnings until battery discharge. Tried cycling vehicle, contacted On-Star and began troubleshooting with them. I was unable to resolve with them and GM support. Took to dealership and after troubleshooting was resolved by following steps in TSB 19-NA-206 which was performed outside of any warranty coverage.
#11446809 |
On January 9, 2022 I was unable to release the parking brake. When I turned the car on, an alert popped up saying “service parking brake”. When I tried to release the parking brake, it would not release. It still made the sound as if it was trying to release but the parking brake was still engaged. I turned the car off and went back into my house for 10 minutes and then came out to try it again. Again, when I turned on the car, it said “service parking brake”. I tried to disengage the parking brake and it wouldn’t release. I pulled the button up as if I was setting the parking brake and pushed it down to release 3 times, with no change. On the 4th try, the parking brake disengaged. I received an email from OnStar Notifications informing me of the issue and directing me to...

Other 2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Problem Areas

Power Train 169 complaints Unknown Or Other 94 complaints Engine 74 complaints Service Brakes 35 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 24 complaints Steering 13 complaints Exterior Lighting 10 complaints Seat Belts 10 complaints Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust System 9 complaints Suspension 9 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 8 complaints Structurebody 8 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 8 complaints Air Bags 5 complaints Fuel System Gasoline 5 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 5 complaints Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Controlcatalytic Convertor 4 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 4 complaints Wheels 4 complaints Lane Departure Warning 3 complaints Power Trainautomatic Transmissionlever And Linkagefloor Shift 3 complaints Visibilitywiper 3 complaints Carry Handle Shell Base 2 complaints Engine And Engine Cooling 2 complaints Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systemmanifoldheadermufflertail Pipe 2 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 1 complaint Chest Clip Buckle Harness 1 complaint Electrical System12v24v48v Battery 1 complaint Electrical Systemadasparking Assistsensors 1 complaint Electrical Systeminstrument Panelspeedometerodometer 1 complaint Electrical Systemstarter Assemblysolenoid 1 complaint Exterior Lightinghazard Flashing Warning Lights 1 complaint Exterior Lightingtail Lights 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinedeliveryfuel Pump 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinestorageevaporative Emissionscanister 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinestorageevaporative Emissionshosesvalvessensors 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissiongear Position Indication Prndl 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissionparkneutral Start Interlock Switch 1 complaint Power Trainshift Linkagecablerod 1 complaint Seat Belts Rearotherbuckle Assembly 1 complaint Structure 1 complaint Structureframe And Members 1 complaint Tether Lower Anchor On Car Seat Or Vehicle 1 complaint Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 1 complaint
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