Chevrolet Traverse reliability by year
24 recalls and 5,389 owner complaints across 18 model years. Best year to buy: 2025. Year to avoid: 2017.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 18 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Traverse aggregated across 18 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chevrolet Traverse?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse scores 7.6/10 — the strongest in the 2009–2026 range. 169 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chevrolet Traverse year should I avoid?
The 2017 Chevrolet Traverse scores 6.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 358 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2017 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chevrolet Traverse should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2022 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 39 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 27,000–80,000 mi); 2015 (high-risk ownership — steering: 27 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 48,000–74,500 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2026, 2024, 2025, 2023, 2021, 2020. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Chevrolet Traverse are tracked?
18 model years (2009 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 24 recalls and 5,389 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chevrolet Traverse?
airbags is the most-reported category — 962 complaints across 13 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.