3 Of The Best Years For The Chevy Traverse, And 2 To Avoid (According To Owners)

Chevrolet is one of the many American automakers that focus heavily on the SUV segment in 2025. The GM-owned brand still has the Corvette keeping the it competitive in the sports car segment, albeit one of the most exclusive parts of it, as well as a solid lineup of truck lines, but with a total of 10 SUVs in production moving into 2026, Chevy makes sure to cover all bases in the most popular area of the industry. One of these nameplates is the Chevrolet Traverse, positioned as the brand's premium mid-size SUV. Priced at $40,700, it's the third most expensive in the SUV fleet, but looking at older models can help you save money for a relatively upscale SUV compared to the competition.

As is the case with most cars on the used market, checking to see which model years are the most prone to problems can help you make the most informed decision possible. It's safe to say that Chevrolet doesn't have the reputation for reliability as a brand like Toyota, and there are a few model years of the Traverse you should approach with caution. That doesn't mean all older models should be avoided; some manage to stand head and shoulders above when looking at the reviews and complaints submitted by owners across various forums and websites. Here's a look at three Chevrolet Traverse model years that seem safe to buy, and two that should be avoided. 

Having been on the market for five years now, owners of the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse have had plenty of time to gauge whether they think the mid-size SUV is worth the money. This model year has one of the highest average scores on Cars.com, with a 4.7 out of five rating, averaging from the submitted reviews of the model. A similar trend can be seen with owner feedback on Edmunds, with the majority of reviews giving the 2021 Traverse five stars.

Chevy originally planned to give the Traverse an update in 2021, but the pandemic put a stop to that, and it had to be pushed back to 2022. Still, owners of the 2021 Traverse frequently mention how spacious it feels inside, with 41 inches of legroom up front and 38.4 inches in the second row. The standard equipment inside the Traverse is another strong suit, particularly with the LT higher trims getting the eight-inch touchscreen as standard. The base L trim has a slightly smaller seven-inch screen.

Performance isn't noted quite as much as some other areas of the 2021 Traverse, but you still get an output of 310 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. Pricing on the used market for this specific model is a little out of the ordinary, with the LS trim being the cheapest at $20,047 at the time of writing, as per KBB. The L trim sits at a higher $23,414.

Moving over to the Traverses that should be much lower down on your list, it will be no surprise to see some first-generation model years if you know much about this SUV. The earliest Traverse years weren't as bad, but those in the middle of the first-gen run are cited to be the most troublesome by owners. In particular, the 2010 model stands out on sites such as CarComplaints.com, along with personal complaints on forums pointing out consistent issues that the SUV seems to have.

The two main complaints that owners have with the 2010 Chevy Traverse involve the engine and the steering. At around 100,000 miles, engine failure can occur, with the root cause often stemming from a faulty timing chain. Subsequently, the chain's failure can cause damage to other crucial parts, pushing the repair bill up higher. Regarding the steering issues, the power steering system giving up is the most common complaint on CarComplaints.com, which is, of course, a huge safety risk. A company-wide recall was made for this issue, so it's worth checking if the model you're looking at or already own came under that.

Toward the end of the first-gen run, things had improved by a considerable amount, though not quite to the extent of the second-generation Traverse. If you're looking to save extra money on the used market, the 2016 model shouldn't be brushed over, having far fewer complaints overall against the 2010 model, for example.

The 2016 model was still part of the same generation as the troubled early 2010s years, but it came with the updates inside and out that Chevy rolled out in 2013. Inside, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto became available through the 6.5-inch center touchscreen, sitting in the middle of a refreshed, albeit not too dissimilar cabin, with the more noticeable updates seen on the outside. Both the front and rear were smoothed out to look more modern, but the core shape stays the same. Under the hood, the same 3.6-liter V6 engine remains, but the issues reported, particularly regarding the timing chain, look to be less common.

At nine years old, depreciation has taken its toll on the price of the 2016 Traverse. The SUV launched with a $32,735 MSRP, but at the time of writing, you can pick one up for as little as $7,897. To get more standard features, the top-spec LTZ trim comes in at $10,761, according to KBB.

Among the early 2010s models plagued with mechanical issues, the 2012 Traverse is another Chevrolet to avoid. These earlier first-gen models didn't see many changes until the 2013 refresh was introduced, so you're essentially getting the same SUV no matter which model you go for between 2009 and 2012. The 2012 model in particular is another that receives frequent complaints from owners on CarComplaints.com, with the majority of them centered around the same topic: the engine.

While the timing chain isn't mentioned as much for causing engine failure, quite a few owners report the engine losing performance rather than shutting off completely. Engine seizing is still a reported issue, with complaints submitted on the NHTSA's website citing a few different causations, such as the throttle body, for example. The traction control also gets a few complaints to its name. But for the 2012 model year, the Traverse also looks to frequently suffer from electrical issues, from the heating/AC unit to the radio. A few cases see the air conditioning cause leaks, whereas on the radio side, it can range from sudden changes to the auxiliary port to not displaying anything at all.

After staying in its first-generation guise for eight years, Chevrolet gave the Traverse a makeover for the 2018 model year, entering the second generation of the nameplate. Going off of complaints submitted on CarComplaints.com and the NHTSA's website, the second-gen models didn't get off to a great start, with the 2018 model having problems with its nine-speed automatic transmission, with a few owners having to replace the transmission entirely. But, if you go one model year later, the 2019 model looks to be one of the more reliable options pre-2020.

Some owners do still report issues with the 2019 Traverse's transmission, particularly with getting the 'shift to park' message, not detecting that the SUV has been put into park in the first place. This issue is noted in a few of the early second-gen models, but the 2019 Traverse doesn't have as many submitted complaints as the likes of the 2018 model overall. Under the hood, Chevrolet put the updated version of the 3.6-liter V6 engine found in the first-gen Traverse, but this time producing a higher 310 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. 

As for pricing, the 2019 Traverse isn't as cheap as others on this list, but you can still save a decent amount compared to the price of the latest model. According to KBB, the 2019 Traverse can be picked up for $15,954 in its LS guise. 

To select the Chevrolet Traverse model years to avoid for this list, we used sources such as CarComplaints.com and the NHTSA to see which vehicles have the most owner complaints compared to others. We then looked at more specific owner complaints on forums to cross-check the reported problems further. For the best years, we looked at the Traverse models with some of the lowest reported problems, also looking at owner reviews submitted on sites like Cars.com and KBB.