2009 Chevrolet Traverse recalls and problems

The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse has 8 safety recalls and 448 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Chevrolet dealer.

Recalls
8
Complaints
448
Crashes / fires
17 / 2
Injuries / deaths
16 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2009 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2009 Chevrolet Traverse recalls

Recall 15V-415: Structure

Reported Jun 30, 2015 · 691,144 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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 14V-266: Seat Belts

Reported May 20, 2014 · 1,339,355 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.

Fix: 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 14V-118: Air Bags

Reported Mar 17, 2014 · 1,176,407 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: 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.

Risk: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.

Fix: 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 10V-375: Seat Belts

Reported Aug 12, 2010 · 207,210 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.

Risk: The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

Fix: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, and saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall 10V-240: Electrical System

Reported Jun 4, 2010 · 1,365,070 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (Hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (Pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall 09V-153: Parking Brake

Reported May 6, 2009 · 15,393 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: Gm is recalling 15,393 my 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 135, "passenger car brake systems." these vehicles may have a park brake cable link (Connector) that is not to specification. This connector may fracture when the park brake pedal is depressed.

Risk: If the transmission shift lever is in the park position, there will be no unintended vehicle movement. However, if the keys are left in the ignition, the transmission shift lever is in any position other than park, and the vehicle is parked on a sufficient slope, it could result in unintended vehicle movement. This could result in a crash without prior warning.

Fix: Dealers are to replace the park brake cable link (Connector) free of charge. Gm anticipates that the dealer bulletin will be sent may 5, 2009 and owner letters will be mailed in june 2009. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall 09V-073: Power Train

Reported Mar 6, 2009 · 276,729 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and FMVSS 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".

Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall 08V-615: Seat Belts

Reported Nov 24, 2008 · 16,667 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: Gm is recalling 16,667 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet traverse, gmc acadia, and saturn outlook vehicles for failing to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, 'seat belt assemblies.' these vehicles may have been built with a safety belt buckle in the second or third row that is missing a rivet.

Risk: In a vehicle crash, if the rivet is missing, the buckle may separate from the mounting strap, increasing the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the safety belt buckles in the second and third rows, and replace them if necessary. The recall began on november 26, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; gmc at 1-866-996-9463; saturn at 1-800-972-8876; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .

2009 Chevrolet Traverse problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Steering232
Power Train59
Engine50
Electrical System36
Unknown or Other35
Air Bags26
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)21
Vehicle Speed Control18
Seat Belts17
Suspension13
Engine and Engine Cooling12
Service Brakes12

Most reported parts

  • Power Train › Automatic Transmission — 4
  • Structure › Body › Hatchback/Liftgate — 4
  • Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls — 3
  • Tires › Pressure Monitoring and Regulating Systems — 2
  • Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System — 2
  • Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist › Pump — 2
  • Structure › Body — 2
  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control › Catalytic Convertor — 2

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 80,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2009 Chevrolet Traverse complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Engine · reported Jan 18, 2026
Limp mode. It doesn't have speed only goes about 10-20 mph, doesn't give any gas it'll stall act as if it wants to shut down. Transmission Shift Cable. Stalls want let me get gas or nothing slowing down in traffic, it just gives up. No. yes. others Check engine light, Stabilitrak/traction control system, ABS sensor Whenever the check engine light came early part of December.
Engine · reported Jan 25, 2024
I just bought the car from sb auto . The car I had for 4 days wasn't making funny nosies nothing. The timing went when I was driving the car it came to a dead stop lost power steering . Had me and my son in the car thankfully I was Turning into a complex when it happened. It's got 159163 miles
Power Train · at 110,000 miles · reported Aug 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that when she started her vehicle and shifted into drive (D) and depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that she attempted to drive the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle nearby her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed and had not been repaired. The…
Power Train · reported Apr 24, 2023
I bought the car in August of last year and drove it for about 3 days before it started giving me problems. First incident I was driving my children home from the hairdresser and the car completely went out us on the highway, after repeated attempts for a half hour or so I was able to start it and drive it back home very slowly..this happened twice I went to get it diagnosed and codes came up for crank shaft sensor and o2 sensor, before I could even get that fixed more problems came up, the steering wheel began to become stiff and almost impossible to turn, while picking my son up from school…
Engine · reported Jul 11, 2022
I bought my car and not even a month later I was driving off the interstate and it shut down on me. I had it towed to my house and it won’t start anymore. The car makes a funny clickin noise. It could have killed me if I would have wrecked.

Other Chevrolet Traverse years

Compare all Chevrolet Traverse years · All Chevrolet models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse: 15V-415 (structure), 14V-266 (seat belts), 14V-118 (air bags), 10V-375 (seat belts), 10V-240 (electrical system) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse?

Owners report steering problems most often (232 reports), followed by power train (59). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 80,000 miles.

Are Chevrolet recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Chevrolet dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.