2013 Chevrolet Traverse recalls and problems

The 2013 Chevrolet Traverse has 4 safety recalls and 162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Chevrolet dealer.

Recalls
4
Complaints
162
Crashes / fires
7 / 2
Injuries / deaths
6 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2013 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse recalls

Recall 21V-782: Air Bags

Reported Oct 7, 2021 · 555 vehicles affected · General Motors, LLC

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.

Recall 21V-246: Air Bags

Reported Apr 8, 2021 · 108 vehicles affected · General Motors, LLC

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.

Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.

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.

2013 Chevrolet Traverse problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Electrical System53
Engine45
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)43
Power Train28
Air Bags27
Vehicle Speed Control19
Steering18
Fuel/Propulsion System18
Unknown or Other18
Service Brakes5
Seat Belts4
Suspension2

Most reported parts

  • Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection — 2
  • Equipment › Electrical › Navigational System(Global Positioning System) — 1
  • Tires › Tread/Belt — 1
  • Structure › Body — 1
  • Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking — 1
  • Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Torque Converter — 1
  • Back Over Prevention › Warnings — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 71,000 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 2013 Chevrolet Traverse complaints

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

Air Bags · reported Aug 20, 2026
Service Air Bag light is on and won’t go off. Car was never in an accident or anything done for this light to be on so I’m a bit confused. Car has been inspected and looked over only issue is the service air bag light on the dash which came on after my battery completely died in my car. I bought a new battery car still drives normal and all is good other then the light still being on which I figured would have went away by now.
Air Bags · at 175,000 miles · reported May 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while she has a passenger with her, she stated her passenger air bag light goes on and off but most of the times states the airbag is off although someone is on the seat, as well as waring on the instrumental panel, that states service air bag. The vehicle was seen by a independent mechanic but could not come to a diagnosis. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000.
Air Bags · reported Aug 4, 2025
The "Service Airbag" light and notification comes up on the dash. This happened in the past as this vehicle was part of a recall NHTSA 14V118. The car was service for that recall already back on 3-18-2014 but the issue came back. This is dangerous because when that light is on, the airbags will not go off in the event of an accident. I need this fixed at no charge. Thank you.
Electrical System · reported Jul 11, 2024
Service Traction Control, Traction Control Off/On/Off, Service All Wheel Drive display on dash. Check Engine Light on at times, When starting vehicle Service All Wheel Drive displays immediately. Codes come up as fuel pressure high, fuel pressure low, no communication with BCM. Driving from a stop the engine has to idle high to switch gears, hard shift when it does. Goes into limp mode sometimes while driving. Been to dealership, can not duplicate problems. But they see display info and no current code, do have stored code of BCM lost communication.
Electrical System · reported May 28, 2024
Rain Water is getting into the door connectors and caused some pins on passenger side to corrode. All audio in vehicle has stopped including turn signals, pack up sensor audio, and radio ect. GM/Chevy knows about this and is quite common reading in a lot of forums but GM has done nothing about it. This is a safety hazard.

Other Chevrolet Traverse years

Compare all Chevrolet Traverse years · All Chevrolet models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse: 21V-782 (air bags), 21V-246 (air bags), 14V-266 (seat belts), 14V-118 (air bags). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse?

Owners report electrical system problems most often (53 reports), followed by engine (45). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 71,000 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.