Forward collision-avoidance, brake, powertrain, and exterior lighting issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2022 Chevy Traverse is a three-row SUV designed for family fun. As such, the automaker emphasizes its safety and security features, including Chevy Safety Assist. Unfortunately, customers are emphasizing malfunctions and hazards that put them at risk. They are complaining about emergency brakes that lock when there aren’t any obstacles and parking brakes that malfunction. Some say there are varied transmission problems, and others are concerned about hazardous exterior lighting that simply doesn’t work properly.
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The most common problems reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Chevy Traverse relate to forward collision-avoidance and the brakes. In terms of numbers, powertrain and exterior lighting complaints are almost as high. But there are a host of other issues including problems with airbags, faulty electrics, engines that stall and lose motive power, and reduced steering. Other components and systems that feature in complaints include lane departure, seats, seat belts, and the fuel/propulsion system.
A serious problem with roof rail airbags not deploying as intended led the automaker, General Motors (GM) to announce a recall in March 2022. The issue is that the airbags may have incompatible electrical terminals that could prevent the airbags from deploying in a crash. If this happens, the risk of injury in a crash is increased.
While there is no indication of why a 2022 Traverse’s airbags didn’t deploy, a complaint reported in March 2023 states that no airbags deployed in a crash in January 2023. The owner states, “I was involved in a 4-car wreck. I was hit twice very hard and none of my airbags deployed, sending me into the steering wheel, causing extreme injuries.”
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Power Train | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Air Bags | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Seats |
The most common forward collision-avoidance problem relates to the system malfunctioning. Either it brakes for no reason or it doesn’t brake at all. For example, one complaint states how the emergency collision system “locks on the brakes with nothing in front.” This happened several times, and when the driver tried to accelerate again, “it wouldn’t let me.”
An owner from Ohio had a completely different experience when pulling out of a parking space. “A car was coming toward me and the forward collision alert lights and sound went off.” There was also “a terrible grinding” as if the brakes were trying to work. But the SUV didn’t slow down. “This has now happened 4 times. The first 2 times there were cars coming toward me but we were not in jeopardy of a collision. The grinding only stops once I remove my foot from the gas pedal. I took it to the dealership after the 2nd time and they checked the brakes and couldn’t recreate the issue and said everything looked good.”
There are other forward collision-avoidance problems too. The owner of a 15-month-old 2022 Travers states that by April 10, 2023, the SUV had been back to the dealer 7 times for the same problem. The radio and instrument cluster kept turning off and the screen stayed black. The dealer replaced the radio screen twice, but it didn’t solve the problem. Additionally, cruise control wasn’t available at random times, and the phone and radio wouldn’t pair.
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While emergency brake problems are included in forward collision-avoidance complaints, there are also issues with the parking brake. An owner from New Mexico tells how after shifting into Park and turning the car off, he got out of the car. At that moment the vehicle rolled backwards and knocked him to the ground. When he stood up he saw that the gear was in Drive. He was injured and was taken to ER for medical attention.
The owner of a 2022 Chevy Traverse LS with only 5K on the clock states that the “brakes have been a problem. “The front brakes make grinding noise randomly. Sometimes I feel that (the) car runs fine and a few days (later), it makes a lot of grinding noise. Did a search on (the) Internet and noticed that (the) 2021 Traverse is having similar issues with brake parts (material).”
One of the complaints considered to be both a forward collision-avoidance and a brake problem is from an owner in South Carolina. “I stopped for gas, and when I went to start the car and leave, the parking brake did not disengage. I was stranded. This is the second issue I have had with the breaking/gear shift on this vehicle. It is a lemon.”
Issues with the powertrain are also varied. One complaint states that the transmission had failed twice by the time the 2022 Traverse was one-year-old, with less than 14,000 miles. The first time the valve body was replaced. The next time the dealer said the entire transmission had to be replaced. Mileage between the two failures was only 334.
An owner from Texas states that the SUV wouldn’t turn off on multiple occasions. This was because the shift to Park prevented the engine from turning off. “If the operator is in a garage and needs to turn the engine off, this will prevent the operator from turning it off and (it) could cause injury or death due to vehicle exhaust. I currently have it at the Chevy dealership for warranty repair, but I’m not sure if they will cover it.”
Complaints about exterior lighting all follow the same theme. An owner from Nebraska calls the issue a “tremendous safety hazard.” The main problem, which other complaints also highlight, is that “Unless you drive with the high beams on, you can’t see at all.” This complaint followed a trip in a snowstorm during which the driver had to keep stopping to wipe the headlights to be able to see.
An owner from Ohio describes how the low beams were so low, when a deer approached from the side of the roadway when the road dipped, he lost sight of the deer. “I had to turn my high beams on coming to a complete stop to then see the deer to avoid hitting it. This is very unsafe. Small hills and dips cause you to lose sight of the road up ahead at night.”
When problems recur and affect your use of a vehicle, it’s worthwhile taking a deeper dive into the reasons. If other owners of 2022 Chevy Traverse vehicles have the same complaints as you do, you might have a lemon on your hands. The law makes Chevrolet (GM) pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to set you back financially. Did you know that every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners. That’s why you need to take action rather than sit back and accept your plight.
All you have to do is call the Lemberg Law Helpline or fill out a contact form. That way we can examine your problems and give you advice free of charge.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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