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Chevy Traverse Stabilitrak/Traction Control problems

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Comments

  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    hulin said:

    2011 Traverse. 1/25/15. Daughter and was driving my SUV with her 2 young kids (8 and 3) and another adult. It was dark, they were on a busy highway (I-71 at 275 in Cincinnati). It was raining and roads were slick due to freezing temps. Traction control warning came on and vehicle suddenly lost acceleration. Luckily, they were able to throw on the hazard lights and make it to the shoulder without being struck by another vehicle. Turned it off, then back on. Would not accelerate past 45. They pulled over again and called us. We had them pull off again, turn off, and leave off for 5 minutes. Once they re-started, were able to accelerate normally and make it home. We googled the problem and were surprised to find this has been happening for YEARS. I immediately emailed the socialmedia@gm.com address that was listed in an earlier post. Have not heard back yet. I also went to the NHTSA website (safercar.gov) and posted the complaint (there were already 196 others about the same issue). At that site, you can also register to be notified of any recall on your vehicle. Lastly, I found Mary Barra's Twitter account (She is the CEO of GM) (@mtbarra) and tweeted her directly (no response yet). This way, no one can say they were not aware of the issue. If I do not hear back from GM, I will continue to attempt contact.

  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Can make you wonder about the quality of the engineers working for GM. How can this still be an issue after all these years? And it apparently goes beyond Traverse and includes Tahoe.
  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    hulin said:

    2011 Traverse. 1/25/15. Daughter and was driving my SUV with her 2 young kids (8 and 3) and another adult. It was dark, they were on a busy highway (I-71 at 275 in Cincinnati). It was raining and roads were slick due to freezing temps. Traction control warning came on and vehicle suddenly lost acceleration. Luckily, they were able to throw on the hazard lights and make it to the shoulder without being struck by another vehicle. Turned it off, then back on. Would not accelerate past 45. They pulled over again and called us. We had them pull off again, turn off, and leave off for 5 minutes. Once they re-started, were able to accelerate normally and make it home. We googled the problem and were surprised to find this has been happening for YEARS. I immediately emailed the socialmedia@gm.com address that was listed in an earlier post. Have not heard back yet. I also went to the NHTSA website (safercar.gov) and posted the complaint (there were already 196 others about the same issue). At that site, you can also register to be notified of any recall on your vehicle. Lastly, I found Mary Barra's Twitter account (She is the CEO of GM) (@mtbarra) and tweeted her directly (no response yet). This way, no one can say they were not aware of the issue. If I do not hear back from GM, I will continue to attempt contact.

  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    emailing socialmedia@gm has not been successful. Emailed 3 total times with no response yet. GM customer service on this forum asked me to privately message them with vehicle info, which I did, but have not heard back since then. Twitter to Mary Barra was responded to (after 2nd incident) by Chevy Customer Service Twitter agent. They asked for add'l info. I did not want my VIN made public so requested to submit private info via email. Agent asked me to email social media@gm, which I explained had already happened with no response. They asked me to resend yesterday, which I did, and am now waiting. The one POSITIVE is that now there is no way that anyone can deny having knowledge of this safety issue. This is a WIDE SAFETY ISSUE NOT LIMITED TO TRAVERSE… just found out my sister's truck (GM 1500 ZX71) also had it (she is trying to find her paperwork to see what repair was done). GM - PLEASE WORK ON FINDING A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM (replacing throttle body evidently is not permanent) AND ALSO PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL SO THAT THE WORK FOR THIS KNOWN PROBLEM OF SEVERAL YEARS, IS COVERED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE VEHICLE OWNERS.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited February 2015
    It's unusual for people not to get a response back by email from GM. You may want to add socialmedia@gm.com to your safe senders list and check your spam filters and/or folders.
  • acf013acf013 Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2015
    I have a 2011 Traverse LT with approx. 52000 miles and I have had the same issue. Normally I wouldn't bother to comment on a thread like this but three things have led me to do so. 1) I was driving with my girlfriend's 6 yr old son in the car on the way to take him to school on a snowy day in January (last week actually) when it first happened. I got the traction control/stabilitrak/loss of engine power warning etc... it turned itself off after a few miles and I proceeded to have delayed acceleration and hard shifting the rest of the day. The next morning it seemed fine but that night I was driving on the freeway and it happened again with the loss of power etc... only this time now the check engine light came on too 2) this is our only vehicle for me and my girlfriend right now and 3) we took the vehicle to service last spring because it felt like it was a hard shift between 1st and 2nd gear every time we drove it and I don't recall how much I spent but I believe it was upwards of $300 to have the throttle body cleaned. Less than a year later I have it into service where they have to replace the throttle body ($100 deductible for extended warranty work...glad I bought that but it didn't cover the cleaning). I haven't gotten the car back but hopefully it solves the issue, although based on this thread and others like it I'm not holding my breath.

    I didn't have a near death experience  and I didn't come close to an accident but it appears I was one of the lucky ones. I agree with other posters that a sudden loss of power without warning is dangerous and needs to be addressed. Couple that with an open recall for bad seat belt anchors and that is a recipe for a disaster. Just glad no one has been killed from this that we know of. Hopefully GM addresses it before someone has to lose their life.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    hulin said:

    emailing socialmedia@gm has not been successful. Emailed 3 total times with no response yet. GM customer service on this forum asked me to privately message them with vehicle info, which I did...

    Sorry for the delayed response, hulin! I received your email and I believe we're all set with a plan of action. Feel free to respond via email if you have any additional questions.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • kbfisherkbfisher Member Posts: 9
    Stabili- trac alarm is back. Looked at a different  thread on the Traverse throttle body. Checked mine tonite and it was like black tar in there. Successfully removed throttle body and cleaned  it as well as the MAF sensor. Engine light is now off and a 7 mile test drive showed no ill effects.
  • sammieb401sammieb401 Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2015
    This is the 7th time since 1/23/15 my service traction control, service stabilitrak, check engine light came on, and my engine reduced power. The first 4-5 times I was running errands around town WITH MY 3 CHILDREN (Ages 5, 3, and 3.)Every time I shut the car off and ran my errand and restarted my 2013 Chevrolet Traverse LT, the messages where gone. Earlier this week while driving on the Capitol Beltway in Maryland DC and VA. (Normal traffic Speed 70 MPH) My MPH went from 70ishMPH to 40MPH. I had to cross over 3 lanes to avoid being run over by other cars this was during RUSH HOUR. When I Shut my car off and restarted ( wasn't until I was closer to home) the lights were off. During RUSH HOUR this morning it happened to me again all the lights and notifications. My car wouldn't go over 40MPH. Scared the crap out of me. While I had one of my 3 year old children in the car. My Traverse has about 58,000 Miles on it. I am a Chevy person! That's all I have ever owned. I have always felt safe in my Chevy's as of Monday I no longer feel safe. I have to drive the capitol beltway on a daily basis for work.
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    kbfisher said:

    Stabili- trac alarm is back. Looked at a different  thread on the Traverse throttle body. Checked mine tonite and it was like black tar in there. Successfully removed throttle body and cleaned  it as well as the MAF sensor. Engine light is now off and a 7 mile test drive showed no ill effects.

    I have heard elsewhere that cleaning TB is a fix if its the TB causing the trouble, less cost then replacement.

  • kbfisherkbfisher Member Posts: 9
    Cost $8 for the air sensor cleaner, $5 for the throttle body cleaner and about 40 minutes of labor start to finish.
  • maxxmdmaxxmd Member Posts: 18
    I just checked back in after 8 months to see if GM had a fix for this and to see if the situation was still occurring. I wasn’t surprised.

    I had the same thing happen to me and my family (including my 17 year old daughter who was driving alone at rush hour on the DC Capital Beltway, the only time she drove it during this issue) 250+ times from Nov '13 to April '14. I posted my issue with my 2009 Traverse on the Chevy Traverse Forum board last February. I had my highly rated mechanic replace the throttle position sensor, clean the throttle body and fuel injectors and coat select wires (3 different times at increasing strengths) with an anti moisture solution in a procedure that GM recommended ($75 consultation fee I think) . Nothing worked.

    I did fix my issue though. I traded my Traverse in for a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe in May 2014. I had hoped to keep my Traverse 2 more years but there was no way I was paying to keep guessing at what might work and no way I was going to go through another winter like last winter. BTW, I love my Santa Fe. Good luck everyone!
  • montanadaymontanaday Member Posts: 2
    jlg7 said:

    Has anyone experienced your 2011 Traverse having a sudden loss of power and loss of acceleration followed by error messages for both the traction control and stabilitrak systems?? This is the 4th trip to the dealer when for my car lossing all power following by the above error messages. There is no warning only ding.ding..ding and loss of power!! The dealer has said it was a sensor problem, then tried taking out the transmission and working on its sensors, and today they say it is a throttle body issue. Help! Has anyone else had this issue and what finally fixed your car?? Thank you for your help! My car has been having this issue for the past 8 months and has about 65,000 miles. Prior to this there were no big issues or problems with the car.

    I have a 2009 Chevy Crew Cab with stabilitrak that only has 36,000 miles and I am having the same issue. Stabilitrak and Traction control warnings on all over the place. This is a very gently used vehicle, bought brand new, no off roading whatsoever. Chevy needs to have a recall on this. My last rig was a 2000 Chevy bought brand new that had a fuel gauge issue that also should have been a recall; that lemon we replaced the fuel gauge, the top headliner which simply fell off, the cd, window motors, and my son who we sold it to had to replace the transmission at 55,000. Again, a gently used vehicle, 9 years old with 55,000 miles. I do not know how I let my husband talk me into buying another Chevy but Chevy needs to make this right. I am seriously thinking of getting rid of this now before the money pit begins again.
  • parob79parob79 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2011 Traverse with 81000 miles where TCS turned off by itself on the highway yesterday. Luckily I was able to get home. Upon starting my car up again it still had the TCS off with reduce power indicator stating I should service my stabilitrak. Two minutes into the drive TCS reengaged. Given that it was already after 5pm chevy dealer was closed. I dropped my car off at a Jack Williams tire and auto not realizing this was that big of an issue. I got the car back today and they stated that my battery was bad and replaced. My front passenger side seat was moved so I assume based on other post that they check the wiring harness underneath the seat. Drove it home with no issues. One of the guys who works there owns a traverse. I am going to follow up with him to see what he knows about this situation.
  • msatterfieldmsatterfield Member Posts: 2
    update: Dealers diagnostics test showed it was the "Right Rear Speed Sensor". I then took it to a local shop and they replaced the part with an aftermarket sensor. The Stabilitrac, ABS, and traction control lights did go off.
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    msatterfield said:

    update: Dealers diagnostics test showed it was the "Right Rear Speed Sensor". I then took it to a local shop and they replaced the part with an aftermarket sensor. The Stabilitrac, ABS, and traction control lights did go off.

    Good to hear, hope they stay off for you

  • parob79parob79 Member Posts: 5
    Update. I called Jackwilliams back and they read me off the computer codes. Mine specifically had several engines issue codes, general misfires, misfires on cycinder 5 and 6, and TP Sensor 1 performance. He stated that since the car runs off the battery that when it starts to go bad it can cause multiple faults as it starts shutting down. They check these areas which lead them to check the battery which was found to be bad. What will help everyone I think is if when you take it to a mechanic you ask for a copy of the computer codes. We may start seeing patterns of faults. Additionally I emailed a GM Communication person responsible for the traverse who replied to my email within an hour stating that she has forward to the people who could assist. I won't hold my breath as past people have not heard back from GM/Chevy employees.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Maybe the GM engineers don't know how to fix it, or it costs too much to resolve?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    parob79 said:

    I have a 2011 Traverse with 81000 miles where TCS turned off by itself on the highway yesterday. Luckily I was able to get home. Upon starting my car up again it still had the TCS off with reduce power indicator stating I should service my stabilitrak. Two minutes into the drive TCS reengaged. Given that it was already after 5pm chevy dealer was closed. I dropped my car off at a Jack Williams tire and auto not realizing this was that big of an issue. I got the car back today and they stated that my battery was bad and replaced. My front passenger side seat was moved so I assume based on other post that they check the wiring harness underneath the seat. Drove it home with no issues. One of the guys who works there owns a traverse. I am going to follow up with him to see what he knows about this situation.

    Hey Parob79,

    Very sorry for this! We would be happy to look into this further for you, and provide any assistance. Please send us an e-mail to socialmedia@gm.com along with your VIN, current mileage, contact information and a preferred dealership. We look forward to your response!

    Patsy G
    GM Customer Care

  • mrshicks23mrshicks23 Member Posts: 4
    2013 Traverse w/59K miles. On Thursday, we experienced an issue with reduced engine power/stabilitrak/traction off. This happened suddenly without warning while I was headed to work. I took it to the dealership & was told it was an accelerator problem which cost us $280. Also tried to solicit the help of GM for some assistance being that we had an issue back in September with the info screen going out. GM got us some assistance which prevented us from paying $650. However, this time they wouldn't assist us due to the age of the vehicle & the mileage. Today, it's doing the same thing again!!!!! I was sitting in park and the locks on the doors are locking and unlocking by themselves. Also the engine light is on and the stabilitrak/traction light is going on and off and it won't accelerate!!!! So what needs to be done now??? This is the third GM vehicle that I've had,  yet the first one to have any issues after just having the vehicle a little over a year!!
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    mrshicks23 said:

    2013 Traverse w/59K miles. On Thursday, we experienced an issue with reduced engine power/stabilitrak/traction off. This happened suddenly without warning while I was headed to work. I took it to the dealership & was told it was an accelerator problem which cost us $280. Also tried to solicit the help of GM for some assistance being that we had an issue back in September with the info screen going out. GM got us some assistance which prevented us from paying $650. However, this time they wouldn't assist us due to the age of the vehicle & the mileage. Today, it's doing the same thing again!!!!! I was sitting in park and the locks on the doors are locking and unlocking by themselves. Also the engine light is on and the stabilitrak/traction light is going on and off and it won't accelerate!!!! So what needs to be done now??? This is the third GM vehicle that I've had,  yet the first one to have any issues after just having the vehicle a little over a year!!

    Hhmm This newest trouble sounds like it may be power problem battery/alternator. The electronics that control many things on vehicles can be very sensitive to electrical issues.

  • mrshicks23mrshicks23 Member Posts: 4
    @ray80‌ I agree it could be an electrical problem. Our rear AC motor went out within weeks of us having the vehicle. I think it's rather ridiculous that GM won't do anything about it, especially knowing that this issue has been going on fir years with other people.
  • bhm007bhm007 Member Posts: 2
    bhm007 said:

    2012 Traverse LT with 54K miles. Same story. Wife was driving down the freeway at 70MPH and all of a sudden the stabilitrac/power loss defect occurs. Terrifying for our young kids and only by the grace of God did she manage to get to the side of the road safely. Once she found a safe place to stop she turned off the car and then restarted. Problem still existed. Had to limp home at 25MPH for 20 miles!!!!

    GM - THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. YOU ARE GOING TO GET SUED (AGAIN) BECAUSE SOMEONE IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO GET KILLED BY THIS DEFECT.

    The car has gone to the dealership today and we are awaiting the diagnosis. I will not accept the throttle body repair as being sound since it doesn't seem to have permanently resolved the issue for many others. GM has to know what is wrong with this stabilitrac system... they just don't seem to be stepping up like they were happy to do when they took my money 2 and a half years ago. Sadly, we love the Traverse and have had no other issues at all, however, if GM don't fix this issue permanently the car will be sold and my next car will not be a GM. The GM products with this issue are a major safety hazard.

    I will update after my conversations with the dealership. If they try to charge me for anything I will have to take it up with Chevy and GM corporate.

    So... the update can been seen by the email chain with GM. You be the judge of how much GM gives a rat's backside about their customer!!!!!

    Amber,

    Just heard from the dealer and their answer is less than ideal. The basic story that was relayed is that they could not re-create the power loss issue and the only code they found was P0191. Again, this is something different than they told us last week when they said they found several error codes. Now they believe it to be a faulty fuel rail sensor and have quoted $1000 to fix it. They said that the sudden power loss could be attributed to that fuel rail sensor being an issue. The problem is this... I have very little faith that the issue will be fixed by this. I don't want to hear "I think it is this" I want to know definitively what it is especially since several error codes have now turned to only one and they are asking for $1000. There is no way I am going to put my kids in that car again if I'm not positive the problem is fixed. It is too dangerous. The dealership cannot positively say that the fuel rail sensor is the problem if they can't re-create it. It's a best guess at this point. If I spend $1000 on this repair and two months from now the power loss issue comes back I am out $1000, have been driving a dangerous car and am no closer to solving the actual problem then I am today.

    I'm looking for direction on what my next steps are at this point. Thanks.

    GM's response

    My apologies for the delayed response, Brett. Since I am not a trained technician, I greatly rely on the dealership for their technical expertise. With that being said, we're unable to speculate if upon completion of the suggested repair your vehicle will develop issues in the future. I'm positive your dealership is taking the necessary steps to address this matter. Nevertheless, I want you be confident in the service performed on your vehicle, and the safety of you and your family is very important to us at General Motors. If you'd like to visit another dealership for a second opinion I'm happy to stay involved, however, you may be responsible for additional fees associated with inspection. Please let me know how you wish to proceed.

    Sincerely,

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care

    My response

    Amber,

    Its really disappointing that I get this canned answer from GM. I don't see how you can be positive that the dealer has taken the "necessary steps" to deal with my car suddenly losing power when the dealer said they don't know what the problem is and haven't done anything to the car except try to recreate the problem. Their basic advice was pay $1,000 for something that may or may not be the problem or wait until the car does it again and then do not shut the car off but drive it to a dealer.

    If GM is supporting that course of action then they are supporting the continued use of a vehicle that has something wrong with it and can lose power at high speeds causing a life threatening condition. Apparently GM didn't learn much from all the recent issues and lawsuits against it.

    If GM cannot tell me specifically why my car lost power then I have to make a choice. Drive my kids around in a car with a possible lethal defect or get rid of the car and never buy a GM product again. If this was your car and family which one would you chose?

    I spent over thirty thousand dollars for a product from your company and two and half years later this is the decision I'm left with. It's outrageous.
  • mrshicks23mrshicks23 Member Posts: 4
    edited February 2015
    @bhm007 my vehicle is currently at the dealership & they have yet to determine what the issue is. I believe I have been dealing with the same person at GM Customer Care via FB. GM needs to take responsibility for these issues, especially since its been documented by several others. WE ARE NOT MAKING THESE THINGS UP!!! I spent $300 last week b/c they ASSUMED it was an accelerator problem. 
  • parob79parob79 Member Posts: 5
    All I received this email today and provided the representative my phone number to contact me. Dear Robert,

    Please provide us with your best contact number so our team may contact you in regards to the concern with your GM vehicle. Our team is more than willing to assist with the vehicle issue.

    You may also give me a call directly with the phone number provided below.

    Thanks!

    Referring Executive(s):
    Service Request: 71-1434700646
    Executive Advisor: Brandon Pratt

    email address for GM Representative, ExecReferral@gm.com
  • parob79parob79 Member Posts: 5
    Update: TCS turned off again. I pulled over and waited a few minutes. It eventually turned back on. I my way back to my house it occurred again only a minute after TCS turned off I check engine light came on and it started sputtering as if the engine was going to shutdown. I again pulled over waited a few minutes started that car and took it to a chevy dealership to have it checked out. A few hours later they said it was the throttle body. My options were to clean it which they couldn't guarantee that that would be the end of the issue as the throttle body good be to far gone. To have the fluid replaced and the throttle body replaced including the diagnostic fee was a little over $700. As that saga continues I as the service rep how often the throttle body should be service or cleaned and she recommended every 40,000 miles. My question was whether or not this was part of the owners manual for a service schedule. She stated she was not sure. Looking up my owners manual online the manufacturer makes no mention of the service to the throttle body. My a laymen when it comes to cars how can I be expect to perform maintenance that is not discussed in the owners manual. Why is it my fault that I did not get my car serviced for something GM/Chevy does not even recognize as needing to be serviced every so many miles. I feel I could understand if it was in the manual and I failed to do the maintenance but in this case it was not mentioned which to me says the GM/Chevy feel that this is a part of the car that should not need service. Assuming that this does fix the issue. I feel as though Chevy should be paying for this since it is their gross negligence that this is not a part of the maintenance required for this vehicle. I have a 2002 Honda accord that has over 200,000 miles that I have never serviced the throttle body on that before. To me this seems like the throttle body itself is a defective part.
  • parob79parob79 Member Posts: 5
    I also recommend anyone who had this problem to go to the NHTSA website to launch a compliant. Enough complaints would require NHTSA to investigate which could then lead to recalls. If no one complains to the right people then no recall will be issued.
  • michi2003michi2003 Member Posts: 1
    Called GM this morning to discuss this issue, my car began sending this error message on Sunday, we unplugged the battery and plugged back in and the messages went away until last night when I was driving home late from work in the middle of an ice storm with roads very hazardous and the traction control off and service stabilitrack came on and then engine power reduced.  Very unsafe, I thank the Lord that no one was around me.  This has to stop, there is obviously an issue.  GM blew me off and the girl was very rude, she said that there were no issues and that I would just have to take it to the dealer and see if its covered.  When I asked for a supervisor she said it would be 24 to 48 hrs before I could talk to someone, she said that there are a lot more people that need help too.  My goodness that really speaks to the type of issues that GM is dealing with right now.  I am over this car, this is not the first time I have dealt with issues and I am 100% positive this will not be the last.  GM is a joke and I will be contacting my local media outlets to get something going.  It is going to take somone dying for these people to care.  All I can say is I hope y'all sleep good at night with blood on your hands.
  • kumbiaking1kumbiaking1 Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2015
    Having the same problem with my 2011 Chevy Traverse... Stabilitrak, Traction control off and engine reduced to 40%.. Dealer wants to charge be $1,100.00 to fix problem.. I am so frustrated.. Never again will i buy a Chevy.. Ever... If there was a private recall for the 2010 model how come there isn't one for 2011 model?? God forbid my family or any other family got into a accident because of this issue... Please GM make this good...
  • jmarsh9jmarsh9 Member Posts: 1
    Just got a 09 Traverse. I'm having the same issues. Haven't even made my first payment on it and it has been in the shop more than I have had it. I really like it but not happy that I will more and likely be making payments on a car that I will not have much. I just hope it gets fixed or they take it back. Not sure what to do. Any help would be great. I need a reliable car because I have a special needs daughter and a son that has a heart condition. I have to drive back and forth to the city and can't have something always breaking down on me.
  • savemytraversesavemytraverse Member Posts: 1
    PLEASE READ!!!
    My 2012 Traverse did the same thing. Misfires, loss of power, stabilitrack and traction control service lights.
    The technician traced all the problems to a loose pin in a connector for my ignition. It would have cost me $50 for service and parts but they waved the fee. After reading this blog I was ready to trade in...let's hope this works!
  • mrshicks23mrshicks23 Member Posts: 4
    Just got by Traverse back from the 2nd repair trip, in two weeks. This time it was the transmission, which was covered by the Powertrain warranty. Thank God!! However, I was told that the two repairs, the accelerator assembly (which costs us $279 & two days later the vehicle did the same thing) and this transmission repair are unrelated!! So therefore, I don't get my money back. 
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    savemytraverse said:

    PLEASE READ!!!
    My 2012 Traverse did the same thing. Misfires, loss of power, stabilitrack and traction control service lights.
    The technician traced all the problems to a loose pin in a connector for my ignition. It would have cost me $50 for service and parts but they waved the fee. After reading this blog I was ready to trade in...let's hope this works!

    I can just hear the service manager telling the tech, "We good-willed that repair for the customer, sorry that we couldn't pay you for fixing it. Here take this repair order and sell some gravy work to make up the time".

  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    jmarsh9 said:

    Just got a 09 Traverse. I'm having the same issues. Haven't even made my first payment on it and it has been in the shop more than I have had it. I really like it but not happy that I will more and likely be making payments on a car that I will not have much. I just hope it gets fixed or they take it back. Not sure what to do. Any help would be great. I need a reliable car because I have a special needs daughter and a son that has a heart condition. I have to drive back and forth to the city and can't have something always breaking down on me.

    We're very sorry for this inconvenience, jmarsh9. I recognize it's essential to have a reliable vehicle for your family. If you'd like to send us the name of your purchasing dealer, we'll gladly touch base with them and explore repair options. Please send your VIN, mileage, and full contact info if interested.

    Thanks,
    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    savemytraverse said:

    PLEASE READ!!!
    My 2012 Traverse did the same thing. Misfires, loss of power, stabilitrack and traction control service lights.
    The technician traced all the problems to a loose pin in a connector for my ignition. It would have cost me $50 for service and parts but they waved the fee. After reading this blog I was ready to trade in...let's hope this works!

    Hey savemytraverse, Glad your service writer was able to pinpoint the issue and waive the diagnostic fee! I understand this is inconvenient and again, we do apologize. Please keep us posted, and if there's anything we can do to help we're just a private message away.
    mrshicks23 said:

    Just got by Traverse back from the 2nd repair trip, in two weeks. This time it was the transmission, which was covered by the Powertrain warranty. Thank God!! However, I was told that the two repairs, the accelerator assembly (which costs us $279 & two days later the vehicle did the same thing) and this transmission repair are unrelated!! So therefore, I don't get my money back. 

    Sorry to hear you weren't eligible for reimbursement on the previous repair, mrshicks23. However, I'm happy the transmission repair was covered and you're back on the road. If you have any concerns in the future, we'd be more than happy to help.

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care


  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    UPDATE from my 1/27 and 1/30 posts regarding Stabilitrak and loss of power due to Throttle Body: I had read on this and other forums about cleaning the throttle body and air intake to see if it would help (There are Youtube videos if you are comfortable with doing this). I had my daughter's car-loving boyfriend do the cleaning using a can of CRC Throttle Body and Air-Intake cleaner. He said the butterfly valve and the air intake were totally gunked up. The spray cleaned them up nicely. However, the check engine light was still on. The first big test was driving the Traverse back from Ohio to western Kentucky during below-zero weather, and all was fine. We thought about re-setting the check-engine light by disconnecting the battery, but from reading other forums (like the Chevy Traverse Forum) I knew that it probably needed a Throttle Body Sensor Re-Learn" . We also needed a headlight bulb changed out (which the Chevy garage doesn't do...they only do total headlight replacement for upwards of $400 per the garage here) so we took the vehicle to a local repair shop. The mechanic ran it through the computer which showed that indeed the Throttle Body Re-learn needed done, and once he did the procedure, the check-engine light did go off. He did warn us that he has seen this issue a large number of times, and that if the check-engine light comes back on, or if the stabilitrak warning/power loss happens again, we will have to have the Throttle Body replaced (which he can do, with factory parts, much cheaper than the Chevy garage). He stated that, in his experience, the newer parts Chevy is providing for this repair seem to be lasting longer. As for Chevy, I never did take it to my local garage. GM CUST SERV rep Amber had contacted my local garage twice and the garage never contacted me. We have decided the other repair facility we used is so helpful and cost-effective, that since we are out of warranty of any kind, we will not use the Chevy garage anymore and will just use this new place. We also have decided that our next new vehicle will not be a GM product of any kind, as this issue seems to be across all their makes and several of their models, and it has been going on as far back as 2007. GM's inaction shows a complete disregard for the safety of our families, so we will no longer support their products.
  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    hulin said:

    UPDATE from my 1/27 and 1/30 posts regarding Stabilitrak and loss of power due to Throttle Body: I had read on this and other forums about cleaning the throttle body and air intake to see if it would help (There are Youtube videos if you are comfortable with doing this). I had my daughter's car-loving boyfriend do the cleaning using a can of CRC Throttle Body and Air-Intake cleaner. He said the butterfly valve and the air intake were totally gunked up. The spray cleaned them up nicely. However, the check engine light was still on. The first big test was driving the Traverse back from Ohio to western Kentucky during below-zero weather, and all was fine. We thought about re-setting the check-engine light by disconnecting the battery, but from reading other forums (like the Chevy Traverse Forum) I knew that it probably needed a Throttle Body Sensor Re-Learn" . We also needed a headlight bulb changed out (which the Chevy garage doesn't do...they only do total headlight replacement for upwards of $400 per the garage here) so we took the vehicle to a local repair shop. The mechanic ran it through the computer which showed that indeed the Throttle Body Re-learn needed done, and once he did the procedure, the check-engine light did go off. He did warn us that he has seen this issue a large number of times, and that if the check-engine light comes back on, or if the stabilitrak warning/power loss happens again, we will have to have the Throttle Body replaced (which he can do, with factory parts, much cheaper than the Chevy garage). He stated that, in his experience, the newer parts Chevy is providing for this repair seem to be lasting longer. As for Chevy, I never did take it to my local garage. GM CUST SERV rep Amber had contacted my local garage twice and the garage never contacted me. We have decided the other repair facility we used is so helpful and cost-effective, that since we are out of warranty of any kind, we will not use the Chevy garage anymore and will just use this new place. We also have decided that our next new vehicle will not be a GM product of any kind, as this issue seems to be across all their makes and several of their models, and it has been going on as far back as 2007. GM's inaction shows a complete disregard for the safety of our families, so we will no longer support their products.

    Total repairs cost: $6.00 for can of cleaner, $0.00 for using the cleaner, $81.00 for mechanic to diagnose and re-set Throttle Body Re-Learn Sensor (so $87.00)

  • zx12girlzx12girl Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2011 Traverse with 85k miles and just encountered the same issue. The "Traction control off...Service....engine power reduced" reading on the dash. 1st time - let it sit for 3 hours, all codes off and driving normal. 2nd - (same day) after driving for 3 hours, came back on.This time, the check engine light came on with it. 3rd - let it sit all night (next day). Traction control error off but check engine light on. Took it to the dealer and the only codes they have leads them to the throttle body also. Now, prior to this over the last year, I have had it give about 4 misfire codes that all went off the next day without repair. Possibly related...We shall see if this fixes my issue. I will repost if it fixes it also as I am doubtful.
  • zx12girlzx12girl Member Posts: 2
    Unlike many other drivers, I was able to maintain speeds up to a little over 60mph. It was just annoying waiting for the vehicle to climb up to enough speed and finally shift to the next gear. It took over a mile to get up to a reasonable speed and hills were a ridiculously slow climb. Thankfully, I drive all two lane back roads so I was only frustrating the poor souls that were stuck behind me at each stop sign. I do think that this reduce engine power feature is a safety hazard if you were traveling on a highway or freeway. I am hopeful that this can be fixed because I really like my AWD Traverse. The one common theme in most of the posts seem to be the northern weather (snow, ice). Seems like a dirty / corroded wheel sensor would be a more likely cause.
  • scared2drivescared2drive Member Posts: 1
    I started having problems with my Stable tract about a month ago, after it was serviced for recall stuff. It scares me that the loss of power during certain things is extremely dangerous. I was lucky enough to avoid being hit as i was turning a corner and wasn't able to accelerate properly, I am a single mother of 4 children, don't have the financial freedom to just be able to go out and buy a new vehicle. I'm stuck worried about every time I drive my traverse. Disappointed is an understatement, i researched the vehicle (based on safety) prior to buying it 2 years ago, I loved my Traverse and loved to drive it, now I'm terrified to drive my kids to school, drive to work, concerts, you name it. We shouldn't have to live in fear. I wish GM would find the problem and fix it, so I can go back to loving my Traverse and Driving without fear.
  • greyhoundlvrgreyhoundlvr Member Posts: 3
    So happy I found this forum although sadly, it wasn't hard to find a lot on the internet about the stabilitrak issue. My problems started about a month ago with my 2011 Traverse. The service stabilitrak, reduced engine power, etc warnings came on while I was driving in the snow. I assumed it was just because of the weather. Over the next couple of weeks, the problem happened more and more and last week it became undriveable. I noticed that whenever I tried to give my car the gas, it would start slow and then jolt. The warnings came on again but the car was obviously not safe to drive anymore with the reduced power issues. I called my dealer and they squeezed me in on Monday. Long story short, they stated the problem was the throttle body and fixed it. Luckily I have the extended warranty so I only had to pay a $100 deductible. I got the car back last night. Thinking everything was ok, I put my 3 young children in the car and left to go see my husband who is in the hospital. I was on the Southern State Parkway here in NY. I only went a mile and the warning lights came on again, power reduced AND, my steering wheel locked!!!! I still don't know how I managed to get the car off the road. I just thank God I was in the right lane. The parkway I was on is crazy to begin with. I managed to get off the exit and parked the car. I turned the car off and it wouldn't turn on again. While waiting for a tow, I tried again and it came on but had no power. I had the dealer come get the car this morning. I mentioned that I was going to call Chevy and GM and the safety board because this is a safety issue and the service tech asked me not to!!! He had the nerve to ask me to wait until they fix the issue!!! I told him that this is not just about fixing my car. I don't want this to happen to anyone else! I called Chevy this morning and got a claim number. Will call GM next and then the safety board. Someone is going to get killed because of this problem. GM really needs to step up.
  • hulinhulin Member Posts: 7
    hulin said:

    hulin said:

    UPDATE from my 1/27 and 1/30 posts regarding Stabilitrak and loss of power due to Throttle Body: I had read on this and other forums about cleaning the throttle body and air intake to see if it would help (There are Youtube videos if you are comfortable with doing this). I had my daughter's car-loving boyfriend do the cleaning using a can of CRC Throttle Body and Air-Intake cleaner. He said the butterfly valve and the air intake were totally gunked up. The spray cleaned them up nicely. However, the check engine light was still on. The first big test was driving the Traverse back from Ohio to western Kentucky during below-zero weather, and all was fine. We thought about re-setting the check-engine light by disconnecting the battery, but from reading other forums (like the Chevy Traverse Forum) I knew that it probably needed a Throttle Body Sensor Re-Learn" . We also needed a headlight bulb changed out (which the Chevy garage doesn't do...they only do total headlight replacement for upwards of $400 per the garage here) so we took the vehicle to a local repair shop. The mechanic ran it through the computer which showed that indeed the Throttle Body Re-learn needed done, and once he did the procedure, the check-engine light did go off. He did warn us that he has seen this issue a large number of times, and that if the check-engine light comes back on, or if the stabilitrak warning/power loss happens again, we will have to have the Throttle Body replaced (which he can do, with factory parts, much cheaper than the Chevy garage). He stated that, in his experience, the newer parts Chevy is providing for this repair seem to be lasting longer. As for Chevy, I never did take it to my local garage. GM CUST SERV rep Amber had contacted my local garage twice and the garage never contacted me. We have decided the other repair facility we used is so helpful and cost-effective, that since we are out of warranty of any kind, we will not use the Chevy garage anymore and will just use this new place. We also have decided that our next new vehicle will not be a GM product of any kind, as this issue seems to be across all their makes and several of their models, and it has been going on as far back as 2007. GM's inaction shows a complete disregard for the safety of our families, so we will no longer support their products.

    Total repairs cost: $6.00 for can of cleaner, $0.00 for using the cleaner, $81.00 for mechanic to diagnose and re-set Throttle Body Re-Learn Sensor (so $87.00)
    ***FINAL UPDATE*** (Hopefully): So, the cleaning did not permanently fix the problem. Deceleration and warnings happened again today. Took it right over to the independent repair shop and he replaced the Throttle Body for $300 less than Chevy, using Factory parts. Also, he found that when Chevy replaced our air filter a few months back (when we spent$600+ with them for oil, belts, etc), they had damaged the air filter when putting it in. Since the cleaning we did a couple of weeks ago showed us that the air intake was totally full of gunk, we can assume that the damaged air filter allowed that gunk to build up. I have sent documentation of the issues GM owners are having to my State Senator to alert the government that GM is still completely oblivious to safety issues with their vehicles. Now that we have fixed the issue (at least for now) we will sell the Traverse as soon as possible. We are done with all GM products.

  • greyhoundlvrgreyhoundlvr Member Posts: 3
    Update. Dealer just called and is claiming that the stabilitrak service, etc came on because I had no gas. The fuel light came on 30 seconds before all this happened. My husband said the steering wheel locked on him Friday night too. Something is not right. Can that happen if the care is out of gas? The service stabilitrak light goes on as well as the reduced engine power? If that is true, they drove my car home and left me dry. I didn't even have enough gas to get to a gas station!
  • tadnshellptadnshellp Member Posts: 1
    2010 Chevy Traverse with the same issues.  I am angry and frustrated.  We are traveling with a full car if kids, 7 hours from home and these same problems kick in.  I have had this car for less than 2 month. Loosing power at night on the freeway full of semi's is frightening.  Last week the check engine light came on and the dealer cleared it and said to only use chevron gas and the car was good to go and safe to take on this trip! After seeing all these comments I am just pissed off that GM isn't doing anything about this. Late at night on the freeway, hours from home and hours from where we are heading with no power to go the speed limit?  Thanks GM.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    edited February 2015
    greyhoundlvr said:

    Update. Dealer just called and is claiming that the stabilitrak service, etc came on because I had no gas. The fuel light came on 30 seconds before all this happened. My husband said the steering wheel locked on him Friday night too. Something is not right. Can that happen if the care is out of gas? The service stabilitrak light goes on as well as the reduced engine power? If that is true, they drove my car home and left me dry. I didn't even have enough gas to get to a gas station!

    If the car runs out of gas, then the symptoms will match what you described. Now as far as who's responsibility it is to ensure that there is fuel in your car.......Its bad enough that I can envision the tech not getting paid for his/her time as they investigated your car's situation but then on top of that they also have to take their credit card out of their pocket, put gas in your car for free and have that still not be enough to make everyone happy.

  • racergirl3racergirl3 Member Posts: 1
    Hey Chevrolet, this looks like a recall issue to me. I love my 2011 Traverse but I am now having the same Stabilitrac/traction control off warning with total loss of power. It happened to me on Interstate 80. I got off to the side of the road, but it scared the crap out of me. Called Onstar and they were zero help as all they could tell me was what the warning lights meant. My husband and my son came out to get me and drove the Traverse home. I do not want to drive it again for fear this will happen again and it looks like it will after reading the comments here. To top off the B.S., Lujacks Chevrolet where I bought the car was stripped of its Chevy dealership for fraudulent dealings so there is no Chevy dealer in Davenport, Iowa to take it to. Mills Chevrolet will be coming in the fall of 2015 but that doesn't help me now. I've always bought Chevrolets and we are a Chevy family with of them at the moment but this just sucks!
  • greyhoundlvrgreyhoundlvr Member Posts: 3
    thecardoc3 said:
    Update. Dealer just called and is claiming that the stabilitrak service, etc came on because I had no gas. The fuel light came on 30 seconds before all this happened. My husband said the steering wheel locked on him Friday night too. Something is not right. Can that happen if the care is out of gas? The service stabilitrak light goes on as well as the reduced engine power? If that is true, they drove my car home and left me dry. I didn't even have enough gas to get to a gas station!
    If the car runs out of gas, then the symptoms will match what you described. Now as far as who's responsibility it is to ensure that there is fuel in your car.......Its bad enough that I can envision the tech not getting paid for his/her time as they investigated your car's situation but then on top of that they also have to take their credit card out of their pocket, put gas in your car for free and have that still not be enough to make everyone happy.
    Really?  I envision getting killed in my car when this stabilitrak issue happens again.  It's bad enough Chevy obviously knows there is a problem with the throttle body but hadn't issued a recall.  I never asked them to put gas in my car (if they had to, I'm sure they would have billed me for it and I gladly would have paid) but don't blame the problem on having no gas when in fact, there was gas and they know there was gas because they just drove my car 10 miles.  The car had over a half tank when it happened to my husband.  I drove less than 2 miles and the situation happened.  It was fine locally but once I went over 60, everything went haywire.  And I'm sorry if I want to feel safe AND happy when driving my car.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,745
    greyhoundlvr said:


    thecardoc3 said:

    greyhoundlvr said:


    Really? .
    Yes. Really. Cars do break and need repairs such as the throttle body issue, they also stop running when they are out of fuel. Both of those completely unrelated occurrences can present with symptoms that can appear to be similar.
  • icedog401icedog401 Member Posts: 1
    On 02/29/15 we were traveling in our 2011 Chevrolet Traverse. We were in the middle of a 260 mile trip back home and were traveling in a winter storm on an interstate. Due to weather, speeds were slower than usual, averaging 50 – 55 miles per hour. At the time of the warning light indicators coming on we were slowed in traffic at about 30 mph. All of a sudden the following messages appeared on the DIC, “TRACTION CONTROL OFF”; “SERVICE STABILITRAC”; “SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL” and then the car went into “REDUCED ENGINE POWER”. After stopping about 10 miles down the interstate, I shut the Traverse off for about 10 minutes. Once I restarted it, all the warning lights were reset, except the engine light, and the vehicle drove normal. We got about 20 miles down the interstate and again the same warning came on and the Traverse was again operating at “REDUCED ENGINE POWER”. Due to the weather speeds remain slow, but I could tell the engine was not allow me to accelerate as normal. We maintained at an average of 45 – 50 mph for the rest of the trip. As we were about 20 minutes from home, we were still on the interstate, in the middle lane of a 3 lane road, and we lost complete engine power and the vehicle shut down. We had traffic around us, to include semi-trucks, but luckily I was able to maneuver the vehicle off the roadway. I let the vehicle set for a couple minutes and then attempted to see if it would restart. The Traverse did restart and all warning messages reset. As I got back on the road the Traverse drove normal. As we finished our drive home, the warnings all came on again about 1 mile from our house. We got home and parked the vehicle. I am now very nervous after researching the issue online and coming upon this forum. It does not look like GM has located the specific reason this is occurring. Also I am worried that a recall has not been issued if so many people are having the same specific issues. I can’t imagine an auto company not concerned enough when they have vehicles that are shutting down on people while driving. I know I am not comfortable in getting back on the road with this vehicle even after repaired. I will follow up with what our dealership comes up with and if it in fact fixes the problem.
  • melijohnmelijohn Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 chevy traverse had no problems out of it untill i started with 2 of my4 children 4 hours away from home to my oldest daughters ball game and without warning it came on with stability trac reduce engine power in the middle of the road all most got hit by another car,kids went to crying i wanted to cry my husband works off and i am a nurse and i have to have a car to get back and forth to work i have no idea what to do
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