2018 Chevrolet Traverse Electrical Problems

Front passenger tire was losing air, on the way to bring it to tire shop dashboard displayed tire pressure sensor, power steering system, TCM notification, Electronic brake control. Got it to the tire shop bought a new tire and they did a diagnostic test it showed TCM passed and failed, lost communication with power steering passed and failed, lost communication with inflatable restraint passed and failed. Once tire was replaced vehicle was jerking with TCM notification coming on and off like the vehicle was sliding.

NHTSA ID

11749157

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

2018 Chevy Traverse purchased from Carvana caused carbon monoxide exposure to my family in military housing. Vehicle locked itself while running in the garage (garage door open), and CO entered the home where my children were standing near the interior door. Fire dept forced entry into the vehicle and cleared the home. All family members required oxygen at the hospital; all 3 children had elevated COHb levels. Mechanic confirmed catalytic converter failure and exhaust defect. Full Description: On 6/7/26, our Traverse turned on and locked itself while running in our garage (door open) as we were preparing to leave. Exhaust was blowing toward the interior door of our military home, and CO entered the house. My children were inside near that door and became exposed. We could not unlock or shut off the vehicle. Fire dept forced entry, confirmed high CO levels, and cleared the home. At the hospital, all of us required oxygen; all 3 children had elevated COHb. A mechanic later confirmed catalytic converter failure, exhaust defect, P0171, and incomplete catalyst monitor—stating this can cause ongoing CO exposure. A Build Verification sheet found in the glove box (not disclosed at sale) showed pre‑existing issues: exhaust rattle, check engine light, and multiple mechanical reworks. Carvana refuses to assist. This vehicle is unsafe to drive or idle.

NHTSA ID

11745280

Incident

Jun 7, 2026

Repeated problems trying to turn off vehicle with a "Shift to Park" notification being displayed. It took numerous attempts each time of banging the shift lever and flicking the shift button for it finally properly turn off. Otherwise, it would continually alarm. While the milage is only 26500, it was beyond the 5 yr warranty. I was never notified of any recall notice concerning this well documented problem. There were several class action lawsuits about this known issue, but all have since been closed. Dealer replaced transmission control range selector harness and jumper for $500.

NHTSA ID

11742952

Incident

May 26, 2026

Special coverage programs for the 2018 Chevy Traverse front exhaust pipe mounting bracket failure. GM has focused on coverage specifically on 2019-2021 models, but 2018 models are affected as well. I'm being forced to pay for a new exhaust when 2018 models should have been included for the Specific special coverage (e.g., N212356540, N222385510) exists for 2019–2021 vehicles, offering repairs (sometimes for 15 years or 150,000 miles) when the front mounting bracket breaks.

NHTSA ID

11737069

Incident

May 7, 2026

When car is shifted into park, it does not register that. It is in park. Therefore the car keeps beeping, and you cannot leave the car in this position. This is the second time that we have had to address this problem once in 2021 and now in 2026 I believe that General motors should fix this problem without the consumer being charged to have it corrected.

NHTSA ID

11725608

Incident

Mar 19, 2026

After refueling we re-entered I495 Northbound. While traveling in the fast lane of traffic my vehicle shut off. I lost all power, including the ability to use On-Star. The vehicle refused to start for thirty minutes. This problem repeats within a mile of refueling. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer. The first time the said it was a sensor in the stable trak. This last time they claimed a bolt on the battery was loose. There was no pre-warning the car just stopped in rush-hour traffic on the busiest highway in America.

NHTSA ID

11717338

Incident

Feb 6, 2026

I am experiencing and "Shift to Park" notification on my dashboard when my vehicle is in park. This causes my vehicle to stay in accessory mode where ally electrical stays on when I am attempting to turn the vehicle off. Due to the inability of fully turning the car off, my car battery can potential drain out. I have experienced the issue for up to 30 minutes before the notification clears. This is an intermittent issue and comes and goes every few months. When I take it in for service, I'm told the issue can not be recreated and I am stuck with no resolution.

NHTSA ID

11713502

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

My 2018 Traverse has had several issues the past few years such as the electrical components in the car turning on and off randomly, a shift to park message which has been fixed twice, and the most current problem is the transmission. I was out of town 160 miles away with my family of 6 and we were about to drive home when the engine started to sound forced while I was driving. It wouldn't go past 30 mph and I had to quickly and safely get off the road and look for a mechanic. Had we already gotten on the freeway my family would have been in much more danger. After driving cautiously to 2 mechanics they referred us to a transmission service location. We had to leave the car there for several hours and came to find out that the transmission needed to be replaced and it would cost anywhere between $4,000-$9,000 depending on if they try to fix our transmission or replace it with another transmission and the cost would depend on the warranty years. We ended up getting it towed home so that our local mechanic can take a look at it. We still haven't gotten it fixed because the repair cost is so high and we can't afford it. For being a 2018 and only having 65,000 miles we should not be having transmission issues. We also took it in to our local Chevy service dealer who confirmed the transmission needs to be repaired or replaced and an accurate cost is unknown until they open it but the first estimate was $10,000. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I did see there was a recall for transmission issues for this make and model but it doesn't come up for my VIN. I really hope that Chevrolet can apply the recall to all VIN numbers affected because it is a very costly repair and has put my families safety at risk. It should not keep happening to others.

NHTSA ID

11713479

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

The Chevy suffers from the "Shift to Park" issue due to a faulty park switch in the shifter assembly, which is an electrical issue. Apparently GM does not cover this repair but it is dangerous as the car does not shut off even when engine is off and the gear is in park.

NHTSA ID

11709074

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

The shift to park started popping up randomly for a month now does it every time I try to turn my car off. I have to wiggle, push the button and more times than not I have to turn back on the car and move gears to see if that will help (which it doesn't). Super annoying

NHTSA ID

11707685

Incident

Dec 29, 2025

After shifting from drive or other gear to park, vehicle will not register vehicle is in the "park" gear. Vehicle is in the "park" gear and will not move but is not turning off. "Shift to park" is displayed on the display. Vehicle will not shutdown the display system and keeps beeping. The issues worsens over time and continues to drain the battery. The vehicle is kept on.

NHTSA ID

11706918

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

Transmission issues since 85k miles, park to shift sensor error since owned, rear ideoendent suspension bolts were stripped needed alignment. Car has not performed since ownership.

NHTSA ID

11704842

Incident

Sep 2, 2024

The car has a "Shift to Park" error message. We noticed a recall for other 2018 Traverse vehicles and wonder why ours is not covered. Car will not shut down completely. Battery is drained. Dealer is requesting $767.43 to repair when other GMC/Chevy vehicles are identified in a recall.

NHTSA ID

11704574

Incident

Dec 9, 2025

Shift to park sensor refusing to acknowledge that car is in park and will not allow car shut off

NHTSA ID

11703604

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

Shift to park errors over multiple years, shutter when accelerating. Now pressure control solenoid code vehicle will not go in reverse or shift out of first gear. Transmission needs replacement. This is my family vehicle, i have 3 small children and it has turned off at stop lights etc. My families safety has been jeopardized many times driving this vehicle, especially the last time in particular. The vehicle stopped engaging in reverse and then in first would accelarate by itself on the way home from my 8 year olds baseball game.

NHTSA ID

11700250

Incident

Oct 23, 2025

i am getting a shift to park error code on dashboard. The shifter gear is in park but the vehicle will not turn off. I have called the dealer several times and they are told the problem but eventually they hang up on me. There seems to be a class action suit out for the issue but no recall. I would like to see recall because this is a serious safety issue. One if the vehicle does not completely turn off and you are not aware of the issue then your battery can run out. If you are in a urban/remote area which I am no dealerships for about 50 miles away can be a serious problem being stranded on the I 15 freeway. When you put the vehicle in park sometimes it pops out of gear too. There were no previous warnings prior to the shift to park dash indicator. I am not a rich person. My vehicle just has over 72,000 miles. This should be covered by a recall. Please help.

NHTSA ID

11699692

Incident

Nov 3, 2025

electrical codes saying power steering failure which could cause loss of control of vehicle catalytic converter failure - leading to oxygen sensor failure and burnt spark plugs. engine sputters. If you look online its non-stop reports of this same year having the same issues of catalytic converter failures. health concern, emissions concern, safety concern. GM needs to recall and replace these

NHTSA ID

11691206

Incident

Jan 18, 2023

My car has twice been fixed with this shift to park message and now it is in the shop once again to be fixed!! And this has also had the torque converter fixed twice now. And it is still doing the same issues. This needs to be something that Chevy is replacing. I am a single mother and can’t afford all these problems and yet I keep having to make a car payment and get these things fixed.

NHTSA ID

11690670

Incident

Sep 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the battery warning light and power steering assist warning light illuminated. The steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with battery failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that eight days later, after stopping at a gas station, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) system purge valve had failed. The canister purge solenoid valve was replaced. The contact stated that two weeks later, the alternator failed and was replaced; however, six months later, the failure reoccurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was an Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) leak. The SOP solenoid and the Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) canister were replaced. After the vehicle was repaired, the contact stopped by the gas station, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the purge valve had failed. Most recently, the vehicle hesitated, and the engine was running rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact went to several dealers for the repairs, and each dealer retrieved several electrical codes. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and several claims were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

NHTSA ID

11688376

Incident

Aug 2, 2023

Mileage

52,000 mi

Frequent symptom is an "Action Required: Shift to Park" message on the dashboard. Which is preventing my vehicle from shutting down properly, and causing the battery to drain, and hinder my car's ability to start in addition to getting trapped in the vehicle because the vehicles fail to shift to the ‘Park’ position preventing me from being able to exit the vehicle. This is a known issue affecting various GM models which one being my 2018 traverse by GM but not willing to make official recall of the issue. There is a class action settlement due to this issue that was not privileged to me as an owner of a used vehicle included in this notice and have.

NHTSA ID

11686091

Incident

Aug 31, 2025

The vehicles fails to recognize it’s in park and does not shut off. Shift to park indicator turns on. Frequently have to park on incline and worried the vehicle will roll. The vehicle will not completely turn off and this has caused the steering to lock. When the vehicle finally turned off, then turned it back on we couldn’t get the steering wheel to unlock. Had to drive it with what felt like no power steering for a period of time. Shift to park indicator blinks and warning light appears that says no remote is detected, yet the remote is in the vehicle. Been in a situation where had to quickly get in to a Dr but the vehicle wouldn’t turn off so had to leave the vehicle running. At that point anything could happen, but had to take care of a sick child.

NHTSA ID

11664488

Incident

May 29, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 35,532 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 36,986.

NHTSA ID

11658895

Incident

Mar 8, 2025

Mileage

36,986 mi

For the past 3 years my 2018 Traverse will randomly say shift to park and won't let me turn my vehicle off even though I am in park. In the last week it has gotten worse happening almost every time I drive it and not recognizing that I am in park for anywhere from 2-10 minutes.

NHTSA ID

11650947

Incident

Aug 18, 2021

Truck stuck in shift to park

NHTSA ID

11643859

Incident

Feb 19, 2025

I recently had my alternator fixed and the torque converter last year. I was having issues with the battery staying charged, car would jerk, radio, heat and air would shut off and come back on, car would go in reverse although I'm trying to go forward, shift to park warning message when car was in park and there are shortages out something that will connect and disconnect the Bluetooth when I'm on calls via Bluetooth. I picked my car up from Love Chevrolet 1/28/2025. Everything seemed fine but the car still jerked when I would take off at lights, make turns or go up hills. The shift to park message is still happening. When I park the car and turn it off the car makes a sound and the warning pops up. The car lights will not go off when this happens. I have to turn the car off and on or take it out of park a few times for it to stop. I'm afraid to leave the car with that warning on because the doors won't lock and I'm afraid it will roll. Love Chevrolet said they didn't see the error message for it while they were driving but it constantly happens to me. Even when I turn the car on to warm it up it gives me that error message.

NHTSA ID

11639872

Incident

Jan 28, 2025