2021 Chevrolet Traverse Engine Problems

The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an inspection, where a leaking oil pan gasket was diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred on a 2019 Chevrolet Traverse he owned. Although the vehicle had been taken to the dealer two months prior, the dealer did not find the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,400.

NHTSA ID

11749147

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

Mileage

72,400 mi

Check engine light came on and I noticed that the cooling fan would continue running for several minutes even after turning vehicle off. Had a mechanic run the diagnostics and the code came back as a thermostat/cooling issue. Although when I called to make an appointment and told him the issue and that it was a 2021 Traverse, he knew exactly what the issue was. He said that is a very common issue in all 2021 Chevy/GM engines. Online research provided a couple special coverages for repairs on 7 different GM vehicles from that same time period. Of course, the Traverse is one that is not included. Seems fairly obvious this was a GM engine issue from all vehicles in the 2021-2023 timeframe. Not sure how they can only pick out 7 models, but I am hoping an update can be made to add the Traverse and any other GM models that have that same 2021 engine.

NHTSA ID

11737628

Incident

May 12, 2026

Both exhaust pipes before the catalytic converter are cracked and leaking at the same welded mounting bracket. One of them GM is coving under the extended warranty but the other one also needs replaced the turn off the engine warning light. It is allowing exhaust gas to leak under the car and is preventing the emissions from operating properly.

NHTSA ID

11721747

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to respond intermittently upon depression of the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the gear shifter failed to respond or responded slowly when releasing the gear shifter button intermittently. The gear shifter was easily moved to a different gear from unintended contact. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond, jerked, and made an abnormal sound while the RPMs were significantly elevated. The vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R), and the gear shifter was sticky. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there were fault codes found that were related to the transmission. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

NHTSA ID

11720133

Incident

Nov 3, 2025

Mileage

137,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the front exhaust pipe made an abnormally loud sound, and there was an odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

NHTSA ID

11702197

Incident

Nov 29, 2025

Mileage

74,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the engine oil was abnormally low and required 2-quarts of oil to top off the oil level even though the vehicle had recently been serviced. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,000.

NHTSA ID

11692590

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

Mileage

41,000 mi

I was driving to work and my car made a loud noise. I was able to drive back home. I took my car to the Chevrolet repair shop. They said my front exhaust and catalytic converter are broken. They replaced my exhaust pipe and not the converter.

NHTSA ID

11688742

Incident

Aug 12, 2025

the dealership car because the engine lingt Come the fun out the Cadillac converter have to be replaced. Is a 2021 traverse. Come to find out I'm not the only person that has the same problem I need to check the Cadillac converters on these Traverse

NHTSA ID

11675648

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

2021 Chevy Traverse went out in September, it would shutter causing take off to jerk so hard and cause traffic to stall, hurting passengers necks, and almost causing accidents

NHTSA ID

11618798

Incident

Sep 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the exhaust pipe. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: PIP5681C (Exhaust leak, Lean Codes, Rattle Noise, or Catalytic Converter Failure Codes); however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11596535

Incident

Apr 22, 2024

Mileage

33,000 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal rattling sound emanating from underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. Additionally, the contact was informed that the exhaust system needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the exhaust had previously failed and was replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Special Coverage: N222385510. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

NHTSA ID

11591562

Incident

May 30, 2024

Mileage

61,000 mi

I was driving on I-20 with cruise control on @ 71 mph (night time) @ 7 min into using cruise control, the suv acted like it stopped for a quick second (scaring me) I remember rubbing my neck afterwards, thinking it was almost like whiplash. I pulled off the road into parking lot. I thought maybe I had a flat or tire issue, no tire issues. I then stopped @ a store, when getting back into the suv, I could smell something awful. Like something had burnt. Still don’t know. I have not used the cruise control since this incident. It was Xmas weekend, so I have to wait till dealer opens back up to have it checked out.

NHTSA ID

11561947

Incident

Dec 24, 2023

I was unable to stop my vehicle from accelerating. The brakes were engaging but my vehicle continued to build speed. Myself and my family, as well as others on the road, were all put at risk due to my vehicle not responding or failing to control speed; cruise control was not engaged. My insurance company, USAA, is currently investigating and determining total damage estimate. No warning lamps, indicators, or messages were presented prior to collision. The rotors and brakes were glowing red after collision from continuous attempts to stop the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11557077

Incident

Nov 26, 2023

KNOWN ISSUE: Chevy Traverse owners may experience a condition wherein the front exhaust pipe on their crossover separates from the mounting bracket, resulting in damage to the pipe. Now, General Motors has issued new Special Coverage that addresses this issue. NEW ISSUE: Rear exhaust pipe is also affected. When separated/cracked this was leaking carbon monoxide fumes into the inside of the vehicle when driven. Our family's safety was put at risk breathing these fumes. The Chevrolet dealership says that only the front exhaust issue is being recalled/covered but rear is not even when it is attached to same mounting bracket with known issue. Appeared/noticed as loud muffler sound and strong smells of fumes.

NHTSA ID

11546962

Incident

Sep 22, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that upon depression of the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormal, clicking sound and a fuel exhaust odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions to have the exhaust pipe under the hood replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ID

11506571

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

Mileage

36,000 mi

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11495132*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

NHTSA ID

11495134

Incident

Oct 28, 2022

Mileage

70,000 mi

Occasionally when putting the SUV in reverse, the car does not go into gear. I'll hit the gas and nothing and then all of the sudden it goes into gear. It's almost like it's in a delay sometimes I'll have to put into drive and then reverse for it to go into gear.

NHTSA ID

11441316

Incident

Nov 19, 2021