2 Star Reviews for 2012 Chevrolet Traverse

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

3.59/5 Average
22 Total Reviews
This Year's Model Updates:

There are no significant changes for the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse.

Pros:
  • Compliant ride
  • Massive cargo area
  • Seating for as many as eight passengers
  • Top safety scores.
  • Adult-friendly third-row seat
Cons:
  • Some minor interior annoyances
  • Compromised rear visibility.
  • Large size hampers maneuverability

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 22.00
  • Be careful unless you enjoy tow truck rides. - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    I am the original owner of this vehicle. Since approx. 40, 000 , it has been in the shop for days at a time, at least 5 times. Convenient that the warranty was for 36, 000 miles. I have been stranded at least 3x, believed to be fuel pump issues. Audio system replaced twice ( I listen to news radio) ,sun roof leaked and a cadre of other issues. Cant wait till it is paid off, so I can trade in. My first car was a Chevy (74) and my last Chevy will be this one. Be forewarned

  • 2012 Traverse STAY AWAY - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    I’ve had 4 Chevy vehicles. All good experiences, until I bought the 2012 traverse for my wife and kids. It’s been problematic since day one. Problems include vibration noises from the exhaust (it took 3 tries to fix that), front speaker works sometimes (not fixed yet), air bag light comes on often (6 attempts, still not fixed), it’s had motor mounts replaced… etc. Tried to get some help from GM to get trade-in assistance to by another new chevy traverse, they offered ZERO dollars. Asked for to extend the warenty as it will expire at 36000 miles and I have 30,000… they said no to that too. Asked for a loaner while it in the shop… no to that too, only if it stays over night.

  • Chevy Traverses are unsafe at any speed. - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    This is a dangerous car, heres why. The transmission wont down shift after a stop. Here is a typical scenario, you pull up to a stop sign on a 55 mph road. You see a vehicle coming, its 1/4 to 3/8 mile away, in most cars its safe to pull out and accelerate smartly (dont doddle). Not in a Chevy Traverse car should you do this because the transmission never down shifted while you sat at the stop sign. Heres what will happen, the higher gear will put you out in front of traffic but you wont have torque (power) to go fast/er. You sit and wait to get splatted. What you can do with your children in the back seat or the other couple youre going out to dinner with is FLOOR IT and over-ride the computer. Now youre peeling rubber and driving like a maniac 16 YO who snuck some of Dads beer while he tries to impress the girls on the corner. This lack of transmission down shifting scenario is a known problem that GM refuses to fix. Better to buy another brand vehicle and live. Another problem, the AC can only be run when the computer says it can. I had all my windows fog up on Rt. 95 at 65 mph with another couple in the car! I could not see to drive! The other guy quickly undid his seat belt and hand wiped the windshield in front of me so I could see out (like we used to do with 1950s & 1960s vehicles). After the excitement everyone commented on what an unsafe POS the Traverse is. Most Traverse problems including the 2 mentioned can be easily fixed "IF" GM would change the computer programming. Then again, they sell more cars if the ones already sold get destroyed in car crashes dont they? There will never be another GM car in our driveway. I dont know how many or what other GM models have similar problems. Im going back to buying foreign cars because they are safe at every speed. Update: I have since successfully sued GM under the lemon law. I took the money and purchased a GM extended warranty. I did this because the trade in value was so horrendously low that I refused to allow GM to screw me twice. GM will now have the pleasure of paying for repairs my POS Traverse incurs :-).

  • Great space and ride, poor reliability - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    Ive had this car since new, and now have about 75k miles on it. Here is a list of issues Ive had with the vehicle: 1) Computer issue forced the car into limp mode repeatedly - this occurred periodically between 20-30k miles. Took three service repairs before they replaced the computer and the problem went away. It once happened while I was on the highway, forcing me onto the shoulder - car would flash all sorts of warnings and then go into limp mode, and on a few occasions I would smell gas. Shutting down and restarting would reset it. 2) A/C line leak - the first time this happened the car was under warranty - probably around 30k miles. There was a hissing noise from the vent followed by the A/C stopping working. Warranty replacement of the lines (the whole line) fixed the problem. Now at 73k miles the problem has occurred again - same exact issue; 3) Radio stopped working - AM stations come in, but FM does not indicating that its likely a problem with the tuner. Its hard to beat this car for cargo space, and its a great hauler of people and things, but the maintenance issues have been horrendous.

  • Dont waste your money. - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    I have been the single owner of this vehicle. It has had problems from the get go. With in the first 6 months of owning it the radio had to be changed out 3 times. After they changed it there is an annoying rattle in the dash. Chevy says its normal noise. REALLY!!! There was also a recall on the air bag system as well as the seat belts. It took them 3 tries to get the airbag system to work properly. Makes you feel real safe. At around 40,000 miles the compressor for the A/C died at the cost of $1000. Of course it occurred after the 36,000 mile warranty was up. Now at only 5yrs old the alternator has died taking along with it the battery. The to the tune of just under $1000 as well. Also the blower for the rear A/C has stopped working. This vehicle is a money Pit!

  • Done with Chevy/GM - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
    By -

    I bought this vehicle certified pre-owned with 12,000 miles on it. The vehicle met expectations and had been reliable for the amount of driving I do. I put on 15-20,000 miles a year of mostly highway miles. The vehicle was well maintained and I kept up with the regular maintenance on it. Last week I was driving and suddenly seemed to lose power. The vehicle would not shift into third gear and when I made it home I also realized there was no reverse gear. I did a lot of research on the internet and quickly realized that this had been an issue on the 2007-2009 models with the wave plate. GM had actually extended the warranty on the models for those years to 120,000 miles. I took mine to the dealership and they agreed that it sounded like the same issue with the older models. I contacted GM and they said they would inquire with the dealer. When I heard back they offered to cover a mere 30% of the $5,000 repair. I didnt expect the repair to be done for free (maybe I should have because thats what they did with the older models with more mileage than mine), but there resolution was a slap in the face. This is obviously a manufacture defect that they dont want to take accountability for. At this point Im looking to trade this lemon in and switch to a brand that will be a little more reliable.

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