2018 Chevrolet Traverse UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Shift to Park" Error.. even after turning the car back on.. slowly going through each gear and back down to park I'm still getting this error
When the gear shift is in the park position, the system does not recognize it so the car doesn’t properly shut down; on occasion draining the battery. The shift to park problem has been present for 4 years. It has not drained the battery until this month.
Issue with my exhaust pipe from catalytic converter code and I seen it has a hole on the exhaust
I am unable to shift the car into park in order to turn off the engine. I constantly reverse and drive again to try again and again until it stays in park or the sensor realizes it is in park and turn off the engine.
Light is telling me Shift To Park, this is third time it has happened, first time 2022, second time 2023 or 2024 and now 2025
When I put my car in park and turn the vehicle off I get a warning that says shift to park. This has happened before and I have had it fixed a couple years ago. This problem has been ongoing for a couple months. It is not covered under warranty. I have to either start the car again and take the car out of park and then place it in park and then turn the car off, or push up on the gear shift to get the car to recognize that it is in park.
Exhaust raddling
My 2018 Traverse has had the “shift to park” message displayed on the instrument cluster when I put the vehicle in park. Even though the red P for park is illuminated and the vehicle is clearly in park the ignition will not power off when you depressed the start/stop button. The vehicle displays the message shift to park. Now this has transpired for about 3 months and it is very frustrating when you can not park in your garage especially when storms are imminent from the forecast not to mention carbon monoxide poisoning! Now I or my wife have to continuously push on the shifter to get it to turn off. Or we have to turn the vehicle back on and try driving around the block or wherever we are at. Now not being able to turn your engine off is a definite safety concern especially when you have children and pets . This has been happening in GM SUV’s and is a known issue by GM but they seem it’s not a safety issue due it not causing any issues while driving. I had the vehicle repaired at our local dealer and it was $789 to repair the malfunctioning item. I have never heard of a shifter being defective in today’s modern cars. Whether it’s a mechanical issue or electrical issue it needs to be addressed. If I were to live an apartment dwelling with indoor parking I would have to find some other means to park if I could not turn my engine off. I have read numerous complaints online via forums which is very saddening when these automakers claim dependability with their very expensive vehicles. If the vehicle was built with defective or faulty components how does thst burden fall on the consumer?
There is a shutter at a low speed. Upon research, this is a common problem with the torque converter.
Catalytic converter going bad and exhaust has broken off from the weld.
I began hearing a rattling noise from my engine area recently. I made an appt with my local Radley Chevrolet dealer. It was noted by the technician that the front exhaust pipe bracket that connects the 2nd front exhaust pipe is broken and tapping against each other causing the noise concern. They listed for me to replace the front exhaust pipe that goes from under the oil pan to the catalytic converter. Upon researching this issue, this appears to be a known issue for my specific year and make and model. However, upon calling GM they have nothing listed under my specific VIN number. I believe this to be an issue that should be covered under a special coverage or recall given the amount of owners having this same issue.
* when in park and turned off it will display shift in to park * while accelerating from a stop it will get stuck when trying to switch gears * when in car play mode it will freeze to the point you can not turn the volume up or down until you turn the car completely off for a while. * when at a stop light the car will display stailbreak * there is a clicking noise when accelerating or pressing on gas * auto start does not work
Shift to Park issue. Car does not recognize the it is shifted into to Park. Shift to Park warning appears and warning bell. Seems to happen quite often and I have noticed that other years have been recalled for this same issue. Makes it quite difficult to Park and Lock the car. Electrical system stays on.
Been receiving a "shift to park" warning message since last year. It seems to be a known issue, however nothing has been done about it. I've had trouble from time to time getting the car to recognize the Park position I've put the shifter in and occasionally have sat in my car with it on for minutes attempting what I can think of to have to car finally recognize that I shifted into Park. I had called a Chevy dealership near me who advised because my car is outside warranty it would not be a covered repair. I'm concerned as I have 2 young children and this is our family vehicle. I cannot leave a car running while I have my children inside or with them inside and me outside trying to turn the car off.
When I turn my vehicle off it says that it’s not in park when it is and it keeps beeping
Exhaust cracks out creating a hole and cause’s problems with the catalytic converter. This is exactly the same problem as on the 2019 and up traverse that they have issued repairs on
While I was driving, the rear sunroof suddenly "exploded". I was shocked as I did not feel any impact, but it sounded like a wrecking ball had hit my car. I don't think I swerved into the other lane or anything like that, but honestly it happened so fast, I'm not sure. My heart was racing, and I felt like I was in danger, but able to pull over fairly soon after. I began to feel unwell as if my blood pressure was elevated, which I'm sure it was. I inspected the outside of the vehicle and didn't see any damage, but then from inside noticed a crackling sound, which was localized to the rear sunroof. I examined it from the top and found it to be cracking in various areas around the perimeter of the glass. The shade on the sunroof was closed, so I don't believe any glass entered the interior of the car. I called my daughter to tell her what had happened and drove the rest of the way home. At this point, I have not had anyone else look at it but am reaching out to the dealership where I bought the car.
I shift into Park, then turn the car off and the dash starts dinging stating" shift to park" You then have to shove the gear up to get it to park all the way.
The shift lever is not sensing that the vehicle is in park. This is the second time this has happened. I have to click the shift lever button rapidly to get it to sense that it is in park. The problem was confirmed in 2019 by a dealer and the whole housing was replaced. It is ultimately failing again. GM needs to be held liable for this fix.
I was driving and just passed a vehicle while accelerating when I heard a pop noise, saw a lot of white smoke through my rear view mirror, had the engine light go on and the vehicle stopped working. I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and placed the vehicle in park followed by turning off the car. A person driving by stopped and advised me my vehicle was on fire under the undercarriage. I popped the hood and the engine was also in flames. I was unable to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher and the local fire department and law enforcement agencies helped to put out the fire. The vehicle was a complete loss. If it were not for the passer by person telling me the undercarriage of the vehicle was on fire, not sure if I would have known in time to get out of the vehicle safely. The root of the cause is under investigation by my insurance company. 2018 Chevrolet Traverse LS
The rear catalytic converter has a crack in it which causes exhaust fumes to blow right into the cab of the vehicle. I have called and reported. I asked if there was a recall, chevy said theres no recalls. I stated how bad the fumes are and that when quoted, it is over 2000.00 to repair. I have looked into this and it seems to be a common issue with the Traverse. Muffler shops and regular mechanics refuse to touch this issue and state it has to be taken to a dealership for replacement and repairs. I currently cannot transport my children in the vehicle. I drive 10 miles to work and have a headache all day due to the fumes i injest in the drive to work. By the time i get to work i am very light headed and dizzy. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and taken seriously before any fatalities due to the lack of concern or care from Chevrolet.
On Saturday December 16, 2023, I drove to Best Buy in Beaumont, Texas to pick up my son’s Christmas gift. I am inside for about 30 or so shopping around. When I get back to my car I notice my back moon roof was completely shattered. Only tiny particles of glass fell in my vehicle but I notice the middle of the glass was pushed up a little higher like something happened to it from the inside.
Active grille air shutter
Just started happening: on occasion, when trying to shut vehicle off, the accessory light kicks on and DIC says "SHIFT TO PARK". I have to restart the car many times and shift it from drive to park to finally get it to shut off. The issue is commonly discussed on youtube. It's the sensor/switch that tells the car it's in park. Please offer a fix.
When you turn off engine it tells you to shift to park when it is already in park. Then it continues to give you bells there is a problem. My nephews 2018 equinox has started doing the same thing. Since we just put $1400 in A/C and going back in for A/C we will probably park in since our income can not accommodate more repairs. It only has 53,000 miles on it very well taken care of.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse has 51 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.