Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Traverse STEERING

Back in september 2014, gm sent a letter regarding a defect in the steering column that causes steering to be very difficult when attempting to maneuver the car at low speeds. the letter states that gm would cover this malfunction without charge. when my car started having the identical symptoms that are listed in the letter, we called gm and took the car to the dealership. per the dealership and gm although the symptoms are identical the origin of the problem is different; therefore, they refused to cover the $1,200 repair. it is unclear what the difference is and we have approach gm and the dealership several times considering the repair. i do still have the letter.

While driving at low speed steering becomes difficult. it squealed often when turning corners and was very hard to turn. took it to the dealer for repair and gm covered the water pump but needed a new steering rack which is unusual at 40k miles. had to pay about $1400 out of pocket to cover the repair so i could safely drive the vehicle.

My power steering pump failed and the rack and pinion system is leaking on my 2009 chevy traverse. after some research this is a very common issue the gm is not addressing properly. they will replace the pump but the cost of replacing the rack and pinion will not be covered. there have been no recalls and this issue. this can occur while driving and could cause an accident and even death. gm needs to address this situation before that happens. *tr

I noticed when i went from park to drive leaving a spot and turned by steering wheel to the left it was a little tight. as time has gone, it has gotten extremely worse. on april 26, 2015, i was leaving a driveway and tried to turn the steering wheel to the right and could hardly turn it. this is happening every day now when i start off and it happens more when i turn left than when i turn right. i am afraid that if i am at a crossover on a multi-lane highway, i will not be able to turn my steering wheel in time to get out of the way of on-coming traffic. what is being done about this. my vehicle has been in the shop for 5 recalls already. this was a lemon from get go. *tr

During the winter season, i periodically started hearing a clunking sound as i was making directional turns in my vehicle (a 2009 chevy traverse). therefore, during my previous oil change, i asked my mechanic to take it for a test drive, but he did not hear anything at that time. yesterday, i was in for another oil change and again i asked my mechanic to test drive it, but this time he did hear the clunking sound and ultimately found that the rack & pinion steering unit needed to be replaced. both professionally and on computer "on-line" web sites, there are numerous complaints of early failures of the rack & pinion steering, on the gmc acadia, buick enclave and chevy traverse, suv type vehicles. i have owned several vehicles over the last 30 years and never had to replace the entire rack & pinion steering unit on a vehicle that was less than ten years old (only six, in this instance) and had such low mileage (recently passed 60,000 miles). obviously, there is a flaw in the design or in the production of this steering mechanism. there are too many premature failures on these series of vehicles. gm should own up to their mistakes, but as with their ignition switch problems, they would rather ignore the problem. i have owned several gm vehicles and have mostly been satisfied with their products. if i have to spend almost $2000 to fix their mistake, this will be the last new (or used) gm car i purchase. my previous suv was a 2002 toyota highlander. i purchased it "new" and kept it for over ten years and drove over 100,000 miles on it. other than wear and tear items (brakes, tires, battery, etc.), i did not experience any "abnormal" failures, in any of the vehicles major components.

Turning corners at low rate of speed, steering locks up and then can finally turn the wheel, but with great difficulty. huge safety concern. *js

I originally took vehicle to dealer to replace the timing chain. when i got the vehicle back the power steering was making a loud noise. the dealer said the power steering was fine. approximately 6 months later i take the vehicle back to the dealer for recalls and leaking coolant. power steering still loud. tech found leak from rack and pinion. i am glad that my steering did not fail like other complaints. i was lucky that my vehicle had a coolant leak and the tech found the leaking rack and pinion while fixing the coolant leak. my wife drives this vehicle each day with my 3 kids and having the steering fail while in traffic could have been horrible. it is obvious this is an issue in the 2009 traverse and is a safety issue. *tr

The rack pinion on this vehicle is broken and had to be replaced. my mechanic told me that he has had to replace the rack pinion on several chevrolet traverse and gmc acadia. i have been reading forums online and this seems to be a common problem that gm refuses to admit. the rack pinion is vital to the vehicles steering and this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. while operating the vehicle at various speeds, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

My 2009 traverse lost its power steering while we were driving it. we didn't get into an accident but almost did. that same day i received a letter from gm stating that my 2009 traverse may or may not have powersteering issues. after bringing it to the dealer they informed me that the rack and pinion was also leaking and the cost of the fix was 900 bucks with tax. why was the rack and pinion not covered, it seems like it the cause of the powersteering issues. *tr

I just purchased my 0 9 traverse and i have started hearing a squeaking noise coming from the steering wheel when turning as well as a squeaking noise coming from the brake pedal. i have taken the vehicle back to the dealership and they have told me that gm has not issued a fix for that problem and that it is common for the traverses. i contacted gm and they just says that there is no fix for it. i have seen on line that they have changed some parts in the newer vehicles due to a manufacturer defect. they say that it is not a safety issue, but people are losing power steering and i don't want to one day not have ability to control the vehicle. this issue needs to be addressed and fixed!! *tr

Power steering loss at low speeds. while turning corners at low speed, the power steering assist cuts out unexpectedly. when this happens unexpectedly, turning the steering wheel is very difficult and the turn is not as tight as needed. on many occasions i have almost collided into other vehicles. *tr

When driving at slow speeds and then making a turn the wheel locks up. it is almost impossible to turn. it is very dangerous and hard to keep from turning into the cars in the other lane. it happens at spontaneous times. the problem is happening more and more frequently as time goes on. i looked it up to see if other chevy traverse 2009 owners where having the same problem and there are several with the exact same complaint on www.carcomplaints.com i do not have the money to fix it and if it is a manufacturing problem i shouldn't have too. i will never buy another chevrolet and will spread the word via facebook and by word of mouth if chevrolet refuses to admit that this is a recall and have it repaired. *tr

Power steering loss at low speeds. while turning corners at low speed, the power steering assist cuts out unexpectedly. when this happens unexpectedly, turning the steering wheel is very difficult and the turn is not as tight as needed. on many occasions i have almost collided into other vehicles. *tr

I wanted to highlight that i believe the traverse 2009 model is a safety risk. over the last couple of days on multiple occasions my power steering has completely stopped working at low speeds. it seems that at low speeds - i.e parking or changing direction at slow speeds, the power steering fails and becomes almost impossible to turn the wheels to change direction - i have been told by the dealer it is a steering pump fault that needs replacing and is out of warranty. this can potentially be very dangerous if i needed to change direction quickly - i.e moving out of the way of cars or children. please raise this as a major concern. *tr

Power steering locked up when turning right into a parking space making it very difficult to turn then it freed up almost causing me to hit the car next to me. steering seems a little jerky now. does not feel safe at all and was very scary. this is not the first time it has done this and it seems to be getting worse. *tr

2009 chevrolet traverse steering will lock up at low speeds especially in parking lots and turning in town. took to dealership and said it would need a power steering pump at a cost of 1200.00. seems to be a very common occurrence and i think gm should pay for some of this repair. not very impressed with how they are avoiding not to share in some of the cost of this costly repair. *tr

At low speed steering wheel is very,very hard to turn,,,,, *tr

At first when making left turns only if would make a funny noise, then going around a curve it felt like the traverse was trying to die, warranty conveniently ran out in may 2014 i will have this vehicle 1 year end of october. did not get extended warranty due to note was already high, took my traverse to mechanic was told i needed a rack and pinion and a steering pump due to leaking, which would end up costing anywhere from different places $1600 to $2100.00 you would think with gm going into debt so much they would make things right to keep from losing business!!! sooooo wish i would have done more investigating when i need a bigger vehicle for my 3 small children!!! *tr

Power steering malfunctions at low to moderate speeds of 5 to 25 mph. the vehicle goes into manual steering and it is almost impossible to turn the wheel in order to go in to a turn. this has begun happening while driving at speeds of 45 to 55mph as well. i noticed the problem when i first brought my vehicle and reported it to the dealer. the said there was no issue. now the problem is getting worse. i must remain in my lane and not attempt to make any quick turns. or the steering wheel will lockup on me. i am afraid that i will not be able to control my vehicle and do injury to others as well as, myself,

On the listed date, i was driving the listed vehicle. i was being accompanied by my wife and our three children. as i attempted to make a right turn onto a street, my power steering went out, and i nearly struck a vehicle. i thought i lost power, but then my power steering kicked in and i was able to correct my lane of travel. this occurred half a dozen times. my wife experienced the same thing right before i drove, and i wanted to see first hand what she was referring to. when i drove on the highway (60mph), i could feel the power steering wanting to go out. i felt the steering wheel get hard just for a split second, but it never when out. i called gmc, and they advised they haven't recalled any power steering parts. my concern is that my family could have sustained serious injury or could have been fatal. *tr

I noticed while trying to make right turns the power steering begins to go out. i thought it was just that one time, but then felt it while driving on the highway. i drive with my daughter a lot and want to make long distance drives but i'm very hesitant because of this issue. like the other customer stated the dealers are saying there are no recalls out about this issue. *tr

2009 chevrolet traverse suddenly lost power steering when it reduced speed to turn on to highway on ramp. stopped at the earliest opportunity to check power steering fluid. topped off fluid but continued to have problem with random loss of power steering. problem occurs now anytime that vehicle is not accelerating. *tr

My wife drives this vehicle more than i do. she first mentioned the issue and i was thinking she was over reacting. when i drove the traverse, i went to back it into the garage and the wheel nearly froze up. i had to crank the wheel to get it to turn and there was a vehicle coming up on me. i finally got it straight and backed into the garage. this happens every time we park now or navigating parking lots at slow speeds. i began researching online in forums and found many others having the same issue. they have been paying so much to have parts replaced and not be the issue that i am hesitant to take my vehicle into a dealer. if chevrolet knows about this something needs to be done. i can't afford $3000 or more to fix this vehicle that is breaking way before it should be. *tr

A problem with the steering started about a month and a half ago in which the power steering would stop working. at first it was infrequent, but now the power steering quits on every significant turn. so far it has not happened at high speeds on lane changes and the like. took it to the gm dealer who stated the gear box needs to be replaced at just under $1200. i asked them to check if gm would assist with (not fully cover) the cost of the repairs since it began at under 100,000 miles. gm stated they would not help. this is a serious safety issue with a lot of complaints regarding the same problem. *tr

When driving at low speeds, between 15 - 25 mph, the power steering goes out and becomes difficult to almost impossible to steer. we have had several near misses while entering traffic. this happens randomly and we never know when it will occur. we took the vehicle to the dealership, and they believe it to be the rack and pinion steering, but they were unable to rectify the problem. *tr

Driving on country road when a deer ran onto the road, tried to steer around it and was unable to steer, thus striking deer on front passenger side. have had several near misses in parking lots because of loss of power steering. have checked power steering fluid levels and that is not the problem as it has always been at the recommended level. *tr

Power steering cut out at low speeds -- intermittent. worked some days and other times it wouldn't had pump replaced. *tr

The steering my 2009 chevy traverse has become difficult to handle when slowing down, while making left or right turns. the steering wheel becomes very stiff, and causes my turns to be wider than expected. i have had situations where i have had "near misses", because the lack of response of the power steering. when the car is moving at speeds of the less the approximately 10mph, the steering becomes almost impossible to handle. when the car is idle, the steering wheel will not turn with considerable amount effort. i have taken the car for service, the rack and pinion were replaced/fixed. i am still experiencing the issue, and have concerns over potential accidents if this is improved. *js

On three separate occasions the power steering has failed on the car. it has happened more noticeably during rain but at various speeds. the car was taken to the dealer after all occasions. the first time, the dealer said nothing was wrong. the second time dealer stated that the belt got wet. the third time we got irate with the dealer because this is an ongoing safety issue with our family car. the warranty was expired by the 3rd occasion, but dealer finally (after 2 days of arguing with them) replaced the steering pump, belts and pulley to correct issue. this issue needs to be made a recall issue because it seems to be very common with this make and model year. according to [xxx] , vice president of global vehicle safety at gm "with these safety recalls and lifetime warranties, we are going after every car that might have this problem, and we are going to make it right??. our issue is that the dealers nor the customer service at gm seem to want to make it right if the car is not on the list of current recalls. i guess they don't care until there are enough deaths involved. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The power steering failed on our 2009 traverse at low speeds while parking the vehicle. this type of power steering failure has happened before. we had the rack and pinion replaced (6 months ago) and the power steering fluid upgraded with limited success. the traverse feels like it has no power steering and it is difficult to turn. we have had the traverse checked at the dealership numerous times and finally paid a lot of $$$ to have the rack and pinion replaced. it did not solve the problem. this is a serious safety issue. it would be impossible to avoid an accident by turning the vehicle. your only options are to stop and "man handle" the traverse into position. an elderly person or a smaller person would not be able to control the vehicle at all. i am taking the traverse back to the dealership. this is an on-going issue for the past 3-4 years. there are a lot of similar complaints on the nhtsa website. gm has re-designed the newer traverse/encore/acadia steering systems, so they know a problem exists. one day someone will get killed from this steering problem and everyone will wonder why a recall wasn't issued. some type of action needs to take place with this problem. i can afford (barely) to keep shelling out thousands for repairs, but what about those people who can's? they bought a $35-$45,000 vehicle from gm and it is not safe. now they can't afford to sell/trade it and they might not be able to afford to fix it. action needs to be taken to fix this problem.

Loss of steering while driving. very scary. this should not happen. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving over a speed bump, the power steering failed and the steering wheel did not move. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 82,000. updated 08/19/14*lj updated 08/21/14

As we were backing out of the driveway the power steering went out, which gave us no ability to turn. the car is not safe to drive in this condition. we believe this is a defect in the power steering and should be part of a recall. this is a huge safety issue and a recall should be made before people are injured. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the failure occurred numerous times since 2013. the dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Noticed a couple of months ago hard time turning the wheel when turning into parking spots. has gotten worse over time now it's hard to turn when making a u turn. even once turning at a light it went out. also when backing into our driveway it gets stiff but as soon as i put the car in park the wheel turns fine.. i have seen there are lots of complaints on this. *tr

Turning the steering wheel is sometimes very stiff and difficult. fear of an accident occurring due to this issue. had a chevrolet dealership look at the vehicle during an airbag recall fix. no apparent problems could be detected by technicians. searched internet and found this to be a popular problem with this vehicle. *tr

While at slow speeds, turning can become extremely hard. acts like the power steering has quit, but then a few seconds later it is fine. power steering fluid is at the appropriate levels. seems to happen more often when you are doing frequent turning at slower speeds. *tr

I own a 2009 chevrolet traverse ltz.. i have been experiencing steering problems with this vehicle at low speeds when parking in parking slots and when turning at intersections. when turning or parking the power steering will not work and the vehicle is very difficult to steer. i have check the power steering fluid and the fluid levels are fine. i have spent over $1,200.00 on trying to repair the problem and the vehicle is still having problems steering. i have taken the vehicle to a local dealership and the dealership advised me that there are no recalls for this vehicle. my wife is the primary driver of this vehicle and i am afraid if the steering locks up what may happen to her while she is driving the vehicle. i am to a point that i want to sell or trade the vehicle but i do not want to put the burden of this vehicle on anyone else. i hope that gm has a recall soon on this vehicle because i am afraid what may happen if this problem is not addressed. *tr

When operating the vehicle at slow speeds (i.e. backing into parking spaces, taking sharp curves), the vehicle's power steering will fail , making it nearly impossible to turn the vehicle. *tr

Intermittent steering problems under 20-25 mph. first issue was intermittent power steering when trying to turn in to my driveway or parking spot. now has gotten worse to now steering wheel gets really hard to turn when making slight turn on to off ramp or side street. i have to manhandle the steering wheel to keep from running off the ramp or run into other vehicles. *tr

Since back in april 2014 i started to notice that at time the wheel would be hard to turn when parking. i contact the dealer and they said that power steering was a known problem with the traverse. just recently it got so bad that i can't turn the wheel safely. when making a right turn the wheel locked and i rolled into the curve. when pulling out of the parking lot i had to give it some gas to get the wheel to try to turn and almost hit a person. when to trying to back the car because the wheel is so tight i almost hit someone again. i contacted gm and they said they would offer me cost assistance to get it fix. the dealer said they put all my information in some calculation system and it came back as the only cost assistance i qualified for is 100% participation on my part. i have to cost assistant to help myself pay the bill. i don't want to be responsible for hitting a person or another car because my wheel is locking because the power steering gear is leaking and need to be replace and now the power steering pump is bad. and they keep telling me this is a known issue and everyone has to pay for gm error. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while turning at low speeds, the vehicle became difficult to steer. the contact mentioned that the failure was experienced multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

I purchased a 2009 chevy traverse new in march of 2009. the vehicle has approx 125,000 miles on it & is out of warranty. recently the vehicle began to lose power assist in steering at low speeds making it nearly impossible to make a turn. i have been close to striking other vehicles and objects as i have tried to turn. this is intermittent & i never know when it is going to happen. this is a very, very dangerous issue & needs to be dealt with as there are several owners of this or similar gm vehicles that have the same problem, as indicated by the many internet forums related to this matter. please, please look into this before people are injured or killed. i took the vehicle to a local repair shop, they say it needs a steering gear & pump at a cost of $1,629.58, however, after reading some posts from others who have had the repairs completed, it does not appear this fixes the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the power steering pump was defective. the power steering pump was replaced and the steering gear toe was adjusted. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 93,186.

Power steering fails randomly and for no reason multiple times. called gm and they had no response, said that there was no information that they could provide me other to say that there is not an open recall on my vin for this, and basically refused to even make a record or note of the concerns so that it could be tracked to confirm that this is an issue for this vehicle. *tr

There is a loss of power steering at low speeds when making sharp turns such as u turns and turning into parking spots. the power steering fluid level has been checked and is fine. purchased the vehicle in august 2009. in late 2009/early 2010 there was a recall related to the steering column. in the last few years there has been noise emitted from the column, but chevy dealership said this was not a safety issue and it would cost over $1000 to fix. however, now it is a safety issue and is getting worse. there are hundreds of complaints online about the same problem. chevy should issue a recall before someone is seriously injured. *tr

Vehicle is difficult to steer at slow speeds, especially when turning a corner or into a parking space. this has been happening for the last 3-4 months but has been more frequent lately. my daughter will be getting her license soon and i am concerned about her driving alone and panicking if this were to happen to her. *tr

While driving the vehicle the power steering will cut out. the vehicle is very difficult to turn and it is difficult to maintain control of the vehicle. has almost resulted in multiple accidents when navigating parking lots or other areas at slow speeds as well. *tr

I am having issues with the power steering failing on my traverse. at low speeds the power steering seems to give out occasionally. this problem comes and goes, and it is extremely difficult to turn the wheel when this happens and am afraid of serious injury if involved in a crash because of this. chevrolet seems to know there is a problem with this but will not cover it under any warranty. *tr