Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Traverse STEERING

While backing into a parking stall, i could hear loud banging coming from the steering component (both left and right side while turning steering wheel) brought vehicle in to gmc dealer in merced, ca and service advisor stated it was the rack and pinion steering that needed to be replaced. stated the repair was $1400.00. i brought the vehicle in for recall on water pump found out the engine was leaking oil on the left side (that will be covered under power train warranty) water pump covered by recall that will be covered. did some research and found hundreds and hundreds of complaint of the same component failure. when is the government going to make gmc llc real on this issue!!!!! ps this is not the first time we have had a problem with this vehicle. vehicle accelerated out of control at approx 50,000 miles and complained to nhtsa and gmc llc on that issue also. going to use the 1400 buck to buy another vehicle. just hope the next person getting this vehicle doesn't get injured. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack and steering pump needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 92,000 and the current mileage was 92,300.

When parking it feels like power steering goes out. it is very hard to turn in or out of the parking stall. this usually only happened to my wife and i when we are parking or attempting to make a u-turn after a short time it seems to start working. *tr

When driving under 40mph the vehicle is hesitate to turn, seems to be a power steering issue. took the car in for 100,000 mile inspection, told the dealership the issue and was told "we could not detect a problem". when i turn into a driveway, parking spot, etc it hesitates and becomes difficult to turn to the point that i think it isn't going to turn at all. one odd thing i have noticed is this occurs most often during warm weather, last winter i hardly noticed the problem but as the outdoor temp rose upward of 60 the issue began occurring again-no clue why the temp would matter just stating my experience. chevy really needs to address this before someone gets hurt. *tr

From reading all the post i don't see why chevy haven't recalled this traverse. my wife has a 2009 chevy traverse, she complained she was having a hard time turning the wheel. then she says it got to the point where the wheel would lock up mid turn. i drove it and every now and then i felt it get a little stiff. but one day on the way home from store i'm driving, at a light turning red i turn, the car in on coming traffic decide not to stop. i had plenty of time to turn and get out his way (so i thought) mid turn the wheel locked. i had to hit the gas to get out of the way, instead of making the left turn i ended up making a u-turn and was almost rear-ended. took car to dealer, they tell me the rack is gone and it will cost $1400, well i just paid my girls college tuition and i'm a little short of $1400 about $1399. so i had to have my wife park the car until we can get the money to get it fixed, but if they know of the problem why don't they do the right thing. i'm just glad i was driving when this happened and not my wife or my daughters. *tr

While trying to turn into a driveway the steering wheel became extremely hard to turn. this has happened multiple times- too many to count actually. gm should stand behind their products and fix the steering issues with these vehicles. *tr

The rack and pinion on my traverse is leaking. the mechanic said they had the same thing on a couple other 2009 traverses that have come through their shop. this is a $1,000-$1,200 repair that is common for these vehicles at this mileage. this will also make the power steering pump go out and not be able to turn. why hasn't this been recalled yet? this is something that needs to be looked into by the government/gm as to how many of these similar issues have been repaired by dealers. this needs to be a covered recall. obvious weak workmanship of this part. *tr

Starting in june of last year, the power steering in my car goes out suddenly when making turns at slower speeds. it happened intermittently last summer, didn't happen much over the colder months and now happens just about every time i make a turn. used to only happen when turning into parking spots, has now happened a few times when turning on to side streets. a few times i ended up on the berm or grass because the wheel was so hard to turn. the power steering goes out without warning. i'm afraid it may happen when going at higher speeds and i'll end up in a bad accident. i've heard there is a class action lawsuit against gm for this very problem, but haven't heard if it's been rectified. it's ridiculous that these cars have not yet been recalled! gm is putting millions of lives in danger. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 78,000. *tr

At low speeds the vehicle is extremely hard to steer. parking lot maneuvers, turning at a stop sign or light, and other slow speed turns are very difficult to make for me and especially my wife who is the primary driver. i'm no body builder but i do workout but it is still very difficult for me to control the direction of the vehicle's travel at low speeds. through traverseforum.com i have learned that other traverse lt and ltz drivers have experienced or are experiencing the same problem. the ls models do not have this problem as they have no steering gear valve solenoid which the lt and ltz models do have. i have checked the power steering fluid reservoir and it is at the proper level. gm needs to address this problem before someone wrecks or causes a wreck because of this extremely difficult steering problem. luckily it is only occurring at low speeds. i have ordered this solenoid which is on backorder which implies to me that this is a common problem with this vehicle. we are happy with this vehicle and chevrolet/gm, however, this issue needs to be addressed by gm as a safety recall in my opinion. *tr

Steering started to very sluggish when making a slow turn (parking, turn to driveway etc.) some low noise developed and a loud squeaking in the steering column followed. loud enough to make passengers ask about it. went to dealer and asked if they had a fix. was told that i needed to have the oil in the power steering removed and unit cleaned, and new oil added...........price quote was +-$ 230.00. asked if there was a recall as this seemed a little strange, was told no ! so i asked if this was a fix for the problem? was told no! that this problem would return almost at once. asked if this was in anyway dangerous? got a no comment. am now waiting a call from dealer after telling service mg. that i had mis-givings about letting my wife drive as he had mentioned the possible failure of the unit. to say nothing of the possible loss of any resale value. *tr

2009 traverse that will not turn!! no noise from the power steering pump, just driving along and all of a sudden the car will not turn!! this needs to be recalled!! this is ridiculous chevy won't cover this problem! researched online and there are hundreds of customers with this same problem! *tr

On my way to an appt traveling about 45 mph. heard a loud whining sound, so i decreased my acceleration. noise went away. there were no sensors/lights signaling that anything was wrong nor did the car perform any different than before the noise occurred. i noticed that something wasn't right when i tried make a turn that lead to my destination. it was much harder to turn my wheel. i continued to my appt but when i tried to park, i really had issues because my steering wheel would barely turn in any direction. after my appt, took my car to pep boys for them to check the power steering fluid levels. the employee showed me that the levels were fine & that i should contact my dealership. i drove home but i had a very hard time especially when i was traveling at speeds lower than 25 mph. i didn't attempt to drive the car until monday morning when i took it to the dealer i bought it from. i told them what it was doing & asked that they look at it. they called me at work and said that i needed a new power steering pump and a rack & pinion steering gear plus an alignment. all total i would be shelling out $1100 for an issue that i shouldn't have with a 3-yr-old car with only 41k miles on it!! i called general motors to file a formal complaint because none of this was under the powertrain warranty on the car. i also wanted to file a complaint because i noticed that this is a common issue after i researched it on the internet. they took my complaint but told me there was nothing they could do since there was no recall on the car for this issue. i am making this complaint here because someone is going to die if this issue doesn't get fixed through a recall. and it's a shame that hard-working people have to make a costly repair such as this on a car that's not even 5 years old & with minimal mileage. please make gm recall this!!!!! *tr

I was told at the annual inspection that the rack and pinion was slightly leaking and will need to be replaced in the future. it also knocks when ever i turn at slow speed. *tr

At slower speeds, driver periodically unable to turn steering wheel. never happened above 40 mph, but got more and more frequent over one month period of time. was most frequent when turning into parking spots or when making sharper turn at slow speeds. this was not a case of oversteering. *tr

While parking the car, the steering wheel would not turn. it was as if the power steering quit working. i have also noticed the vehicle is becoming harder to turn while in motion. after doing some research on the 2009 traverse, i found this to be a common problem with the steering. this is a huge safety issue. i would not be reporting this except that it is a common problem. i feel that the power steering and the rack and pinion should be recalled asap for this safety concern. we don't need anyone's steering to go completely out and not be able to control the vehicle with has also happened according to my research causing accidents. *tr

My wife is the primary driver of our 2009 traverse. i was driving it about a week ago and noticed the power steering motor whining. we had an appointment for service on the 26th and i reported it to them. basically at slow speeds when turning you could here the motor whining. they stated that the power steering pump needs to be replaced along with the rack due to leaking (which we hadn't noticed previously). the repair is estimated at $1800. i have read where people have lost their power steering riding down the road, that hasn't happened to us, yet.. *tr

I took it in because the a/c stop working and they founded the leaked. also mentioned a recalled but didn't list on my receipt. my low beam headlights burned out too. i think there is an electrical problem but the dealer won't admit. claimed repairs are normal wear and tear. i wish they had told me this before i bought this car brand new. *tr

Car in repair shop getting new intermediate steering shaft, mechanic stated that rack& pinion was seeping oil on both sides.will need replaced soon, vehicle has 51000 miles. *tr

When making turns into parking spaces, a driveway, sharp or wide turns it seems the power steering goes out. i can hardly turn the car and have almost been in several accidents. based on the complaints online and on this site it appears to cost several hundred to thousands of dollars to repair. to me this is a serious safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the power steering stop working and a result, he crash into another vehicle. a police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician diagnosed that the power steering and rack and pinion might be defective. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

At slow speeds such as entering a parking space or making a turn onto a side street the steering simply locks up. more difficult than simply driving a car without power steering. no accident yet but my wife drives it daily and i'm afraid its only a matter of time before she gets hit due to lack of ability to react quickly. i have found hundreds of traverse owners having the same issues with the same vehicle at the same mileage. this needs to be addressed by gm. a recall needs put into effect as repairs are costly. i've seen from$850 to over a thousand. this is too costly and important a repair for an automobile with such low mileage. fluid levels were found to be low once. fluid was topped off but issue remains. absolutely no signs of leak under vehicle. it is spotless. *tr

While driving experienced total steering failure. could not turn car at all. required complete sytem replacement of power steering pump and steering rack. appears to be very common problem with car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel started moving without any response from the wheels. the contact mentioned that the traction control and the air bag warning lamps illuminated immediately after the failure. the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a snow bank. no injuries were reported. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering shaft detached from the steering column. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offered any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 50,500. *tr

My 2009 traverse lt1 has steering issues while turning at slow speeds. the steering gets extremely stiff, resulting in having to use incredible strength to complete the turn. i first noticed it when the car got over 40,000 miles. took it to chevy service dealer and they stated it was a safety feature. i knew that false because i would have noticed it before 40,000. now they're telling me they can't help me unless the car does it while in their care. but it happens randomly so that doesn't help, which also makes it that much more scarier. this is a well-documented issue among traverse owners. most owners have stated that chevy would have them repair the pump or rack, not covered by a warranty, costing $1200 plus, to only face this issue shortly thereafter. *tr

I just purchased my 2009 traverse in march and within 2 weeks of owning it i noticed it was hard to park, unfortunately there was not a warranty on the car. now its been almost 3 months since i purchased my vehicle and it is getting worse by the day. i not only have problems parking but also when i make turns. i have taken to be looked at and they said it is a common problem with this vehicle. my concern is if it is so common why has it not been recalled. it is obviously a dangerous problem. i have had to stop my car in order to get it to turn so that i could fihish parking. also have noticed a clunking noise when the ac is on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the mechanic replaced the power steering fluid however, after the repair the failure continued. the mechanic stated that the rack and pinion would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000. the vin was not available. *tr

Going around a corner on a highway at approx 55 miles per hour the handling of the car becam erratic and difficult to control and uncontrollably shifted into the left lane. i forced it to the side of the road and determined we lost power steering. had to manhandle it to our repair shop. the mechanic replaced the power steering pump and bled the system. still was not right. replaced the pump again and re-bled system. still no better. researched problem and found that we have to repalce the rack as well. should not have to put this kind of money into a vehicle with 46,860 miles on it. gm will do nothing. there is no way that my wife or my daughters could have safely got that car to the side of the road and they both drive the car. have no decided to repair vehicle yet. will be contacting the better business bureau. amazing no one have had a serious or fatal accident yet. *tr

When turning at low speed, the power steering goes out and makes it very difficult to turn the vehicle.

While pulling into my neighborhood off of the main street my power steering failed without warning. i nearly collided with a car pulling out of my subdivision as i could barely turn my car, it took all of my strength to get it to turn. if my wife had been driving there is no doubt that she would've hit the car pulling out. i got the car to my mechanic and he found a faulty power steering pump and rack and pinion.not what i expect for a vehicle with 52,000 miles on it. over $1,000 and three days later i have my vehicle back. from what i've been reading on the internet this seems like a pretty common issue with these vehicles. i think a recall is in order before someone gets injured or killed. this is my first and possibly my last chevrolet depending on how things go from here. i realize things go wrong on vehicles from time to time but this seems to be a pretty common problem with this particular vehicle. please do the right thing and recall these vehicle's as this isn't an isolated issue. it's not like your customers have a thousand plus dollars lying around to fix something that is clearly faulty. *tr

Power steering failed without warning while turning left onto a side street from a stop, nearly a traffic crash with oncoming traffic. following the initial incident, the problem occurred at lower speeds of less than 30 mph while coasting, foot off gas, around corners and curves. problem persistent, absolutely no power assisted steering in parking lots at low speeds and trying to park. problem corrected itself while accelerating, or by raising engine rpm's. upon checking, power steering pump reservoir, it was found to be dry. upon filling pump, there was no change to the problem. taken to dealer, diagnosed the problem as a pump bearing failure. approximately 1 month prior, 75,000 mile service performed by dealer, power steering fluid checked by dealer, found to be full at that time. power steering pump replaced, system flushed, no leaks found. dealer advised of an ongoing problem with power steering pump failure to this make and model, but no recall by gm. repair cost between $750, for pump and flush, and $1200 with other system problems. due to disabilities, unable to steer vehicle, had to turn driving over to another person in the vehicle. definitely a safety issue! *tr

The traverse will not turn at certain speeds without excessive pressure to the steering wheel. i can't park in tight spaces, making turns greater than 20 degrees are increasingly difficult. random turns are also difficult, like changing lanes on the freeway etc. the pressure needed to make these turns on the steering wheel can be overwhelming to the average driver. i am concerned that this may cause an accident. gm refuses to address the problem, and says that it is electrical and must be fixed at my expense even though the car is still under warranty. this seems like a power steering problem, yet gm says the steering is electrical. *tr

Driving vehicle at slow speeds and turning is near impossible. power steering fails. this is a saftey issue, and would not be able to avoid an accident if we needed to. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that the steering wheel failed without warning while he attempted a turn. the failure was experienced numerous times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 42,000.

The steering is hard to turn when driving in law speed for example making a u-turn, while entering a parking spot, while performing a parallel parking, when exiting the high way into a street. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned making the steering wheel very difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the steering rack and steering pump had malfunctioned. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 50,000.

Power steering whining was diagnosed and replaced at 48,000 miles and now at 70,000 miles the power steering is failing again. having it lock up on me at slow speeds and causing me lose ability to control direction. very unsafe condition. *tr

The power steering stops working when going at slow speeds. diagnosed by dealership as power steering pump and gear leaking. it becomes nearly impossible to turn the steering wheel when parking or at times turning onto roads. our neighbors just took theirs in for the same exact issue. *tr

Was traveling on an interstate highway at 65 mph, felt a slight thump in the steering wheel. when i tried to turn to switch lanes, the steering wheel was next to impossible to turn. i was able to drive the car but it took all of my strength to operate the steering. i am a 50 year old physically able male, if it were my wife or daughter driving, it could have been catastrophic. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving various speeds, there was a sudden loss of power steering without warning. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three times. the technician informed that the power steering pump would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and they refused to repair the vehicle under the service warranty. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

When making turns at slow rates of speed, around 30 mph. steering becomes extremely difficult to turn, making it nearly impossible to maintain control of the vehicle. does not happen regularly but is happening more often. power steering fluid checks okay. during some instances steering will make popping noises, this happens when turning either left or right. *tr

Power steering stops working at lower speeds at times. *tr

I was in the process of making a left hand turn when my steering wheel locked when i finally got the steering wheel to loosen and move back into place i heard a loud popping sound. then my car on the front passenger side dropped to the ground due to the front tire axle braking which caused me to hit the back of a park vehicle. the brake of the axle appeared to clean as though the axle was never apart of my car. the incident scared me a lot and it could have been a lot worse. i do not understand how this could have happened on 3 year old car and i did not have any real warning signs prior to this. i would like to get this issue resolved as i am now without my car and i have to face repairing someone else's vehicle. *tr

Intermittent steering failure in 2009 chevy traverse. speed is not a factor since the steering just stops working at no matter what my speed is. it doesn't matter if your turning left or right. it started out just happening on occasion not very frequently. now it is happening all the time. i have had the steering just stop working to the point that you cannot steer at all like it just locks up, not even manual steering is available. i have had the steering stop working while trying to turn a corner and have to wait for the steering to come back before i can finish the turn. it only takes a few seconds for it to come back and i have not gotten into an accident because of it yet but my fear is that it could cause an accident with this issue. this has happened doing 70 mph down the expressway. this is my wife's car and i have great concern with her driving this car. i have read several steering issues on the internet dealing with the same issue that i am having however gm has not recalled this problem yet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that the power steering assist malfunctioned and the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the power steering pump failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000. the current mileage was approximately 80,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving under 30 mph making a left or right turn, the power steering stopped working making the steering wheel very difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the rack and pinion was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the remedy failed to repair the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

Bought this 2009 chevy traverse used in 2011 w 17,000mi. in 2012 at approx 40,000 mi, out of warranty (of course) i notice that in a slow or stopped position and trying to turn the wheel (ie backed out of driveway in reverse at slight angle, put into drive to finish turn to drive away, the power steering acts like it is gone and is now manual steering. this doesn't happen every time but is very intermittent. next time into dealer on transmission seal recall, i mentioned this as it continued for about a year, happening every day for a week, nothing for two weeks, again for a week, etc. when they did the recall work on the seal, it also stopped the random failure of the power steering. always at low speed or stopped, either direction. now at 72,000 mi, it is still doing it more often. gave up on dealer and had a shop power flush the steering system. did not fix the failure. had a real battle turning the wheel when adjusting my parking into a stall in a parking garage. very frustrating. i see other gm vehicles getting recalled for power steering issues. hoping mine is next. was told next would be to either replace the power steering pump at approx $800 or the rack and pinion at approx $1800. not excited about either but if continues to worsen, won't have much choice. very disappointed in this vehicle and poor service at the dealer where i bought it. will not go back for service or to buy, period. i see others mentioning what reads like the same exact issue in this forum. i too am very concerned about family members driving it as well as myself if it occurs at higher speed and motion. no leaks and shop said pwr steering fluid level was fine before flush. said they didn't know but i said try the flush which was the less expensive option, thinking something was flowing and blocking the pump action. what is the story gm? *tr

We have been living with intermittent power steering failure in our 2009 chevy traverse for over two years. we brought it in to be looked at when it first became an issue. the vehicle had 60k miles on it at the time. the dealer charged us a fee to diagnose the problem, but wasn't able to find anything wrong. this problem has been getting worse every day since. we've had it looked at by a number of repair centers, including the chevy dealer again and it has been determined to be the power steering gear that has failed or also known as the power steering rack and pinion. we have an estimate of $1200 to replace the steering gear and pump that has also now failed as a result of the gear failure. we feel this is a safety issue that chevrolet should be addressing a recall, especially since they had already identified this issue with published warranty service bulletin. since they consider power steering an optional item, it's not covered under the powertrain warranty. having your power steering fail without warning while on a highway cloverleaf exit ramp is a major safety hazard that needs to be addressed without cost to the consumer who spent thousands on a vehicle nhtsa has given a high safety rating. *tr

While driving at slow speeds and going to turn corner, into a parking spot, or turning vehicle in general, steering gets very hard as if power steering went out. power steering fluid checked routinely because if this. have had several near miss accidents due to not being able to stay in correct lane while turning with multiple turn lanes. thankfully other drivers were alert that i was not staying in my lane. problem is intermittent but becoming more frequent. *tr

Turning left against traffic steering wheel locked in place for a few seconds and then released quickly causing a very unsafe condition of turning hard with nothing and then almost u-turning with too much turning strength. there is no warning of steering stoppage. it was out of warranty and dealer suggested changing fluid as it was over 100k miles. took to independent shop and was told i need a rack and pinion. r & p was replaced and problem still existed. oem r & p replaced and problem still there. there is a steering solenoid that was replaced because it was full of dirty steering fluid. that did not repair it either. there is a pressure relief valve in the power steering pump that failed intermittently and the whole pump needed to be replaced. it appears the traverse is having a lot of "steering issues". this traverse has a lot of highway miles and the problem took a while to develop. i have been talking to chevrolet about this and they do not want to acknowledge a "problem". i spent $1200 having this issue resolved. when the steering first reacted this way, i felt in danger with the oncoming traffic, and the steering went violent when it released causing another dangerous situation of turning too far into more traffic. as i look at steering problems with this model there are numerous complaints and if mileage piles up a dangerous condition will occur and possible wrecks. *tr