Problems with 2010 Chevrolet Traverse STEERING

This is an update to my earlier complaint of intermittent sudden loss of power steering making turns at low speeds. i was able to reliably recreate the loss of power assist following this procedure: finding an empty lot, turn vehicle and hold at slow speed (under 10mph) and continue in complete circles. eventually, power assist will kick off and making any turns will require significant effort. bringing the vehicle to higher speeds (25-35 mph) appears to reset. my vehicle is currently in shop for replacement of power steering pump as this was the dealership service department's diagnosis even though i informed them of the ability to induce vehicle as described above. i will update this complaint if power steering replacement does not correct issue. *tr

On sunday i noticed a reddish fluid under the front right corner of the vehicle that had leaked out onto the garage floor. on thursday i took the vehicle in for regular maintenance and have the water pump recall taken care of and had mentioned to the service tech about the fluid i had noticed. the service tech called me later that day to inform me that the mechanic had found that the fluid was coming from the power steering pump and that the rack and pinion had to be replaced at a cost of $1400.00. the vehicle is just over 4 years old and to have this problem is unacceptable. in doing research into power steering failure on this particular chevrolet vehicle, there are numerous consumers with the same issue related to the power steering components. the service tech said that this is a safety issue. if this is a recurring problem, a recall should be issued to have gm replace the power steering components before there are major accidents because of this. as of this writing, i'm waiting on a decision from the dealership to see if they would replace the power steering unit at gm's cost. again, this is unacceptable. *tr

While driving in a parking lot i heard high pitched squealing from steering. then all of a sudden i could not turn to left or right. luckily parking lot was not to crowded and i was able to park. once in park i tried to shut off vehicle but was unable to remove key from ignition. after minutes of messing with it i finally got the key out. since then i still hear squealing and steering is different. i noticed my car was leaking something and told my husband who took my car to dealership. they said i need a new gear box. i don't even have 27000 miles on my traverse and have already had to replace the o2 sensors now this. i really liked this car but i don't have the money to be paying for this lemon!!! i went online and in several other states there are class action lawsuits for this same problem. this is a huge safety issue. please help or direct me in what i should do. thanks *tt

I bought this traverse in may of 2013. we have been having a problem with the power steering off and on for over a year. the suv only had 58000 miles on it when we bought it. we just dealt with it, because we either don't have the time or the money to fix the problem. that was until recently, i was driving home from work and almost ran off the road, because the steering locked up on me. i consider this a hazard and one i don't want to lose my life for. there is no reason to have to replace a lifetime part like this. i have had other cars that i have yet to replace this item on, one is 11 yrs old and has 200000 miles on it. *tr

While driving/turning at slow speeds (20-30 mph) or in parking lots the power steering quits. there is no warning and then it starts working again. so off and on would best describe it. the first incident was terrifying because i was driving in the rocky mountains going around hair-pin curves and the steering went out, but then came back. my whole family was in the vehicle! what if i could not make the turn and we drove off the mountain side? this is a very serious problem! i took it to the dealership and they said maybe it was the fluid and added more and that there is no recall. the problem is not fixed. i am not a happy chevrolet owner right now. please figure out the problem and have a recall before someone dies. *tr

the power steering began failing at low speeds and following stops. the wheel requires extraordinary effort to complete a turn, power steering returns after the vehicle speed increases. as with the other 2010 traverses reporting on this site( now at well over 100) we would like some accountability on the part of the manufacturer. so far there has been no consensus on what is causing this failure in the power searing system. the ignorance of problems like this has caused damage, injury, and cost lives. to repeat, where is the accountability ? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph and making a right turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. in addition, the brakes made an abnormal noise and excessive force was applied to the brake pedal in order to slow down or stop the vehicle. the failure occurred on two separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering intermediate shaft and vacuum brake booster needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 53,470.

You guys need to check out this website, i'm having the exact same problems as many listed here, and many who don't even look into this issue!!! something has to be wrong with the traverse, and gm is picking out 1 at a time, and offering to fix the issues at a lesser charge (out of warranty). please get someone to look into this. our steering has been an issue, along with the electronic control module having been replaced 4 times!! wiring harness replaced, leaking power steering, and struts/mounts. after doing much research, i find so many people having the exact same issues!!! there has to be a problem somewhere, and many people unknowingly are paying full price for this unless they complain!!! i ended up paying $950 for a $4000 bill at the dealer after negotiating with gm. something is wrong here folks!! [xxx] there are many other forums if you google this issue of other consumers with these issues!! with some losing power and dropping from 65mph on interstate to 20 mph within a matter of seconds!! i don't want this to happen to my family!!!! *tr parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

The traverse has a serious problem with the steering, as in it does not turn(at all) at low speeds. the power steering will not work 90% of the time when turning at 10mph or lower. getting out of a parking place is almost impossible if you are required to only pull out one way. the scariest instance for us was when we tried to pull into a turn lane across a five lane highway and the car wouldn't turn to straighten up in the turn lane. luckily the other drivers stopped but that would have been a serious accident had they not. we have taken it in before to have it looked at and nothing was found. we are taking it to someone new next week. *tr

Power steering would not turn at slow speed,rack a pinion totally gone. *tr

At very slow speeds, steering wheel seems to lock or become very difficult to turn. this has happened numerous times. now occurs occasionally when backing out of parking spaces. on 6/6/14, i felt a loss of power steering going around a corner at 25 mph. i checked several website and this seems to be a very common issue. i feel this is very dangerous and it seems to be a design flaw. *tr

When traveling at slow speeds(parking lots, turning in/out of streets) the steering will become very hard to turn or lock up and then comes back. this is an extreme safety issue when trying to pull into traffic or turn across traffic. i have teenage drivers and this is not acceptable! *tr

I have a 2010 traverse. with in the last 3 months the steering has become a daily problem. when making turns from 25mph or less you loose control of the car. the steering will freeze up when it chooses. sometimes it will happen at the start of a turn sending you straight toward on coming traffic!! we had it in for an oil change (may 2014) and asked the dealer to check the steering. dealer said there was nothing wrong and the vehicle is fine. it still continues to occurrence on a daily basis. we don't have the money to bring it to the dealer to have the pump replaced. i'm looking for other options on how to repair/replace it the most economical way? until i have this problem resolved it will mostly be just an around the town vehicle do to the fear of it may happen while on the highway. i cant believe with this many complaints gm hasn't done anything to correct this problem. its time for a recall. *tr

2010 chevrolet traverse. power steering goes in and out while turning at slow speeds - it sometimes works/sometimes not. particularly noticeable when attempting to park, or turn from at stop at an intersection. very much a safety concern due to the unexpected loss of the power steering while trying to make a turn - either into a parking spot, or while turning through traffic at an intersection, and then the strength needed to turn the wheel. problem started at less than 60k miles. after some research, appears this is a common problem for the traverse and related gm vehicles. *tr

Power steering locks up when turning at slow speeds or parking. very dangerous. see numerous people are having the same complaint. *tr

I was driving my chevy traverse on a main road when it started making a loud noise, steering wheel got very stiff and it was hard for me to steer. i immediately tried making a left turn in order to pull into a residential block and out of harms way. it was really hard for me to try to drive my vehicle and get both me and my child out of harms way. thankfully, i was able to park it in a safe spot and out of the way of on coming traffic. if i wouldn't have reacted quickly and used all of my strength to try to steer the vehicle it could've turned into a tragic accident. i was very afraid for both me and my child. gm/chevy should place an immediate recall on this before someone gets hurt. now my truck is in the shop and i am looking at a cost of $2100 for a power steering pump. i bought this vehicle thinking it was a safe crossover for my family. *tr

At low speeds, power steering goes out intermittently. dangerous at intersections, exit ramps and stop signs when sharp turns are needed. *js

While driving into parking lot, slowing down, the power steering failed and i was no longer able to steer the traverse, unless i applied power (accelerated on the gas pedal). i brought the vehicle into the dealership. they diagnosed the problem as a leaking power steering pump and the rack and pinion was faulty, both which needed to be replaced (at significant cost, over $2,000). *tr

I see complaints about the power steering going out. while my car was under factory warranty, i complained to the dealership about the whinning sound in the steering column. the problem could not be duplicated while it was there. now the power steering rack is being replaced. i see complaints about this problem and that it is not covered under extended warranties. mine is and i am sooo very grateful. i have a new house a new clean garage floor. my husband and son first saw the leak on the new garage floor. we found he problem early. my son crawled under the car and took a pic of where it was leaking and i sent it to my service advisor. he called me back and told me to get the car in. i wasn't experiencing problems yet. i was lucky. if so many other people are having problems, why isn't there a recall? *tr

When i purchased this vehicle, shortly after i had it, i began noticing a stiffness whenever i would turn corners at intersections, or into parking spaces, etc. this issue is becoming more and more frequent and has put me in some very dangerous situations when turning into traffic. often times i have had to back up and start over when turning as i would never make it to where i am going safely. at intersections there have been times that i would almost end up in oncoming traffic because the vehicle would not turn correctly for me. when i brought this up to the dealer they told me that because it was an all-wheel drive that was a common problem. now after they fixed something else on my car and i had them look at this issue, they determined that is was in fact my power steering pump and the box that goes with it, which is going to cost me an additional $2400 to repair. i have had this vehicle for about 4 months now (1 month of this time they had it to repair my engine) so i feel that i am getting ripped off with this vehicle. sad thing is that i really loved this car but am against putting this much money into something that seems to be a huge issue with gm. i have read the complaints online and there are numerous people that have the same make/model/year vehicle as me and are having the same problem. someone needs to do something about this before someone gets into an accident. *tr

Went to pick up my car from inspection and technician had difficulty steering the car in the lot. diagnosed as possible electric pump steering issue. already have been told i needed to replace rack & pinion but used leak stop and so far has been holding. car can't even be steered to get out of parking lot. how much money will this cost now? i feel chevrolet has many cars with similar issues. it is time for them to take responsibility. *tr

I contacted gm and they are contacting the dealer where i purchased my 2010 traverse. having the car only 6 months and found the steering was locking up called dealer and they checked out the car, needs power steering fluid because its leaking and the steering gear box needs replaced. 1,310 just to fix the car. why is there no recall?? i have small children and we bought this for a family vehicle. now i shouldn't even be driving it and how will i get to work? something needs to be done. atleast toyota fixes there vehicles at no cost to the customer. gm cant even do anything for there's just take there money. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated while driving approximately 15 mph, there was a sudden loss of power steering and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the failure occurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing, who stated the rack and pinion and the power steering pump needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

While switching lanes, the power steering suddenly became hard to use. it was scary but luckily it reengaged a short time later. it's happened many times since then and it doesn't seem to follow a set a pattern. i'm afraid it will fail when i really need it. *tr

My spouse was driving the car and tried to make a turn at an intersection and almost hit the car in the oncoming lane because the steering became very difficult. managed to drive the car into a parking lot where the problem came and went, eventually just had it towed to a mechanic. the car did not exhibit the problem for the mechanic so he could not diagnose the problem. now we are afraid to drive the car. *tr

I took the listed vehicle to the shop for its yearly state inspection. they informed me that rack and pinion needed to be replaced, that is was leaking fluid. before this i did notice a whining sound when i turned the vehicle at low speeds also harder to turn. *tr

Power steering goes out intermittently at low rates of speed, while trying to make turns, can not turn the steering wheel when it does this, i have taken my traverse to the local dealership 3 times but because it's out of warranty they want me to pay $1000 for parts plus labor charges to have the rack & pinion as well as the power steering pump fixed. i called gm directly 800-222-1020 and asked why so many complaints have been made but there hasn't been a recall issue & they said that people aren't reporting this issue through the dealership, so i suggest that if you have a traverse with these problems you contact your local gm dealer asap!!!!! hopefully we can get some assistance with the prices of this! *tr

Power steering goes out intermittently, primarily at low speeds. the vehicle can not be controlled for low speed steering, pump has been checked and dealer said it is electronic but not certain. *tr

Power steering goes without warning. usually at lower speeds. hit a curb while trying to turn into a parking spot. *tr

From a stop, making a left turn, the power steering locked up making it very difficult to turn on a busy street. power steering has locked up multiple times since purchasing on december 23, 2013. gm needs to address this serious problem before someone is killed. *tr

The 19 of january 2014 i was turning left on an intersection and my chevy traverse started to make a noise when i turn left. since then is getting constant every time i turn left. it sound like a steering gear. *tr

At about 53000 miles my wife started to notice a small intermittent whining sound coming from the front end. now we loose steering at low speeds like turning a corner( very dangerous). it is going to the dealer on monday, i am guessing we will need a new rack and pinion. *tr

Car making loud noise while turning and its very hard to steer. took it to the chevy dealership they said there is a leak in power steering rack and it cost around $1500.00 to get it fixed. i see im not the only one having this issue with this model. *tr

Power steering suddenly stopped working for couple of seconds. it's still keep continuing. i approached chevrolet authorized service center and requested for service. they never found any issues on power steering and charged me $180.00 for diagnosing. problem still happening while my car turning slowly, suddenly power steering will loose it's power and very hard to turn. it's really dangerous while turning can't turn the wheels. .definitely it's going to hits some innocent people. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving various speeds, there was an abnormal grinding noise heard whenever completing a turn. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that there was no defect with the vehicle. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then advised that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the dealer did not properly diagnose the vehicle until after the warranty had expired. the manufacture was made aware of the failure and declined to provide further assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 140.

My car, a 2010 chevy traverse ltz, had been making a loud sound upon starting. if the car was not allowed to warm up, it became difficult to steer. we took it to the mechanic, thinking it might just be low on power steering fluid. the mechanic stated that our steering column was shredded, and that there were metal shaving in the power steering fluid. it costs $2400 to fix. we have also had the air conditioning go out twice this summer. *tr

While turning the vehicle at relatively low speeds (under 25 mph) the steering would suddenly lock up and become very hard to turn. the problem was somewhat intermittent creating a more dangerous situation as the steering wheel would be very hard to turn and suddenly get easier and then hard again causing over-compensation in mid turn. the problem was diagnosed as the "steering rack binding" and ultimately resulted in the replacement of the steering rack and the power steering pump. *tr

This vehicle was taken to champion chevrolet for a recall for a failing water pump seal. during that analysis, the power steering pump and rack assembly was found to be low on oil and with metal shavings in the pinion rack was near failure. the failure mode on this model and all traverses, enclaves, and acadias is the ultimately steering lock and a probably crash. this is a definite recall item that should be finally determined by nhtsa for all years of this vehicle. the repair estimate is over $2600 as the entire front engine assembly has to be removed. other owner experiences indicate that this repair is widespread in these gm models and is a serious safety issue. *tr

Steering intermittently looses power causing steering wheel to jerk and making steering difficult. vehicle then begins to veer out of lane. power steering pump constantly "whines". manufacturer contacted stated not covered by warranty. through internet research this is an extremely common problem with the traverse vehicle. *tr

The 2010 traverse first incident happened while driving cross country. the steering went out. you could not turn with out brute force. it was taken to a chevrolet dealer ship and an new power steering pump was put on. once back to our home town same problem happened. took to our local chevrolet dealer they replaced same power steering pump (dealership didn't charge for previous chevrolet dealerships work). third incident we almost hit a parked car and a building because the steering locked up and would not turn. took back to our local chevrolet dealership and the replaced more parts and the power steering pump again. and not to sound like a broken recorded but its back at the dealership for another power steering pump. there is no more trust in this vehicle. someone's going to get hurt if they don't diagnose the problem. *tr

The power steering pump failed. there has been repeated grinding and steering issues over the ensuing 4,000 miles (6 mo) since the replacement. it seems that many other owners are experiencing this at 40 - 60k miles, past the lifetime of the warranty (3 yr / 36,000 miles). *tr

My wife drove her vehicle (this vehicle) home, and noticed once she slowed down in our subdivision that she virtually lost all ability to control the steering of her car. she was able to make it in to our garage at great effort on her end! later that day, we attempted to drive it again and simply could not budge or with great difficulty the steering wheel. it begun to snow that afternoon and so we did not persist getting on the road. we did a few days later and noticed that at slightly higher speeds the handling of the vehicle improved, but at lower speeds we again we unable to steer the car. research online revealed many other owners with similar experience. there is no recall. repair blogs on this vehicle have had owners replace their rack and pinion, power steering pump, and power steering gear. our dealer informed us the pump had to be replaced and recommended we replace the gear, we could not afford this. we have not yet driven the now "repaired" vehicle. gm advised us to contact nhtsa! *tr

Started with intermittent loss of power steering at low speeds making tight turns. then noticed hesitant/jerky steering on the highway, with loud rattle in front end. as with all the others, got the run around from the local chevy repair shop, and also with gm customer service - would not acknowledge or even talk about all the similar complaints. i got gm customer service to go good for most of the repair cost of installing a new power steering pump and steering gears. all after 3 trips to the repair shop, the first time they insisted i just needed a power steering flush - 2nd time they put in the pump, 3rd time finally "found" the leaky gear. let's hope this holds out - drove good for the 40 mile trip home. *tr

There is a recall for the same issue that 90% of the steering issues noted on this site is for but not for the traverse. here are the details. we need to call gm or the safety numbers and fight to get this fixed! this is clearly an issue. we were quoted 1700 to replace the rack and pinion. lithia motors was terrible to work with. we bought the car on 11/21/2013 and noted the problem to them in less than a week after purchase and they told us they would take care of us. if i had known they wouldn't then i would have returned the car to them. i will never deal with them again and don't recommend it to anyone else! report receipt date: mar 31, 2014 nhtsa campaign number: 14v153000 component(s): steering potential number of units affected: 1,340,447 all products associated with this recall vehicle makemodelmodel year(s)chevroletcobalt2010chevrolethhr2009-2010chevroletmalibu2004-2006,2008-2009chevroletmalibu maxx2004-2006pontiacg62005-2006,2008-2009saturnaura2008-2009saturnion2004-2007 details general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, 2004-2006 malibu maxx, 2009-2010 hhr (non-turbo), 2010 cobalt, 2008-2009 saturn aura and 2004-2007 ion, and 2005-2009 pontiac g6. in the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving. consequence: if power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash. n otes: owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. *tr

While turning the car going forward or reversing right or left the steering will lockup. it feels like the power steering goes out. i can start the turn with no trouble and mid way through it can lock up and then release again. this is not always consistent though and doesn't happen on every turn. this has many times caused me to almost not make my turn. when it locks up it take both hands and all my strength and weight to pull on the wheel to complete a turn. again not consistent. sometimes it never happens during a drive. other times it happens on almost every turn. there are also times that it is hard to turn when i first try or start a turn. i can sometimes recreate it if i start a turn, not turning the wheel the full turn i need and then pull more on the wheel... it seems to lock up most times. but again not always. the dealership lithia looked at it for us once and found some moisture in an area they thought may have been causing an issue and replaced a seal but this was several months ago and it didn't change a thing. we are taking it in again today and hope that they find something as i feel this is a safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering system and the engine coils failed and needed to be replaced. the power steering system was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000. the vin was not available.

While turning the vehicle at relatively low speeds (under 25 mph) the steering suddenly locks up and becomes very hard to turn. initially, the problem was somewhat intermittent, causing over-compensation in mid-turn. however, it has become increasingly more of a problem, creating a dangerous situation. while googling this issue online, it appears there are numerous people having this same problem. *tr

While driving, especially when going around a curve, turning to the left or right onto another street, turning into a parking lot or trying to park in a parking space, the steering wheel is very difficult to turn. at times, it is almost impossible to turn. i have contacted my gm dealership who tells me there has been no recalls for this problem and that my power-steering pump needs replacement. i am highly doubtful of that as this seems to be alot of 2010 chevy transverse owners complaints. gm needs to step up and initiate a recall. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet traverse. the contact stated that while driving between 3-5 mph, the power steering malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become stiff. the failure was recurring. the vehicle was repaired by both an independent mechanic and an authorized dealer, who both flushed the steering but to no avail. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 80,000.

The power steering gets stuck. i can't turn the steering wheel. the steering wheel has gotten stuck while turning at a light. *tr