Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse has 464 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most for its transmission and drivetrain at 196. Its combined fuel economy is 20 to 22 mpg, with a 5-year fuel cost of $15,470 to $18,290 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 overall stars. There are 2 recall campaigns, covering air bags and transmission and drivetrain. Recall campaigns may apply to a given car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
20–22 mpgcombined; city 17–20, highway 25–27; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$15,470–$18,290U.S. average; Ohio $13,820–$17,240 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2018 Traverse. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 464 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Traverse. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power train
196
1
0
0
Unknown or other
105
2
1
6
Electrical system
102
1
0
5
Engine
85
1
0
0
Service brakes
37
3
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
30
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
16
0
0
0
Steering
14
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
12
0
0
0
Seat belts
11
0
0
0
Structure
11
0
0
0
Suspension
10
0
0
0
13 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
8
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
8
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
7
0
0
0
Lane departure
7
1
0
0
Air bags
5
4
1
2
Wheels
4
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
3
0
0
0
Carry handle, shell, base
2
0
0
0
Chest clip, buckle, harness
2
0
0
0
Back over prevention
1
0
0
0
Tether, lower anchor (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE)
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2018 Traverse over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 1,109 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 Traverse, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (386), electrical system (229), engine and engine cooling (144), power train (125), engine (112).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 Traverse.
See used 2018 Chevrolet Traverses for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: standard sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Traverse Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic 9-spd
Premium Gasoline
20 / 26 / 22
Traverse Front-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 9-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 27 / 21
Traverse All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 9-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 25 / 20
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data