2018 Chevrolet Traverse · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 37owner reports
- 40,000median miles
- 3involved a crash
Newest report Aug 18, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
37 of the 461 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 37 reports
Brake wear on other Traverse years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the booster (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the brakes on the Traverse
Electronic brake module component failure. Open.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 24,450 and 52,180 miles, from the 15 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 6 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of a rear brake squeal noise.
This service bulletin provides information for tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system concerns.
This Preliminary information communicates information to diagnose DTC C056D or C056E.
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the front brake pads with single shim pad kit to correct a condition of Squeal Noise Originating from Front Brakes During Brake Apply.
2 more on the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse page.
What owners wrote
“For the past 3 years my 2018 Traverse will randomly say shift to park and won't let me turn my vehicle off even though I am in park. In the last week it has gotten worse happening almost every time I drive it and not recognizing that I am in park for anywhere from 2-10 minutes.”
Filed Mar 26, 2025
“Shift to Park Issue. Other years have been recalled for this issue but not 2018 (specifically this vin#). Car doesn't recognize when parking gear is engaged and asks for parking to be engaged. Issue is happening more often and it's becoming harder to park the car. Dealership says nothing can be done unless out of pocket.”
Filed Aug 21, 2024
“The emergency park brake engaged automatically, and the battery had to be disconnect to reset it. When the vehicle is shifted to park, the dash display says shift to park even though the vehicle has been shifted to park. Have to start and turn off engine, the shift lever back and forth for vehicle display message has been cleared. This has happened more than once”
Filed May 26, 2024
“The parking brake came on as I was driving and would not allow me to turn it off. It caused my brakes to smoke and they were radiating heat. It is currently at the shop Kelley Buick GMC Bartow, FL”
Filed Apr 30, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 3 of 37 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- "Shift to Park" or "Service Shifter" warning comes on 94 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 70 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 46 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 36 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 32 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 26 reports