Hi there,
My suv has some problems. I have been watching you for years literally have you added on all of my accounts so I don't miss anything. That being said its actually quite sad that I haven't asked sooner. So we bought our car new last year. It is a 2020 Chevy Traverse LT 9800 mile Automatic V6 engine. Well around two weeks after having it- it had this whiny whirring type of sound when you turn the wheel. It was around 2k miles when it became severely noticeable around the beginning of May. And by the end of May it was like okay this can't be normal (maybe around 3k miles). Since we were moving at the time I didn't think much about it. And in the summer we finally was like alrighty lets get it fixed since dealerships were opening up again. The sound pattern is in like whir whir whir noise? I can't explain it well but its loud and obnoxious. I do have video but trying to upload is not easy due to the fact that I'd have to find the video in my massive library and the computer I'm on is new so nothing is transferred as of yet. It just sounds like something is rubbing together. At first I wasn't going to even complain but the response from dealer to this noise is actually quite sad. This is a long story but I will try to make it as short as possible. The first dealership was like it's normal. Then they were like they would have to take it apart and get permission from Chevrolet. Which they made it seem like it wasn't something they wanted to do? Good thing my husband was like really annoyed because the guy said "it was a characteristics of Chevy" to have this type of noise. And he was adamant about having it fixed. I don't want to give too much backstory on how terrible the service centers thought about our problem. I told my husband that it wasn't the case unless it was a fairly new characteristic. My entire family mostly have GM and Chevy vehicles and I have never heard this in any of them. A guy my husband works with also has a traverse and his does not make this sound. So we took it somewhere else and talked to Chevy directly after they couldn't help us. So finally we went to another dealer and they were able to help. They replaced the part no problem. Well we got home and it was there but more on the quiet side. We figured we'd have to just live with it. HA! That sound is back. It's still obnoxious and loud but now we have more to add to it. The seatbelt in this car is crazy... there should be a warning label that states "seat will catch in between chair and the lock on it will not release". We tried everything, seat wouldn't budge, and nor would the belt. It's also a choking hazard on my seat. It locks and doesn't give while driving at all. The only way to fix seatbelts is to take seat apart... the way its designed is just- wow. The window condenses bad during any type of weather. You can turn defogger up on max and it takes a while to clear and sometimes it doesn't. Changing the settings from hot to cold or vice versa until you get it just right and I wonder why is it so bad in our car. I had a GMC before and it never was this bad. Next on top of the noise. We now have a hissing sound when you stop the car. I'm just like what in the world. Is there a loose bolt maybe a hole somewhere...? When we are sitting at a light or idle with foot on the break it starts to hiss-not really sure why but its fairly recent(about last two weeks). And to top it off on our many troubles. The car doesn't shut off when you push shut off. There aren't any lights on the start/stop button. The center console still runs when you open and close door. You have to manually turn it off or wait until it turns off (radio area). Won't this drain the battery quicker? I ask and no sort of knowledge to this problem from Chevy. And lastly, when one of us is driving, I slow down and the car speeds up. On it's own. It's sort of scary. Not something I can get used to. Like that's my final straw. I was asked by guy at dealership "if it was on cruise control" as well and I'm like wow, I'm not an idiot. It's not on cruise control. I don't drive with it on. The features on the car barely work when you need them to so to keep my family safe I rather not use it. Like one problem is the indicator light that a pedestrian is near or someone else is in your lane fails to register. The car moves over on its own and literally tries to take you off the road - as if it isn't registering the lines on the road?? So no Chevy I don't use that feature at all because of the iffiness of the others. So far no explanation as to why it suddenly speeds up. I complained already to the NHTSA and took it back to the dealer. They seriously will just replace another part and wait to see if that fixes it(that's literally what he said). I honestly think that a mechanic with previous knowledge could help me point them into the right direction. I do apologize for it being so long but I need my car or a more reliable one.
Thank you for all the help in advance!
It's a lemon. Depending on the state, if you return for repairs a number of times (and can document that) for the specific problem, you can invoke a lemon law. Learn what that law is in your state. Gather your documentation and do what is necessary. The dealerships are not your friends or allies, when it comes to lemon cars.
To repeat: Learn the law in your state and aggressively work to make it work for you.
Return the car. If they refuse it, hire a lawyer.
I'm saying that when you have a constellation of recurring problems, plus technicians who are disincentivized to take on warranty work (because of the considerably lower rate paid by manufacturers), you're unlikely to get these issues resolved before your warranty is up. In fact, you may well be strung along until the warranty has expired, and then, the dealer will say, "Too bad. Pay up."
As I've said in other posts, dealerships have a mercantile culture (of selling goods and services whether they are needed or not) and not a diagnostic culture, meant to solve your problems. It's a disposition baked into the culture of these organizations (and their compensation incentives and disincentives).
If it were me, I'd take the vehicle to a first rate, diagnostic independent shop and have them document these problems, via a general inspection. This is documentation you may well need, from a third party, to move forward.
I'm saying to you that dealerships aren't particularly interested in your problems with the vehicle. (And they may not have diagnosticians that are particularly good at problem solving).
Protect yourself. Caveat Emptor, always,
Wait so are you seriously saying my car isn't fixable? I mean I've seen cars with problems but are these problems really that bad to where it can't be solved??
Hello, thank you for your responses. I wanted to wait until dealership fixed our car to respond as to what I wish to do. Long story short. Our car had no sounds before 2k miles. We test drove the model that had just came off truck to see if it had sounds and it didn't. Just like our car had no sounds when we purchased it. The loaner car however that was the same exact model of the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse had every sound we have and the breaks squeak as well. This car only had a little over 2k miles. So they told us that our car had gunky transmission oil and they replaced it. This was their explanation of the sudden acceleration problem that scared the crap out of me. The dealer was like it will take 200 miles for all problems to go away. Then they are like we shall see later on if any more problems occur. Here's the thing, they actually think I'm not going to drive two hundred miles and back in a day, ha! I clear that just going to the grocery store. They really don't know me at all. When I finish my two hundred mile test drive I am going to drop it off and ask for my money back. One they didn't fix the wheel noise at all. They claim its normal. Which I find hilarious because last time I took it there mechanic was like this is not normal and they replaced a part! Dude wasn't there anymore so I wonder why? So this is the maximum times allowed in my state therefore it's time to find something else. I'm going to search right now to see what's a great brand to switch too because I'm done with Chevy.
Well, that just shows you what kind of garbage GM builds nowadays. The traverse has always been a pile of junk ever since it launched.
