Selling a junk Chevrolet Traverse
Any Traverse sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Chevrolet Traverse
NHTSA has 7,295 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Traverse, model years 2009 to 2022, the 70th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are other (1,091, 15%), air bags (1,049, 14%), engine (1,049, 14%). 245 complaints involved a crash, 53 a fire, and 211 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 70,000 miles. The 2011 model year has the most complaints (945). Data as of 2026-10-12.
The guides below explain how each kind of fault changes what a buyer pays.
Chevrolet Traverse by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 584 | Steering | 26 | 5 | 8 | 87,321 |
| 2010 | 923 | Steering | 25 | 9 | 5 | 77,000 |
| 2011 | 945 | Engine | 31 | 6 | 5 | 74,000 |
| 2012 | 587 | Other | 16 | 4 | 5 | 90,000 |
| 2013 | 296 | Other | 14 | 6 | 4 | 80,000 |
| 2014 | 884 | Air bags | 11 | 2 | 7 | 70,125 |
| 2015 | 422 | Air bags | 15 | 7 | 5 | 55,000 |
| 2016 | 385 | Air bags | 16 | 1 | 5 | 47,000 |
| 2017 | 433 | Air bags | 20 | 4 | 3 | 38,000 |
| 2018 | 686 | Transmission and drivetrain | 14 | 2 | 2 | 27,000 |
| 2019 | 587 | Transmission and drivetrain | 24 | 4 | 3 | 34,475 |
| 2020 | 307 | Engine | 19 | 2 | 8 | 55,500 |
| 2021 | 115 | Other | 8 | 1 | 3 | — |
| 2022 | 141 | Transmission and drivetrain | 6 | 0 | 1 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Chevrolet Traverse recalls
NHTSA lists 29 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (9), transmission and drivetrain (4), seat belts (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2014 model year, air bags (campaign 23V334000, May 2023): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
- 2015 model year, air bags (campaign 22V246000, Apr 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
- 2020 model year, air bags (campaign 22V210000, Mar 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles. The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminal…
- 2020 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 21V817000, Oct 2021): Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Traverse wheelchair accessible vehicles with Power In-floor Ramp conversion. The screw and clip that hold the inner wheel-well plastic shroud in place ma…
- 2013 model year, air bags (campaign 21V782000, Oct 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
What a Chevrolet Traverse is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Traverse on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Traverse worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Traverse gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Traverse that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Traverse?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Chevrolet Traverse numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.