Chevy Traverse Among Cars Most Likely To Have A/C Problems
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In case you haven’t heard, there are record heat waves hitting the western U.S. right now, with temperatures soaring up to and beyond the triple-digit mark. Not only are these high-temperature events dangerous, they also exacerbate the need for working air conditioning for travelers. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to make sure your A/C system won’t break down when you need it most, especially if you happen to be a Chevy Traverse owner.
According to a recent post from Consumer Reports, the 2012 through 2015 Chevy Traverse is among the top 10 vehicles most likely to have air conditioning problems.
“Air conditioning problems range from easy to repair to requiring significant trouble-shooting and skill to fix,” said Consumer Reports chief mechanic, John Ibbotson. “Drivers naturally dread A/C problems because they invariably happen when you most want the cool air, and the costs to repair can easily top $1,000. But some problems, if caught early enough, don’t cost nearly that much.”
According to Consumer Reports, A/C problems in the 2012 through 2015 Chevy Traverse typically occur between 25,000 and 55,000 miles. The report states that it is reasonable to expect a modern vehicle to have dependable A/C for 100,000 miles or more.
The list of possible A/C components that could fail include the compressor, the automatic climate control system, the blower motor, the condenser, the evaporator, and the refrigerant lines.
The Chevy Traverse was first introduced for the 2009 model year, with the latest second-generation model arriving for the 2018 model year. The 2012 through 2015 Chevy Traverse models which Consumer Reports points to for A/C reliability issues are part of the first generation. Motivation is sourced from the 3.6L V6 LLT engine, with underpinnings provided by the GM Lambda platform. Both FWD and AWD were offered.
Have you had A/C problems in your Chevy Traverse? Tell us by posting in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Traverse news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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Should be a RECALL. My 2014 traverse LTZ Rear a/c went out. Pathetic. I have a 2005 chevy cavalier with 278,000 A/C still works and has had less go wrong with it. I am looking Tesla next. Tired of paying for a vehicle. Getting a warranty. Then it either expires or dealer hits you with unable to duplicate problem.
I have a 2016 Traverse. I have had to replace the rear evaporator once while still under warranty. Later on my condenser went out. I had to pay for that in full out of pocket. Agree with others, GM should do a recall and review the whole system.
Bought vehicle and after 2 days Ac failed.
Took vehicle in dealer service department assured me vehicle would be repaired and warranty for my ownership lifetime. AC failed within 6 months vehicle went back to service department. I was called in to pick up vehicle bug it wasn’t repaired. I left veihcle and picked up a week later. After another 6 months vehicle went back to dealer loaner vehicle was given to me for 3 months to only get a threatening call that I would have to pay ouf of pocket for repairs due to the fact that dealer sold to new owner that they will not honor any warranty after the date sold. After long 3 month headache I was gifted a bill of $200 to repair vehicle. Ac is working but its only been a month. I will keep all posted it usually takes 6 months to fail.
Bottom line sta away from PUENTE HILLS CHEVROLET AND ALL THAT THE CORPORATION OWNS. Was told owners are in the UK
Should have a RECALL on them Especially when you know the problem will happen. I spent almost $1200 in A/C repair for my 2012 Chevy Traverse. First the front A/c line was fix then the next day the rear line had to be fixed. Chevrolet said if one goes out mine as well be prepared to fix the other and dont be shock if it happens again😡.
My 2015 Chevy Traverse needed repaired the day I bought it in 2016. It went back in three more times under warranty for AC repairs and always had a problem with in 8 months after each repair. As soon as it was out of warranty I had another AC failure that cost me $1,700. Once again, within eight months the AC went out again. This time the repair was under the dash and when they were finished I had several problems with dash controls and Lighting
There are usually lemon laws if cars just don’t function right since you bought it.
I’ve had 4 AC issues with my 2014 Acadia. The 1st one the compressor failed. Then 3 times the rear evaporator failed. It would fail every 15 months. Apparently the rear blower fan likes to sputter copper all over the aluminum evaporator. It was covered under warranty the 1st two times but then the dealership wanted to charge me the 3rd time since it was out of warranty and I told them to screw themselves and I fixed it myself. I used non-GM parts that appeared to be more robust and had to make modifications to make the parts fit. Over 2 years later and no failures.
I own a 2012 traverse, ac went out 1 year after we bought it and the warranty expired. This was a cpo purchase. The odometer is now malfunctioning and reading that I travel 5or more additional miles than I actually have. The speedometer is waving as I drive and losing power at every dip of the speedometer .. The traction control turns on and off by itself. And I’ve already replaced the battery, water pump and spark plugs w/ cables. As of now no mechanic wants to be bothered with it.. I love the space it provides but after 20 thousand dollars, and only 4 years of use and several other problems, I won’t be sad to see it go..
Had A/C problems with a 2011 GMC Acadia; cracks in two condensed lines. I blame some of the problem on continually driving on bad roads, lots of potholes, broken pavement and vibration on a daily basis. Happened at about 50K miles and 3 1/2 years into ownership. Through my complaints with GMC Customer Service they did a $200 deductible on my part and they covered the rest under warranty. Original bill to replace was just under $1000.
I own a 2012 traverse, ac went out 1 year after we bought it and the warranty expired. This was a cpo purchase. The odometer is now malfunctioning and reading that I travel 5or more additional miles than I actually have. The speedometer is waving as I drive and losing power at every dip of the speedometer arm.. The traction control turns on and off by itself. I’ve already replaced the battery, water pump and spark plugs w/ cables. As of now no mechanic wants to be bothered with it.. I love the space it provides but after 20 thousand dollars, and only 4 years of use and several other problems, I won’t be sad to see it go..
2012 Chevy Traverse with 154000 miles and I have charged the ac every year for the last three years. I sure can’t wait to get rid of my money pit. I’ve never put so much money into a vehicle to keep it on the road safely.
A few mentioned recalls, recalls are only used for safety items. I have a 2012 Silverado, 80k and zero problems. I live in Florida so the AC runs almost all the time. There had to be a change of suppliers and a new design that obviously turned out to be pretty bad.
How ironic is it that today I just paid a touch over $1,400 to replace the a/c in my 2016 Traverse LTZ due to clutch failure. I am so mad. $1,400 TO REPLACE THE A/C??? I’d like to choke a few engineers who designed that installation.
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I have a 2015 Traverse which I bought at a Chevy dealership. It was a certified used suv with 35,000 mileage. I’ve had it for over a year and the other day the ac compressor had to be replaced along with a sensor. It was blowing humid warm air. Ended up paying near $2,000. The suv is near 56,000 in mileage. 😒
2013 TRAVERSE 66,000 MILES. A/C doesn’t blow cold anymore. Recharged and lasted 6 months. Recharged second time. Lasted 3 months. What a piece of engineering excellence (NOT!!!!!!) My 2006 Silverado A/C has worked flawlessly for 15 years – what gives GM.
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Last summer my A/C broke in my Chevy Traverse 2015. Then I brought it to Gateway Chevrolet to be repaired. They fixed it supposedly to the tune on $1400. Four days later broken again I paid again. I told them it still wasn’t working strong they said it was under warranty for A/C parts. However they asked for another $1700. For different ac parts but I believe they just never found the problem in the first place. My husband is a mechanic and feels the same. I definitely feel their should be a recall and that the A/C system is known for breaking and not being good in the traverse. That was this past week they wanted $1700. For an AC that broke last summer paid fixed four days later broke paid supposedly fixed then after six months of winter, broke again and not a lot of driving due to the pandemic. Chevrolet Gateway AZ no help untrustworthy guys in the shop. Chevy website chat had me on two hours with no help.
We have a 2015 Chevy Traverse. We have had problems with the AC beginning just months after buying the vehicle new. We were told “we can’t find the problem “ numerous times. Then while on vacation the problem was diagnosed and fixed under warranty. Then months later the problem reoccurred. The exact same repair was done again under warranty. Now the same problem has occurred and they want us to pay $1500 for the exact same repair. We were told Chevy will pay $75 of the repair because they care about their customers and that the repair is only guaranteed for 12 months. Buying a Chevy was a mistake I will never make again-and I will post all over social media and do everything I can to discourage anyone from buying a Chevy! In fact, I am proud to say I have already persuaded a neighbor family to steer clear of Chevy-they are proud owners of a new Subaru!
I had a problem with the air conditioning on my 2011 GMC Acadia out of warranty; I’d bought it new and put about 55,000 miles on it in about 39 months when I had the problem. It was a broken condenser line. Cost to repair and recharge was about $700. My service manager told me there was nothing he could do, to call GMC Customer Service if I wasn’t happy. I did and after voicing my complaint to two different reps, they told me they would review my situation and I would hear back from my dealership regarding the repairs to my vehicle. The service manager called me a couple hours later and told me GMC was going to do a $200 deductible with GMC covering the remainder. They replaced the line and recharged the system only to find a second cracked line while testing/inspecting the system, so GMC covered that one too and I still only paid the $200 deductible. That night when I went in to pick my vehicle up, my salesman (he was the sales manager too) spoke to me wanting to know what was wrong with my vehicle. I told him A/C problems. He told me GMC Customer Service called him and wanted to know if I was a good customer and how many vehicles I’d purchased from the dealership (6 at the time over 15 years). Sometimes when a customer constructively complains to the right person, has a longer term relationship with their dealership, GM can and does recognize those long term relationships. I was thrilled with the outcome of a $200 deductible. I’d have also been happy with splitting the cost or them just paying for parts or labor.
Well, Eric–Good for you if you choose to keep buying substandard vehicles–maybe if you bought another make of vehicle, you could see that other manufactures don’t require such persistent “voicing of complaints to numerous reps” by their valued customers–they have higher quality vehicles and higher standard of business practices. They should do the right thing concerning repairs of faulty systems on their vehicles if they want customers to continue purchasing their vehicles–and not hope that their consumers continue to make foolish choices.
2016 Traverse. Bought used in 2018. Replaced condenser in January of 2020 – here it is April of 2021 only 45000 miles on it and a/c not working again. Having serviced and then probably getting rid of the car. Ridiculous to have these problems on this new of a vehicle.