Complaints nearly halve against 2019, but the recall list quadruples to eight, including a cracked frame rail whose remedy is to replace the vehicle. The nine-speed shudder is still here and now it arrives just past the warranty line.

The 9T65 nine-speed carries forward, and 2020 is where the timing turns cruel. 'I own a 2020 Chevy Traverse with currently 16,000 miles. I am currently dealing with a know shudder issue that has returned. I have already taken the vehic[le in].' 'I have 37,000 miles and have taken it to a Chevrolet dealer for all suggested routine maintenance. It started shuddering so I took in to dealer.' '2020 Chevrolet Traverse started to shudder and hard shift between 25 to 30 miles per hour. Vehicle only has 64,925 miles on it (4,925 miles above warranty).' '2020 Chevy Traverse High Country Exhaust bank 1 and bank 2. Transmission shudder.' GM's paper trail for this year is unusually revealing. Alongside the usual drain-and-fill Preliminary Information, it issued an Engineering Information request, a document that asks technicians to complete a checklist and contact a named engineer, 'in regards torque converter clutch (TCC) shudder occurring during light throttle acceleration 2-6 gears.' Manufacturers issue those when they are still gathering data on an unsolved condition. Behind it sits the internal 9T65 Automatic Transmission Replacement Pilot Program bulletin, republished across model years 2018 to 2024, which is a dealer process rather than coverage. There is no recall. On a 2020 the factory powertrain warranty is gone, so a shudder you can feel on a test drive is a repair you are buying.

This is what most of the recent 2020 file is about, and it is the rare Traverse problem with a genuinely good answer. The weld holding the mounting bracket to the front exhaust pipe fails, the bracket separates, and a hole opens in the pipe. 'Bracket fell off of the exhaust pipe on my 2020 Chevrolet Traverse LT, which in turn cracked the exhaust pipe, making my car create this loud noise every t[ime].' 'The forward exhaust bracket weld broke causing a rattling noise and allowing exhaust fumes into the car which is incredibly dangerous.' 'We have had multiple issues with the exhaust system and the brackets that hold the catalytic converter in place. The catalytic converters have been repla[ced].' 'Vehicle is current at 101,102 Miles, however, the issue started to occur at 75,350 miles.' GM's Special Coverage language: 'certain vehicles may have a condition that could cause the mounting bracket on the front exhaust pipe to separate from the pipe. If this condition occurs, a hole may develop in the exhaust pipe at the bracket location, and a rattling or increased exhaust noise may be heard. Dealers are to replace the front exhaust pipe as necessary. The repairs will be made at no charge to the customer.' One bulletin's scope explicitly reaches 2020, and the 2023 version states the terms: 'a period of 15 years or 150,000 miles (240,000 km), whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership.' An owner in this file names GM's internal number, N212356540, as covering 2019 to 2020 Traverses; that number is owner-reported rather than read from a GM document, so treat it as a pointer for the dealer. Note also that a Special Coverage is not a safety recall, which matters if the car has a branded title.

Most of 2020's recall count is supplier and build-window work, all free. Recall 20V-446 (GM number N202305380): the diffuser on the roof-rail air bag inflator 'may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment,' degrading the air bag; modules replaced free. Recall 22V-210 (GM number N212352140), covering 2020 to 2022: 'the harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash'; connectors replaced free. Recall 20V-639 (GM number N202314760): 'the fuel pump's jet nozzle may have a plastic burr remaining from the manufacturing process, possibly causing a blocked nozzle and an insufficient fuel supply to the engine,' which 'can result in an engine stall without warning'; pump module replaced. Recalls 20V-684 (N202319030) and 21V-115 (N212329050) are two filings of the same problem: Continental tires 'cured for too long during production,' which can produce 'a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation.' Dealers inspect and replace tires whose DOT and mold numbers match Continental's list. Six years on, most 2020s are on their second or third set of tires anyway, but the air bag and fuel pump campaigns do not age out.

Two more campaigns, and the second one only applies to a small subset of cars. Recall 20V-668 (GM number N202313440) covers 2018 to 2020 Traverses and a long list of GM siblings: 'the start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts,' and missing bolts 'could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion,' with fire risk if fluid meets an ignition source. Start-stop is the system that shuts the engine off at a red light and restarts it when you lift off the brake; the accumulator maintains transmission pressure while the engine is off. Dealers inspect and replace it free. Recall 21V-817 is different in kind: it is filed by Braun Corporation, not General Motors, and covers only 2020 and 2021 Traverses converted to wheelchair-accessible spec with the Power In-floor Ramp. On those, 'the screw and clip that hold the inner wheel-well plastic shroud in place may chafe against the transmission case, possibly resulting in a transmission fluid leak.' If your car is not a Braun conversion, this campaign does not apply to it at all, and it is only included in this report's recall count because NHTSA counts it against the model year.

The smaller threads. The 3.6L V6's timing chain, the defining expense of the previous generation, still appears here: one owner reports 'failed/failing hydraulic timing chain tensionors. Common issue for this engine said to be caused by poor oiling.' Another reports burning oil while still in warranty. GM's Customer Support Program for damaged piston oil control rings on this engine was written for 2018 cars only, so a 2020 with high oil consumption is not covered by it; the point of watching for it is that low oil is what kills chains and tensioners on this family. A reliability channel describes the same pattern in owner language: 'excessive oil consumption in the 3.6 L V6 engine, causing oil to burn, requiring frequent topups and potentially leading to engine damage.' Separately, GM ran a Customer Support Program on 2018 to 2020 cars with second-row bench seats, where the middle seat belt buckle 'can fall down between the second row bench seats and be damaged when one portion of the bench is moved relative to the o[ther].' Dealers add an elastic strap and inspect or replace the buckle. Captain's chairs are unaffected.