ChevroletTraverse AWD2012Overview/chevrolet/traverse-awd/2012/base/

2012 Chevrolet Traverse AWD

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2012 Traverse AWD.

Body SUVTransmission Automatic 6-spd

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse AWD is a sport‑utility vehicle that relies on a 6‑speed automatic transmission and requires 5.5 qt of 5W‑30 engine oil. Its EPA‑rated fuel economy stands at 16 mpg city, 23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined. With 354 total owner complaints—most frequently concerning the engine—and five safety recalls, this model year carries a notable complaint and recall footprint. Consequently, the 2012 Traverse AWD marks a point in the model’s reliability history where owner‑reported issues and recall activity are comparatively elevated.

Model year201420132012201120102009

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity5.5 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified
Lug nut torque140 ft-lbsOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy16/23/19 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 660 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731742. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 660 CCAOEM · verified
Tail / brake / turnLAMPOEM · verified
Tire sizeP245-70R17OEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12731742
Engine air filter15278634
Spark plug12681660
Battery88866309
Front wiper blades25941804 alt 25941805
Serpentine belt12608660
Thermostat12689041
Cabin air filter20958479

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 6-spd

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length205.1 in
Overall width78.3 in
Overall height69.7 in
Wheelbase118.9 in
Curb weight4925 lb
Track (front / rear)66.9 / 66.9 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)55/45

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined16 / 23 / 19 mpg
DrivetrainAll-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 5.5 qt of 5W-30 engine oil, SAE 75W · SYNTHETIC in the differential, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 140 ft-lbs, the oil drain plug to 15.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity4.2-6.3
Brake FluidDOT 3
Differential Gear OilSAE 75W · SYNTHETIC
Differential Gear Oil Capacity1.7 qt
Engine CoolantDEX-COOL OR EQUIVALENT
Engine Oil5W-30
Engine Oil Capacity5.5 qt

Engine torques

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts18 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts18 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug15.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts6.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug29.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug29.0 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub173 ft-lbs
Rear Wheel Hub151 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Spark Plug ManufacturerAC Delco
Spark Plug Gap0.043 in
Spark Plug Torque13.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Refrigerant Capacity2.30 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Type46
Oil Capacity6.50 oz
Standard BCI Group Number48
Standard BCI Cranking Performance660 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test20 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief20 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature188-206 °F
Pressure Test15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature194-225 °F
Injector Primary Resistance1.9-2.3 @ 68 degreesF ohms
Engine Compression100

Brakes

Torque Caliper to Bracket47.
Torque to Knuckle129 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Rotor Max Parallel Variation0.001 in
Rotor Runout Limit0.002 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From1.14 in / 0.79 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness To1.14 in / 0.79 in
Rotor Minimum Machining1.09 in / 0.73 in

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 97,500 mi; coolant every 7,500 mi. The big-interval services (every 7,500 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miEmission Control System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace)
Every 97,500 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill) · Transmission Assembly (drain & refill)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse AWD top in one area — the engine, 50 of 354 reports (14%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 5 recall campaigns target the engine, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 10 of the reports describe a crash and 2 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the engine pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

5
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1557
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
2
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
354
Owner complaints
10 involved a crash · 2 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 354 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Engine50
Steering44
Air Bags28
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)18
Unknown Or Other16
Visibility/Wiper9
Power Train9
Electrical System8

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 5 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

15V415000Structure:Body:Hatchback/LiftgateReported 30/06/2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate…

14V266000Seat BeltsReported 20/05/2014

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC… Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1557 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U2026-01-08Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G2025-11-20Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Traverse AWD. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2012 Traverse AWD take?

5.5 qt of 5W-30 MEETING GM DEXOS 1 SPECIFICATION, per the factory manual.

Does the 2012 Traverse AWD have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Traverse AWD get?

EPA figures are 16 city / 23 highway / 19 combined mpg.