[Capucine]

Tell him that it is not a repair now but it will be. He should really give you a loaner. Very cheap on their part since you have already lost a lots of your precious time with this problem and they always said that it was normal. Maybe a second opinion from another dealer would have been the way to deal with your issue.

 

[Thomcat]

Hi Thomcat,

Thank you for your information.

Today, I revisited Dealer's service center and tested another traverse (exactly same model) with sales representative. We both confirmed that this high pitched noise (whine?) is not generated from other test car and He also agreed that this noise is unusual.
As mentioned earlier, this noise comes "randomly and repeatedly while driving", (most notable right before stopping though). That is why I doubt this noise is related to starter. And this noise is NOT so little.
Technician tested again with me but he just kept saying it is normal. It is funny and I am really frustrated because he said normal but he didn't know where this noise comes from and why it is normal.

After service representative recognized other traverse in store does not have such noise, service man accepted my request - further investigation and contacting GM to resolve this problem.
They asked me to bring back my car next week for this.

I will update the next status.
BTW, They asked me to leave my car all day next week for further investigation but refused a loaner for me (they said because it is not a repair job). Is it normal?

Is the noise right before a stop or right before an autostop? If starter related it should only happen coming to an autostop and not a stop where the engine continues to run at idle speed. One way to prevent an autostop for testing would be to lower the A/C to the a lower setting because the car will not autostop if the cabin is a few degrees above the set temperature.

If it only occurs on autostop might well be the starter circuit. Likely in the two piece split solenoid that drives the starter, i.e.if the front half of that split solenoid attached to the starter pinon gear is not engaging and disengaging properly from the rear half attached to the starter motor once the engine is entering autostop. I can hear mine operating normally if listening for it immediately before the engine autostops with the windows down, but it is an extremely low noise (not a high pitched noise as you indicate) like gears meshing. Only occurs a fraction of a second before the autostop and never once the engine is running. This is the first year that they are using this gizmo as a new gen start stop in a Traverse to get a faster restart. Dealer may not have much knowledge exactly how it works or associated problems without further info from GM. Front half of the solenoid engages at 50 rpm while the car is still moving and engine is still turning. I could imagine a high pitched whine coming from the pinion gear/flywheel and maybe the starter motor itself if either the front portion of the split solenoid fails to retract from the flywheel or the rear portion doesn't disengage from the front and spins the starter motor as the engine speed is winding down for a stop.

Likely dealer is not about to provide a loaner for what they consider a normal noise, especially while the car is still fully operational except for the noise. Might wish to call before the visit to see what GM suggested they examine since dealer apparently has no idea what it might be. Been my experience that nothing that is broken ever fixes itself with more time or wear. So, what's the rush if it's covered for free repairs another 3-5 years? You might wish to drive it for at least another 500 miles to see if it gets worse, if so it may get to the point where the problem is more easily diagnosed.

 

[tami4343]

I have exactly the same problem.
I also bought LT model a month ago. Recently I noticed that such whine or high-frequency noise is generated especially when I step on gas pedal and car is just moving but gone when Car stopped.
But it happens occasionally (not always) that is why I hesitate to stop by dealer
It is a bit annoying.

Did you ever figure this out?

 

[Dawn31]

I just purchased my LT a couple of weeks ago, and have noticed that there is an electronic whine after startup that runs for a few seconds and then stops. It comes back at random times throughout the drive. It almost acts like the compressor did on my old vehicle that was equipped with air ride suspension. Does anyone know what that whine is, and if it’s normal to activate on a regular basis?

We dealt with the "whine" we hear on our '18 Traverse at our local Chevy dealer. They first replaced the rear differential assembly per instructions from a bulletin 17-NA-379. A month later we went back with same whine. They couldn't duplicate it they said. Results were: Noise is from the vacuum pump engaging. It whines constantly, so I guess the vacuum pump engages constantly while driving on paved street.

 

[Chris Garza]

After reading this forum, 2 months too late unfortunately, I am sitting in a Chevy dealership with the exact same "whine".

My wife and I purchased a Certified 2018 Traverse Premier with 22k miles 2 months ago. A random high pitched whine while holding the break started 2 weeks ago. As of last week, the whine is heard even in park, lucky for us we have warranty and the Chevy associate clearly heard it coming from the engine. I recorded multiple videos just in case the "whine" couldn't be heard at the dealership. Haha

If anyone has had this issue and it was resolved completely since 2018, please share. I do not want to have to deal with the same issue for years, especially after our warranty expires.

Will share more if any future issues arise, especially since I read about the already documented Shift to Park issue this vehicle has as well.

 

[amazer1213]

I have exactly the same problem. I also bought LT model a month ago. Recently I noticed that such whine or high-frequency noise is generated especially when I step on gas pedal and car is just moving but gone when Car stopped. But it happens occasionally (not always) that is why I hesitate to stop by dealer It is a bit annoying.

What was causing this issue? I have the same thing on my LT

 

[repairman54]

They never responded on the original post 2 years ago. Check your dates when responding to post.
It's better to create a new post / question.
Most whine sounds in radio are due to a bad diode in the alternator.

 

[greentraverse]

They never responded on the original post 2 years ago. Check your dates when responding to post.
It's better to create a new post / question.
Most whine sounds in radio are due to a bad diode in the alternator.

OR - click (don't hover) on their user name/avatar. It will tell you when they were last on the site. (Because while some people never come back at all, some still come on the site but they never come back to their post and tell us how their issue got resolved.)