2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Advanced data.

Engines and drivetrains 4

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 25,000 and 69,200 miles. Median 45,000, from 279 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 7

• 14V417000 Jul 2014 Equipment / Electrical

  Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.

  Risk. Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.

  Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.

• 14V315000 Jun 2014 Power Train / Automatic Transmission

  Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, to June 29, 2012, and equipped with a 6 speed automatic transmission and 1.8L four cylinder engine. In the affected vehicles, the transmission turbine shaft may fracture.

  Risk. If the transmission turbine shaft fracture occurs during vehicle operation in first or second gear, the vehicle will not upshift to the third through sixth gears, limiting the vehicle's speed. If the fracture occurs during operation in third through sixth gear, the vehicle will coast until it slows enough to downshift to first or second gear, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission turbine shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14234.

• 14V300000 Jun 2014 Air Bags

  Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

  Risk. If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

  Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.

• 13V023000 Jan 2013 Air Bags

  Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

  Risk. If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

  Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

• 12V522000 Oct 2012 Air Bags

  Defect. General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

  Risk. If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

  Remedy. General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

• 12V408000 Aug 2012 Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer

  Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 5, 2011, through February 24, 2012. These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems." The windshield wiper washer hose on these vehicles may separate from the washer fluid reservoir. If this occurs, washer fluid will not be available to the windshield.

  Risk. A lack of washer fluid could impede the driver's view, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will secure the windshield washer hose to prevent separation, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.

• 11V599000 Dec 2011 Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Pads

  Defect. GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET SONIC VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 2, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 21, 2011. ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE FRONT BRAKE INNER OR OUTER PAD MAY BE MISSING.

  Risk. A MISSING PAD COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

  Remedy. GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FRONT BRAKES FOR A MISSING INNER OR OUTER PAD. IF A BRAKE PAD IS MISSING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW INNER AND OUTER PADS, A NEW BRAKE CALIPER, AND A NEW ROTOR. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 14, 2012

NHTSA investigations

Manufacturer communications 1589

Chevy filed 1589 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

• The ipc may be intermittently inoperative while check engine light works
• Gmc/buick/chevrolet: transmission slips when in reverse or not in reverse, 3rd gear or no 3rd…
• Gmc/chevrolet/buick: transmission pump needs inspecting due to engine cranking but fails to…

Crash ratings by version

Safety equipment

Nearby model years