2012 CHEVROLET SONIC — Owner-Reported Problems

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

• Campaign 12V408000 was reported 159 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 14V315000 was reported 750 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 14V417000 was reported 874 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

1. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 11V599000

   Report date

   Dec 28, 2011

   Component:

   SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

   Consequence:

   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

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

2. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 12V408000

   Report date

   Aug 20, 2012

   Component:

   VISIBILITY

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

3. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 12V522000

   Report date

   Oct 31, 2012

   Component:

   Not available in the source record

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

4. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 13V023000

   Report date

   Jan 24, 2013

   Component:

   Not available in the source record

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

5. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 14V300000

   Report date

   Jun 6, 2014

   Component:

   Not available in the source record

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

6. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 14V315000

   Report date

   Jun 12, 2014

   Component:

   POWER TRAIN

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

7. Manufacturer action

   Recall campaign 14V417000

   Report date

   Jul 2, 2014

   Component:

   EQUIPMENT

   Consequence:

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →