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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,417 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Chevrolet Sonic engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments

problem #7

Sep 282018

Sonic

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The speed limit goes in and out to different number so I won't know what's the actual limit. The radio goes in and out so sometimes when it comes back in it scares me. Different signals are popping in and out on the dashboard so I'm not sure about that. This has been happening since I've had the car so the date is when I received the car. The car's dealer said they tried everything and there is nothing else they could could do.

- Jackson, MS, USA

problem #6

Jul 172017

Sonic

  • 82,500 miles
Acceleration is bad, and inconsisten. Also, when shifting gears the shifter button gets stuck everytime never fails. That's a real safety issue considering I accidently bump it, and the car went into manual, while driving. I barely touched it and it moved. This is the last GM car that I will ever buy always something with their cars. The acceleration for this car on the interstate is bad people go around me because it takes so long to accelerate, it also hesitates when accelerating. I've only had this car for about a month.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #5

Jun 022016

Sonic

  • 18,338 miles
My vehicle was in motion, straight-line, at 60 mph. This morning on my way to work, my gauge panel went haywire. This isn't the first time it's happened. It's happened many times. I've taken video of this condition and uploaded it to youtube. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=ivsdeo8lcr8 when it happens, not only does the speed and RPM's fluctuate rapidly and inaccurately, but the turn signals quit working (safety issue!), and since the traction control light is coming on, I assume it has quit working as well (safety issue). The vehicle is under warranty, and I've had it in to a local Chevrolet dealership (rk Chevrolet, Virginia beach, va) for repair. They were told of the youtube video and they watched it. They then tried to reproduce the problem and couldn't. so the vehicle was returned without a repair being done. The problem is intermittent. I've tried contact Chevrolet in another way but they were unresponsive. Time to try something different. That's why I am contacting you all.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #4

Nov 012015

Sonic

  • 23,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, her foot slipped off the accelerator and brake pedal when depressed. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred due to the accelerator and brake pedal being made out of metal instead of rubber. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was informed that there was no repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 23,000.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #3

Sep 122012

Sonic 4-cyl

  • 4,081 miles
I was driving on the highway at between 55 and 65 mph. The side I was on had a long, steady incline upward. I had set my cruise control to about 63 mph. As I was going uphill the cruise control was supplying fuel to get to and maintain my speed at 63 mph. I was approaching another car in my lane and decided rather than pass, I would slow down. They were going quite a bit slower than me so came up upon them quickly. I pressed the brake to slow down but the brake was hard as a rock. It would not budge so it did not disconnect the cruise control and my car kept accelerating. I panicked and tried to use both feet on the brake. It still would not budge. I was within 2 car lengths of the car in front of me when finally the car reached the speed I had set the cruise control for and the brakes finally depressed. In hindsight, I had options I.e. putting the car in neutral, turning key off, turning to avoid a collision, shutting off cruise control, but this car was new to me, and in that moment I fully expected the brakes to work. Once I was in control, I tried to recreate the problem with no one around, knowing my options now. It happened repeatedly. A service tech also had it happen to them. First attempt at repair did not fix it. Second attempt did. It was a bad check valve. Apparently the check valve let air out of a booster, so I lost my brakes? the check valve also let fluid fill the booster. The master cylinder and vacuum were replaced as well. Looking back, there were signs, but no obvious ones. A random hi-pitched noise (air squeaking out the check valve). Loss of brake fluid. Dealer had to fill it when I bought it and I added some at 6 months. This was a dangerous and scary experience. I question the design to dis-engage cruise control and the quality of the check valves themselves.

- Gardner, MA, USA

problem #2

Jul 012014

Sonic

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a pole. The contact stated that the front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the back and bruises on her body. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 22,000.

- Johnston, IA, USA

problem #1

Dec 172013

Sonic

  • miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a fence, a helipad, andthen a parked vehicle. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage and VIN was not available.

- Holly Hill, FL, USA

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