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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is fairly new & is already showing an early trend of transmission problems.

Owners report hesitation when shifting & grinding/hard shifting into gears. Some dealers are calling the condition "normal". Another owner reported his dealership replaced the transmission under warranty, but the new transmission had the same exact grinding problem. Design defect?

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,953 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.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments (Page 2 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #127

Jun 082020

Sonic 4-cyl

  • 39 miles

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

2012 Chevy Sonic only has 39K miles and the transmission is kicking in reverse and in drive.while coming out of park.

- Jamaica Queens, NY, USA

problem #126

Mar 252020

Sonic

  • miles
Transmission will not shift into reverse or shift out of 2nd gear

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #125

Mar 012020

Sonic

  • 70,500 miles
The car got stuck in 1 gear while driving on a highway and then would not go in reverse. Took it to the garage and was told the transmission wave plate has broken. This car has only 70,598 miles on it. Has been serviced regularly. I did a quick google search and this is a huge problem with these models! there was a recall for the same problem but doesn't include my vehicle. Https://M.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Sonic/2012/transmission/bad_transmission.shtml

- Manteo, NC, USA

problem #124

Oct 192019

Sonic

  • 65,000 miles

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

The shift lever button will not release when in park, so the vehicle doesnt not read that its firmly in park; the key wont release and I cannot turn off the vehicle until the button unjams itself or I lubricate it to do so. This has been happening frequently. The only fix is replacing the entire shift lever, which is upwards of $300

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #123

Oct 072019

Sonic

  • miles
My car jerks when it downshifts. It's been doing this about a year after I got it. Got it checked out at the dealership and they said it's not a problem. Fast forward...it's worse. The car jerks in second and first downshifting. Doesn't matter if I'm driving on the interstate or city street.

- Lynchburg, SC, USA

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problem #122

Sep 302019

Sonic

  • 55,000 miles
Gear/transmission failure while driving in steady traffic... car suddenly went to 5-6000rpms without pressure on the gas and then down quickly to 1000rpms before I was able to stop and pull over. Afterwards, I couldn't get the car to move above 1000rpms and reverse gear went into failure. The tow truck couldn't move it without placing it into manual mode. It's been in the garage for a week with all diagnostics showing failure within the transmission. At this point, I either need to replace the transmission or buy a new car. I only had approximately 55,000 miles on the car in 7 years.

- Mckees Rocks, PA, USA

problem #121

Oct 022019

Sonic

  • miles

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

While driving my car, the car looses power and began to stall. I've went to two Chevy dealerships and two repair and no one is able to tell me what's the problem

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #120

Aug 192019

Sonic

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 mph. The contact was three miles away from her destination with the accelerator pedal depressed to the floorboard. Each time the vehicle came to a stop, the failure recurred. In addition, the gear was not shifting and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the vehicle was losing transmission fluid. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called Chevrolet of columbus (2825 merchant mile, columbus, in 47201, (812) M308-4380) and was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

- Lolumbus, IN, USA

problem #119

Jan 152019

Sonic

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate and an unknown warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 14V315000 (power train). The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Conway, SC, USA

problem #118

Apr 162019

Sonic

  • 110,000 miles
Automatic shifter release button sticking you can not get the car to go into park to shut off car also it stays depressed causing you to be able to easly hit the shifter into neuteral or reverse while driving

- Ava, MO, USA

problem #117

Mar 102019

Sonic

  • 134,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the turbine shaft malfunctioned, which caused the vehicle to remain in third gear. The dealer stated that the turbine shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,000.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #116

Feb 282019

Sonic

  • 1 miles
While driving on highway the transmission made a noise and just stopped. It is exactly what the recall states! I could have written it myself. Thankfully, got over to the side of the road without incident. GM states this VIN is not part of the recall. Certified Chevrolet dealer's "diagnostic" is "black fluid with metal in it" (more of an observation) and they will not take transmission apart to determine if it was indeed the turbine shaft fracture. Of course, they just want to put in a new one at my expense. GM should want to know if there are more Sonics with this issue to extend the recall and keep people safe!!

- Island Lake, IL, USA

problem #115

Mar 052019

Sonic

  • 77,300 miles
The car has under 100K miles and seems to be having transmission problems. Everything has been well maintaintanced. I recently purchased the car being the second owner. The car has issues getting up to speed causing people to tailgate me or speed up and go around me. You can also feel/hear the transmission going through the gears. The takeoff is absolutely terrible. You can tell the engine is working hard. The rpms don't go above the danger zone but they do rise when switching through the gears. It's very likely to cause a accident especially on the interstate. The car cannot get out of it's own way.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #114

Jan 312019

Sonic

  • 118,000 miles
Car will not go into reverse. Car will not shift properly, appears to be stuck in 2nd gear.

- Medway, OH, USA

problem #113

Jan 022019

Sonic

  • 49,000 miles
The transmission failed while driving in Suburban setting causing a serious safety issue. The vehicle only has 49,000 miles on it. This model and model year has been recalled for a similar transmission issue, but the manufacturer claims that my particular car is not part of it despite have the same issue as the recall.

- Dahlonega, GA, USA

problem #112

Mar 012018

Sonic

  • 45,000 miles
Have been having bad issues with fear selector button sticking, and it affects the selector slipping into other gears as it cannot lock.

- Lake Wales, FL, USA

problem #111

Oct 232018

Sonic

  • 107,000 miles
Button on the shifter occasionally sticks. When it happens you cannot get your key out and you can easily accidentally go into reverse. After checking online I've come across several people with the same problem. This is definitely a safety hazard

- Choctaw, OK, USA

problem #110

Jul 062018

Sonic

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift out of second gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (shearer Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac, 1675 shelburne rd, South burlington, vt 05403, (802) 658-1111) where it was diagnosed that the transmission turbine shaft malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the warranty was expired. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Marcy, NY, USA

problem #109

Sep 212017

Sonic

  • 45,000 miles
In the summer of 2017 the check engine light came on in my Sonic and the car would not accelerate. It would even happen at red lights when I would come to a complete stop. After turning the car off and having it sit for a few seconds, it seemed to be fine. In September 2017, it was unable to pass inspection because of this. I was told it was a problem with a hose in my engine and had it replaced. The car ran fine during the winter. In spring of 2018, when the weather started to change, the issue of the car stopping and failing to accelerate came back and began to occur. It is the same issue that I was having before and I am very concerned about this in terms of safety. I have attached a copy of the service expaination and receipt.

- Geneva, NY, USA

problem #108

Jul 122018

Sonic

  • 115,000 miles
Vehicle had difficulty accelerating, was using 6000 rpms but only going 30 mph, felt like the car was stuck in 2nd gear. Car lost ability to go in reverse.

- Akron, OH, USA

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