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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:
2 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,363 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #58

Jan 112018

Sonic

  • 60,000 miles

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

TL-contact owns a 2012 Chevy Sonic ---- contact was stopped at traffic light and heat went cold -- no hat only blows cold air -- dealership did diagnostic test and vehicle was fixed once already -- vehicle has 60,000 miles --- heat keeps going cold when vehicle is stopped. 0 recalls associated with this VIN...cb

- Harlem, CT, USA

problem #57

Dec 012017

Sonic

  • 62,127 miles
I am having problems with my windshield wiper fluid the hose or something is causing the fluid to drain on the ground I explained to bradley Chevrolet in franklin Indiana that this has been a recall issue but they stated that my VIN number wasn't in the recall but I am having the same issue that is dumb I want this work completed under the recall and fixed and I am having a lean code of PO171 come up that onstar diagnosed and bradley doesn't want to even look at it without charging me a diagnostic fee when I already have the code feeling very frustrated please help

- Franklin, IN, USA

problem #56

Apr 062017

Sonic

  • 62,000 miles
12/23/16, I purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. 4/6/17, I was at a traffic light when smoke come in the vents from the hood of the car. I called onstar & to run a diagnostic. The diagnostic didn't return any information & I contacted the dealer & took the vehicle for service on 4/9/17. I was told the thermostat housing was leaking and caused the smoking. The coolant system was flushed & filled & a GM oil, lube, filter change was done. The vehicle was ready for pick on 4/19/17. A few weeks later the car was smoking again. I called the dealer, I was told it was probably just fluid on the engine. The car continued to smoke periodically. 6/7/17, there was a large pool of oil under the car, I took the car to a local shop. They said that the oil had been overfilled & that it blew a seal. I called the dealer, I was told they did not overfill the oil & made another service appointment. I was told again there was a problem with the coolant system & the oil & that was the reason for the smoking. Repairs completed 7/10/17. 9/27/17, while driving the check engine light came on, so I called onstar for a diagnostic & they gave me an error code P0299. They told me that it was an airflow problem. I called the dealer & asked for the service manager & gave her the error code. She said there was a problem with the turbo & that I needed to bring the vehicle in. I took the car to them 10/3/17. 10/4/17, the service department called me & told me that the turbo on the car was bad. The repairs were completed on 10/12/17. 10/13/17 the car overheated. The vehicle was leaking coolant in two places. I took it to a different dealer & they said the T-joint in the coolant system was leaking. The repairs were completed on 10/18/17. 11/3/17 an email from on-star said there was an engine problem. I contacted on-star for a diagnostic & they said something is wrong with the coolant system.

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #55

Sep 152014

Sonic

  • 9,000 miles

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

We do constantly are replacing parts we replaced the window regulator and not even a few months we ha ft to replace again the cooling lines are constantly going out thermostat has been replaced twice now within 2 yrs the seat warmers no longer work been like that the key gets stuck in the ignition had to replace hoses twice constant grinding sounds and no body can figure out why the car is a toy car everything breaks down and not just once

- Lamoni, IA, USA

problem #54

Aug 062017

Sonic

  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the vehicle exhibited an abnormal exhaust sound. The contact checked the oil and an abnormal fuel odor emitted from the oil. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

- Warwick, RI, USA

problem #53

May 292017

Sonic

  • 27,500 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While the vehicle was stationary with the key in the ignition, the vehicle started up without warning. The vehicle began to shake and the contact stated that the auto-start feature may have malfunctioned. On another occasion, while driving 50 mph, the vehicle began to shake again and seemed as if it would stall. Bell pierre Chevrolet in seattle, Washington was made aware of the failures by phone. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 27,500.

- Shoreline, WA, USA

problem #52

Jan 132017

Sonic

  • 945,000 miles

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

My 2012 Chevrolet Sonic was involved in an automobile accident resulting in injury to me because my airbags did not deploy. There were several recall campaigns on the vehicle that did not come up under my VIN.campaign id 12V52200, campaign id 13V023000, campaign id14V315000, campaign id 14V317000 campaign id 11V599000, campaign id, 12V408000. I collided with a vehicle that had blew a stop sign as I proceeded through the intersection. My vehicle T-bone the other vehicle. My air bags did not deploy the other vehicles air bags did. My car has been service at modern Chevrolet university parkway in winston salem nc since purchasing the vehicle in Nov. 2012 from that dealership. The only recalls the dealership or GM has notified me about were only GM campaign id 12172 replace swaybar links and GM campaign ID12176. Vehicle was a total loss

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

problem #51

Jan 082017

Sonic

  • miles
My antifreeze pressure hose busted, I took it to the deallership they said that I had aitifreeze in the engine. They say it will only cost me around $400 dose this sound right.I think a problem with the engine cause the hose to burst an it all should.is there a recall on this.the hose busted while the car was being driven on the highway

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #50

Oct 012016

Sonic

  • 111,000 miles
Car started misfiring when accelerating and would jerk and be very rough when idling but no engine light. Full tune up found that open valve cover gasket was damaged and that seals were plastic when they should've been rubber, this caused oil to enter the spark plug wells. Changed gasket and seals but problem persisted. Took to the dealership and was told that ignition switch in cylinder 1 was bad, this corrected the issue but now car has burning smell at times.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #49

Jul 032016

Sonic

  • 120,000 miles
Has burning smell of anti freeze and wires melting. Air bags don't work on front passenger side.

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #48

Jul 012016

Sonic

  • 90,000 miles

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

This car has given me so many problems. The radiator, the motor everything.

- Downey, CA, USA

problem #47

Jun 022016

Sonic

  • 50,000 miles
Air intake hose has been replaced due to cracking only 3 years old at that time about 45K miles. Now the shift knob sticks and the button takes forever to release, or I have to pop it back out so I can take the key out otherwise the key gets stuck. Getting worse...now it is becoming harder to shift into park. All these problems occur when stationary...I have not attempted to move the car into other gears while in motion but I know it will happen if it is pushed while that button is not released.

- Friendswood, TX, USA

problem #46

Dec 192015

Sonic

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph over a bump, the vehicle felt loose from underneath. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but there was no failure determined. The contact stated that failure recurred five months later and in addition, the vehicle made a humming noise when making a turn. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the stabilizer links needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that the window washer fluid drained on the engine, and the dealer diagnosed that the hose connected to the fluid container was disconnected and needed to reconnect. The vehicle was not remedied. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #45

May 132016

Sonic

  • 40,000 miles
Takata recall I was driving and I tried to brake at an intersection due to a red light and there was a car in front of me, I was unable to use the brakes because the pad got stiff and it didn't allow me to brake, I had to use my emergency brake but I hit the car in front of me.

- Chino, CA, USA

problem #44

Apr 302016

Sonic

  • 62,856 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While driving approximately 5 mph, smoke emerged from the engine compartment and a beeping noise started. Also, the temperature control warning indicator illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and turned off the engine. The contact parked the vehicle on the side of the road and left it there for two days. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that four hoses attached to the radiator failed and the thermostat housing was damaged. In April, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic because it was experiencing a failure with the heater system. It was diagnosed that antifreeze was leaking from the radiator to the engine. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,856.

- Queens Village, NY, USA

problem #43

May 012016

Sonic

  • 75,000 miles
In 2015, my 2012 Chevrolet Sonic had to have the fuel purge valve replaced. The car worked for a while after this. However, a few months ago, it started having a rough idle, with the rpms dipping up and down. The problem got worse recently, when the car actually completely died while making a left hand turn, almost causing me to get hit. Now, it is even worse. Now, in addition to the rough idle, traction control randomly engages even when I am not slipping, causing me to lose all power for brief periods of time, while in motion. The traction control is glitching so bad that it even randomly engages when I am completely stopped. This is a huge safety issue, and the dealership that sold me the car wants $113 just to tell me what is causing it, and how much it will cost to actually fix. There are no active recalls on this vehicle, but further research on the model I own, shows other owners having similar issues. Chevrolet has been no help

- West Jordan, UT, USA

problem #42

Jun 272015

Sonic

  • 150,000 miles
Major concern: My power steering failed. The dealer said the power steering column needed to be replaced ($1,300). The car has high mileage (excess of 150,000). I have had several cars with similar mileage but never had the power steering fail. Since this is electronic steering there doesn't appear to be any warning/no preventative maintenance. Fortunately I was not on the highway at the time this occurred but in the driveway after having driven several hours the same day. We checked for relays in the fuse box but none are marked for the power steering. There were at least two previous times when backing out of my driveway that the power steering locked up but then started working fine. Dealer could not find the problem for the first two incidents. My car has been sitting in my driveway since June 2015 because I didn't feel safe driving if even it was fixed. I've always owned GM vehicles (for 36 years) but the lack of concern about this problem prompted me to purchase a Subaru. At the time of the steering failure I still owed 2 years on my loan. The second problem which I've complained about since the car was new was the transmission. There was always slow response when pulling away from a stop. It worsened after the car had been driven several hours. Again, nothing was diagnosed.

- Dowell, MD, USA

problem #41

Feb 052016

Sonic

  • 64,000 miles
When I press the gas pedal the rpms shoot up but car excelerates slowly. It jerks hard when switching to another gear and takes several minutes to finally get to a safe speed. Sometimes the car struggles to go uphill and hardly able to reverse. Dealership cleared my engine codes during my last oil change. Check engine light came back on a week later, autozone pulled 3 codes (P0700, P0300 and P0717). Changed my spark plugs, used lucas oil/5.25 oz. Fuel treatment twice but still no change. Sometimes I can smell burning rubber. This problem makes it hard to safely merge onto highways and get through traffic lights fast enough. Now autozone has accidentally cleared my codes so I can't see if any of the above listed codes have been resolved.

- Dundalk, MD, USA

problem #40

Dec 312015

Sonic

  • 73,581 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the check engine and traction warning indicators illuminated continuously. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,581.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #39

Jan 292016

Sonic

  • 68,800 miles
I was driving my 2012 Chevrolet Sonic commuting my grandchild to pre-K, pulling out from stop sign onto straightaway street crossing in front of distant oncoming traffic, and my car stalled, very scary as could have been very bad wreck with my grandchild being hurt as myself! fortunately I let coast to side of street as I was only going 10 miles or less an hour when it shut off! it wouldn't start right off! it finally started after a few seconds, maybe 5 or more went by! this is very disturbing as it risks my life, plus another also, as he is only 4 years old! I need to know if car is even safe to keep driving!

- Greeneville, TN, USA

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