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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,824 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.

2014 Chevrolet Sonic engine problems

engine problem

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2014 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #33

Dec 032022

Sonic

  • miles

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

Overall and to the best of my knowledge, the malfunctioning and failures on my vehicle were the suspension and engine. They are the culprits and it-€™s honestly very scary and traumatizing to have them completely fail, especially since no one is ever prepared for accidents and/or potential death to happen. Otherwise it wouldn-€™t be called an accident. With the suspension overall, it-€™s just awful. CV Axel, control arms, everything with the suspension just failed. With driving over the tiniest bump on the road you feel your is about to literally fall apart at any minute because of the clunking and metal in metal noises it produces. The engine is faulty as well and I am pretty sure the faulty engine happens due to the faulty suspension. When I look under my car there-€™s something leaking. I don-€™t know what it is, but it-€™s poses a safety risk not only for the driver and the passengers, but also to the rest of the world. I know that there was a recall early on about fuel tank breakage or something that could lead to fire ignition. But my vehicle according to my VIN wasn-€™t on this recall. I have contacted the dealership and a certified service center to inspect these issues. It-€™s been roughly 4 weeks now and they have been extremely negligent and apathetic. With these issues, everyone-€™s safety is at risk. My suspension went out and could-€™ve caused a more catastrophic accident. A fire could-€™ve broken out with other vehicles surrounding me cause major injuries and death. I-€™ve seen and read many posts and testimonials and threads online from various independent resources that state very very closely the same issues. Almost verbatim. I-€™ve been trying to get these issues inspected by the dealership, but they all give me the runaround and don-€™t want to fix not find a solution. The check engine light has always been on since I-€™ve Owen the vehicle and the dealership where I purchased this vehicle said having the check engine light on is okay. I need help getting repairs done!

- Rogers, AR, USA

problem #32

Jun 072022

Sonic

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owned a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while his spouse was driving approximately 35 MPH she noticed smoke being emitted from under the hood. The contact stated his spouse saw no warning light being illuminated. The spouse pulled off to the side of the road and exited the vehicle safely when a fire began to burn from under the hood. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames with water. The police were also on the scene and wrote an incident report. The contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact was advised by his insurance provider that the vehicle would be listed as a total loss. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Amarillo, TX, USA

problem #31

Nov 232021

Sonic

  • miles
Car has no temperature gauge. Car had oil change. Then went to put gas. When I started in the highway. The temperature sensor turned on. This was terrifying as it was night time and I was on a highway on my way to visit family. The car could of caught on fire. Pulled over called a tow truck. Water pump was replaced and cylinder heads and gaskets. This was done through the warranty company. Car was returned to me on 14 December 2021 and was in a repair shop the following day because of the check engine light was on. Car now needs new motor as coolant was going inside the motor. Sensors had never gone off before that day. Currently car is in the chevy dealer for over a month trying to figure out who will pay for the repairs as I also had an extended warranty. Car had 57000 miles when it failed. Chevy repairs will be of about $7000.

- Fuquay-Varina, NC, USA

problem #30

Oct 022020

Sonic

  • miles

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

Losing radiator coolant somewhere

- Pineville, WV, USA

problem #29

Jan 012021

Sonic

  • 33,000 miles
This is a 1.4 turbo engine. It has a noise due to the front crank seal with a vacuum leak as per a GM service bulletin P11297B. I "think" this has already been on a recall for the same engine in the Cruze model. If so why is the Sonic model included? this is an expensive repair for a retired person. Also this car doesn't have 34,000 miles on it yet.

- Florida City, FL, USA

problem #28

Jul 122020

Sonic

  • 37,200 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated he continued to drive the vehicle to his destination. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the valve cover, intake manifold and mass air flow sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called banks Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC located at 137 manchester St, concord, nh 03301 (844) 511-2874, to notify the dealer of the failure. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The failure mileage was 37,200.

- Pembroke, NH, USA

problem #27

Jan 152019

Sonic

  • 150,000 miles

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

Vehicle was recalled for catalytic converter. Recall was serviced by dealer and problem did not exist for 3 months then same issue began again with same codes being given by the vehicle and exactly the same symptoms and problems as before.

- Ray, ND, USA

problem #26

Oct 012019

Sonic

  • 90,000 miles
Upon accelerating my Sonic has lack of power and gears don't engage or they are delayed which causes me to be very unsafe from oncoming traffic when my car decides to engage I can then continue driving. I also have a issue with the car electrical system refusing to chime when keys are left in ignition as a warning sometimes I put my high beams on and all the locks lock and my car does the refusal to engage in gear thing again and my lights flicker my whole computer system went dead and no one can figure out why I only bought the car 6 months ago for 12,000 so I could have reliability and I shouldn't have to deal with this or anything for quite so time my old car is safer than this new one

- Clearlake, CA, USA

problem #25

Oct 072019

Sonic

  • 84,000 miles
I've had several issues with the car. The main one being that my engine has warped and the car is junk now as I can't afford the 5400 to replace it. The coolant kept leaking and after water pump and thermostat repairs did nothing it finally broke down. The shop says the engine is so badly warped they can't even identify where the original problem may have been.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #24

Jul 022019

Sonic

  • miles
I had a recall on a component of my catalytic converter that was causing it to move at a low efficiency. I took it in to moss brothers Chevrolet to be repaired. It seemed fine until 1-2 days later when the check engine light came back on. I called moss brothers to inform them of this situation, however, they told me that if I wanted to get it diagnosed and the problem is not covered under warranty, I would have to pay the diagnostic fees. However, I did not have any other issues with my car before taking it to them. It wasn't until afterwards. So if something other than the recall is wrong, I would be willing to bet that it was due to negligence on their part. I took it into autozone to run a diagnostics and it said 'catalyst system low efficiency' whatever they did, did not fix my car but only made it worse. I called GMC to see if there was a way around the fee should it be a different cause(if it is, I believe it was caused by moss brothers) and they were not helpful to me at all.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

problem #23

Jan 012018

Sonic

  • 80,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the engine made an abnormal noise and the engine overheated. The contact stated that the failure occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to dyer Chevrolet (4200 us-1, fort, Florida 34982, (772) 242-3116) where it was diagnosed that the engine cooling system return unit failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that the radio software system failed and did not alert him when the tires were low. The contact also noticed that the front occupant detection sensor also failed to activate when the front passenger seat was occupied. The dealer stated that the vehicle was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 16V257000 (equipment, electrical system). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Fort Pierce, FL, USA

problem #22

Jan 102018

Sonic

  • 75,000 miles
The vehicle over heated and was towed to the dealer for repair. One of the engine coolant outlets was made of plastic and crumbled into pieces where the hose connects to it. The bolts were also broken off into the side of the engine. This repair cost $1,200 and was done twice within 2 months time.

- Fort Pierce, FL, USA

problem #21

Mar 012019

Sonic

  • 10 miles
Air bags on &off (driving) thermostat not working causing engine light

- Hilo, HI, USA

problem #20

Feb 252019

Sonic

  • 70,100 miles
I recently purchased a 2014 Chevy Sonic with 70,000 miles. Shortly after receiving the vehicle, it began dropping coolant while stationary overnight after being driven during the day. The dealer replaced the water pump. After the repair, it started to leak again. This time, the dealer's repair shop could not find the source of a leak, despite my showing evidence of a leak (photos and collected coolant). Several internet postings from different sources indicated possible problems caused by dexcool coolant specified by General Motors. My own mechanic recommended replacing this coolant because of problems with the cooling system.

- Stratford, CT, USA

problem #19

Jan 202019

Sonic

  • miles
Engine light stays on. Engine randoms shuts off. Car wont start after filling car up. T/C comes on randomly and car starts shaking. Lights of car dim when you accelerate.

- Woodstock, IL, USA

problem #18

Feb 162019

Sonic

  • 36,183 miles
Thermostat damage and air conditioner not start correctly only start fan

- Caguas, PR, USA

problem #17

Feb 062019

Sonic

  • miles
Issue started with car not responding to fob sporadically. Now car wont even have power unless key is in ignition and all the doors are closed. Escalated to no power at all until I slammed the car hood down, then the car miraculously regained power. Not a battery issue, definitely electrical. Car also completely shuts off while driving. Power steering goes out, radio turns off, dash turns off. Must throw the car in neutral and restart while coasting on the freeway. Headlights and dash lights will dim during acceleration and radio goes black. Car will sometimes shut off when thrown in reverse. I feel like my life is in danger.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #16

Nov 062018

Sonic

  • 41,500 miles
Almost a year since engine last stalled without warning (happened 3 times in about 3 months). When pulling into traffic from a stop, heard 3 chimes and several warning lights lit up (traction control, engine power down, check engine, service car asap). Engine at low power, was able to drift into parking lot. Restarted car after several minutes, all lights except check engine went off. Check engine light went off after I put gas in the car the next day. I do not feel safe in this car. Long story short the dealer was going to work with me to take the car back, but bank would not release title (loan is very upside down) until another mechanic looked at the car. Bank wanted me to utilize my warranty program I had purchased with the car loan. Mechanic found P2138 app sensor code. Was leaning into the driver side on the floor to look under the dash and his elbow got wet. Found driver footwell completely soaked: Carpet, liner, and carpet pad. Rest of the car was dry. Discovered the sunroof had been leaking down into the car and not draining out properly on driver's side. Could not check entire drain system without removing headliner. Found water had compromised the side air bag and wire harness; several connectors corroded. Sprayed water on wires and was able to replicate engine power loss. Confirmed that water was leaking into the vehicle onto the wire harness. Temporarily fixed the issue with dielectric grease to prevent connectors from getting wet. Mechanic left the panels off so I can monitor the sunroof leaking. I do not feel safe in the car because of the air bag being wet and may not deploy properly, the wet carpet pad which could cause rust and mold, and the corroded wire terminals. Will contact dealer and bank tomorrow. I am hoping they will take the car off my hands as it will be a few years til I can pay it off and I don't want an accident before then.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #15

Oct 222018

Sonic

  • 66 miles
I have been complaining to GM headquarters as well as several of the Chevy dealerships in my local area! I have been to almost every Chevy dealership in town for service and no one can find the problem, or tell me what is causing me the issues I have been having with my car since November 2015!! I recently had a new battery put in (the 5th battery on the car, the 2nd one this month!!) but the batteries keep dying! of course I am being hit with costs when this happens or the "search" for the issue is initiated. I have found only 1 dealership that actually cares enough about me and this car to either waive or modify these costs. Either way, this is unfair to me in that you are not recalling the vehicle, but I still have to pay for it. I feel that you knew when you rolled the piece of junk off the assembly line that it was not going to be woth anything after that first year! though my VIN does not render any results in the recal search portal, it should! I have had so much major work done on this car and it has not even been 10 years yet! I need guidance in filing a class action against Chevrolet because you know there are major issues with the craftsmanship of the vehicle, yet you won't issue a recall. I have read similar complaints for this vehicle and that is enough to have a recall issued. I can't stop for gas, errands etc without having to worry if the car will crank back up or restart! it is so unreliable and it is definately not safe! I have called roadside assistance at least 6 times for a jump help in the last month! I had to call twice in one day most recently!! the dealership gave me a replacement battery Oct 4th and by Oct 12th it had 5% voltage! the car was sitting in my son's driveway that day--then this happened again later that morning as I was leaving a dr appt--I was planning to take it to the dealer for service!

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #14

Dec 152017

Sonic

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled numerous times without warning. The dealer (van Chevrolet, 8585 E frank lloyd wright blvd, scottsdale, AZ 85260, 1-480-696-5884) performed several diagnostic tests that included the water pump, a gasket boot in the engine, and the battery lines. The contact also stated that the headlamp assembly wiring kept burning out, but the dealer had not provided a remedy. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

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