2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Chevrolet › Sonic › 2012
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
7 recalls name the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Newest first.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011…
Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, to June 29, 2012, and equipped with a 6 speed automatic transmission and 1.8L four cylinder engine. In the affected vehicles, the transmission turbine shaft may fracture.
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.
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012.…
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.
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
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.
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.
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
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.
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 5, 2011, through February 24, 2012. These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems." The windshield wiper washer hose on these vehicles may separate from the washer fluid…
A lack of washer fluid could impede the driver's view, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
General motors (gm) IS recalling certain model year 2012 chevrolet sonic vehicles manufactured from june 2, 2011, through november 21, 2011. on some of these vehicles, the front brake inner or outer pad may be missing.
A missing pad could result in reduced brake system performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
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
I purchased a 2012 Chevy Sonic with 65k miles on it from Carvibe LLC earlier this month. When I took it into Firestone for a full inspection, they found that the car has severe rusting to the mechanical parts along with the body of the vehicle - the entire structure of the vehicle is compromised. Someone spray painted the rust black but Firestone was still able to see the covered up rust. Firestone has deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that on several occasions, while coming to a stop, the vehicle unexpectedly remained in second gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that several attempts were needed for the vehicle to shift into another gear. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
Transmission shaft malfunction. Doesn't shift out of 1st gear. Transmission does not engage into gear.
Reviving the p2138 code for throttle/accelerator sensor. Still getting code after replacing 3 accelerator peddles. Possible manufacture issue with wiring that water gets into connectors shorting out that system
Unknown
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that when the vehicle was turned on, the brakes, ABS, traction control, and braking system warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle took longer than normal to slow down. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The vehicle taken to a dealer where it was it diagnosed and determined that the brake booster pump assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The check engine OBD reader had lost communication with the transmission. The contact merged to the side of the road. The contact then went to auto parts store and attempted to change the speed sensor; however, the parts store had given the contact the incorrect part. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was already repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V315000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle had lost throttle and power. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V315000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
I purchased this car 2 years ago and it has caused me absolutely nothing but trouble. We have replaced the fan 4 times (twice due to the resistor thats part of the fan failed), headgasket job, intercooler punctures (once inward, once outward), failed valve cover, intake maniford, turbo seals twice, failing check values, new relays for the fan (twice), another drive belt, and now I go outside and theres a puddle of coolant under my car. I have sunk over $8,000 into this car and it has been the worst financial decision ever. Why do the parts keep failing? Why isnt there a heat gage in the dang car so I know its too hot before the light comes on?
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while a friend was driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly veered to the right and struck the curb. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side suspension had failed. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front driver’s side suspension lower control arm had failed and needed to be replaced, along with the front axle and ball joints. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 111,000.
While driving on the highway late at night, at approximately 60 mph my 2012 Sonic began to lose power and slowed to a dangerously low speed when there was nowhere for me to pull over! I literally had to coast to a spot that I could barely squeeze off the road! Then would not shift into any workable gear but 1st and after that just revved up loudly. Long story short…had to be towed 35 miles home. Then towed to a reputable garage where they concluded the transmission was shot at about 90,000 miles. Would be around $3800. to rebuild. Come to find out these cars are known for this problem! And yet somehow I’m being told by GM that it’s not included in the Turbine Shaft Fracture Recall for that car’s year/make/model!! WHY?! Needless to say….the car will be junked!
Water pump is leaking in front of motor
We have had to deal with severe overheating issues and failing parts our entire ownership of this vehicle, both of which then cause other parts to fail, as the parts are so poorly made and heat sensitive. We have replaced the turbocharger (twice), intake manifold + valve cover (twice), catalytic converter, the radiator (THREE TIMES), the cooling fan (twice), the MAF sensor (twice), and much more. All of this has been done over the course of 18months. This has easily been the most expensive car we have ever owned due to the constant repairs, all of which has been because of Failing Parts and overheating.
Purchased 2012 Chevy Sonic for my son so that he can drive around as he is a student driver. Purchased on July 27th and pickup on the 29th on 30th Morning driving the car on the highway the car stopped while in drive mode and luckily no accident. reached out to the dealer i towed the car to dealership. First they told me is ready nothing wrong and said there is a problem with the key they didn't program it i picked up the car on august 2nd and while driving 5 miles it was doing stalled on the Highway near Natick Mall the Natick police came and tried to move the car to safe spot. since 12 day the car is with them on 10 August they told me that they are taking to Chevy dealership on the 11th and received a call from Dealership on 14th that they will do diagnosis today and i just got of the phone with the service manager she they the body control module need to be replaced and they spoke with USA motor sport salesman [XXX] He denied to fix and said he will bring old Body Control module from used car and will do reprogram i called the owner who is the ruddiest person in the World he started abusing and using false Language i am going to reach out to Attorney General Office and complain. he is saying i cannot call him when the car is ready he will call i need to report this to higher Authorities THE CAR IS STALLED WHIILE DRIVING INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
I was driving my 2012 chevrolet sonic on April 26 and was rear ended my seatbelt did not engage and I was injured. I was rushed to the hospital for a concussion and on may 4th I got dizzy from my concussion from the accident suffered on April 26 and lost control of my vehicle and struck a concrete barrier on i20 west then bounced of the barrier and struck the barrier yet again. My seatbelt never engaged and my airbags never deployed either time striking the barrier nor the prior accident.
On 4/1/2023 my engine light went on. I had my nephews look at it. see pictures below for engine read and how oil mixed with antifreeze. Also note service paperwork. Gaskets were not up to quality to keep the oil sealed in its compartment. Manager called and tried to take care of issue because he only uses genuine parts but was told there was an issue with this part and until there were more fatalities or more people complained noting could be done. He was NOT happy. They did the best they could resorting to youtube videos and imagination. When I got it back, it was like brand new. Two days later, my engine light came on again. You will find the new engine reading which again had the oil mix with the antifreeze and no oil left. The engine would blow/seize or worse if I kept driving it. I am on disability and live alone. I cannot afford the unpredictability of having something happen to me on the road or where I am suppose to the money. I complained before to a manager at a dealership when I had a problem with my motor when my car was still new. He told me it was supposed to be like that. I keep revving in the middle of traffic lights and people were on my backend when I would get out of work at 3:00 am. The car was recalled two months later to replace many individual motor parts. I am too old and anxious to play these games. Please seriously have look into this please. Thank you for your time.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine oil change services, there was an abnormal oil odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, smoke was coming from underneath the hood and after opening the hood, the contact became aware of a coolant leak. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was unknown.
01.24.2023 Purchased Chevy Sonic 2012 three weeks ago (12.27.22) w odometer at 33,688 and manuf. date of 03/2012. It has multiple recalls, inc transmission, that GM has reported resolved. I have had to schedule a transmission rebuild for $3,200.00 in February. After pressing on gas pedal, the vehicle hesitates as though it is going to stall, then lurches forward. On open road it will buck. When slowing down to stop or make turns, it bucks and lurches. The problems duplicate those stated in almost all of the complaints reported on this site. If GM has reported this vehicle as properly repaired, then I am stuck. Also, the questionable low mileage of a ten year old vehicle and dates of the recalls make me wonder about where and when or if all the recalls were truly resolved. There is one accident reported on this vehicle, Sept. 2022; was the accident caused by the same powertrain related problems?
The automatic transmission failed. It failed while I was driving the vehicle. Yes, it was confirmed by a dealer. It has been inspected by the chevy dealer. No, there were not any warning signs prior to the failure.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while coming off the freeway at approximately 30-35 MPH, the vehicle began jerking. The engine revved up as if it intended to accelerate however, the vehicle would then jerk. The contact was able to coast to the destination driving approximately 5-10 mph. The check engine warning light illuminated with a trouble code regarding the engine. The contact who is a certified mechanic determined that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin NHTSA ID: 14V315000 (Power Train). The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the vehicle was waiting to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,410.
My vehicle will not shift out of 1st or 2nd gear. This appears to be part of a recall I just found out about, however my vin # states its not part of the recall.
A few months after this car was purchased, we received the notice regarding recall 14234 for our 2012 Chevy Sonic. However, when we brought it to the dealership, they stated that our vehicle didn't fall under the recall. I told them we were experiencing shaking while shifting and it seemed like the exact same issue. Now about 1 year later with less than 100,000 miles, the car will not shift properly into 3rd gear. The auto repair shop informed us that we need to get a new transmission among many other related repairs. We seem to have the exact same issue as reported in the recall; however, we continue to be informed that our vehicle does not fall under the umbrella of the recall. After doing a number of searches it seems that this is a common story. All these 2012 Chevy Sonics have the same issue yet do not fall under the recall.
I was experiencing issues with the transmission on my vehicle. I lost control and when it stop abruptly in a ditch after hitting a fallen limb of a tree the airbags did not deploy. Since this incident I have extreme pain in neck, dizziness, and weakness in both my arms. My vehicle is not listed as part of the recalls and the violent stop of my vehicle upon hitting the object was severe enough to snap both tierod ends yet airbags did not deploy. I have significant injuries as a result and a wrecked car that I feel was hard to control due to the problematic acceleration of transmission
The gear shift in the car started sticking about 3 years ago but it would still shift so I wasn't too concerned. Since then it's gotten gradually worse until tonight where it took me 5 minutes to put it into park. I couldn't released the key or get it out of reverse and it was terrifying. Mine and others safety was put at risk because my car not going into park means it can roll anywhere and cause an accident. I haven't taken it to a dealer to get checked and it hasn't been inspected by anyone else. There never have been any warnings from the car that there is an issue.
I have a 2012 Chevy Sonic giving a P2138 error code. I have replaced the Throttle Position Sensor and the Accelerator Pedal Sensor and the problem is not going away. I have spent over $700 on this repair and they cannot fix it. It is a known problem with this vehicle but GM is there is no recall for this issue. I wish something could be done. The acceleration loses power and drops to is unable to go above 45 MPH.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.
General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were built on several specific production dates broadly ranging from December 1, 2011 to August 2, 2012 (see NHTSA recall 14V-300 for more information).Also, see attached additional report for more information.This investigation was opened to evaluate the scope of two uninfluenced safety recalls (NHTSA recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023) of certain MY 2012 Verano, Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles.These recalls involved the same defect issue as the new recall mentioned above.Accordingly, this investigation is closed based on the recall actions GM is undertaking.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.