2012 Chevrolet Sonic: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
70%
223 of 319 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
70% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 92% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 35 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 63%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS08/07/2022CRASH1 INJURED
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 a…
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE01/26/2017CRASH1 INJURED
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,…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE01/22/20151 INJURED
THE BUTTON TO RELEASE THE CAR OUT OF GEAR, AND ONCE IN PARK THAT RELEASES THE KEY CAME APART. IT HAS BEEN STICKING FOR AWHILE THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, SOMETHING SHARP STARTED POKING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE BUTTON, AND IT HAS CUT MY HUSBAND'S HAND. NOW THE BUTTON BARELY PUSHES IN AND THE CAR IS VERY HARD TO GET OUT OF P…
Three of 223 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (7)
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
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 vehicle…
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
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 …
AIR BAGS
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 …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
7 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
