2012 Chevrolet Sonic Problems, Recalls & Reliability
519 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 50,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2016–2017.
Avoid
Where 2012 sits among all Sonic years
What owners report
“Gear shift button stuck in depressed position unable to put the car in park and remove key and have to try and pop out button to park car and remove key.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Sonic
“Engine is running rough with no check engine light. Also air bag light is on with no collisions for it to appear.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Sonic
“My car keeps shutting completely off even while driving, the radio come on and off by itself and no one can tell me why, this is very dangerous i be driving with my children in the vehicle and the car shuts off while driving in traffic”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Sonic
“The console gear shift has a button that must be depressed to shift. Button sticks in depressed position. Cannot remove keys in park position. Vehicle is 2012, 28,000 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Sonic
“The passenger side airbag light was going back and forth from on to off for a few weeks, as well as the airbag service light on he dash, now the light stays on the dash and the the airbag stays in the off position.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Sonic
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 391 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 46,200 miles. Half of those reports fall between 28,685 and 68,985 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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…
Fix: 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.…
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…
Fix: 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.…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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,…
Led to recall campaign 13V023000.
Technical service bulletins
1,585 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic reliable?
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic drew 519 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2012).
What are the most common 2012 Chevrolet Sonic problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic are transmission & drivetrain (154 complaints), engine (86), and electrical (65).
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Sonic problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Chevrolet Sonic problems around 46,200 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 28,685 and 68,985 miles.
Does the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.