Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system56
- Engine55
- Unknown or other45
- Power train38
- Air bags25
- Fuel/propulsion system13
- Steering13
- Electronic stability control (esc)12
- Service brakes11
- Structure8
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 20 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 55 2013 Sonic vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 36 people died inside them, and 4 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic failed the safety check 2.58% of the time — 8% more often than the average 2013 passenger car (2.38%). Median odometer at inspection: 95,328 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
33 2013 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; 2 of 2 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 12.6 % |
| 2013 Chevrolet Sonic 5 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 12.6 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 10 variants: combined 7.5–8.4 L/100 km (about 28–31 mpg US), CO₂ 173–193 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 8.5 | 6.2 | 7.5 |
| Sonic 5 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.5 | 6.2 | 7.5 |
| Sonic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 6.6 | 7.9 |
| Sonic 5 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 6.6 | 7.9 |
| Sonic RS · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.7 | 7.0 | 7.9 |
| Sonic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Sonic 5 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Sonic · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 6.6 | 8.3 |
| Sonic 5 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 6.6 | 8.3 |
| Sonic RS · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 9.5 | 7.1 | 8.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
7 Transport Canada recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic.
| 2023412 27 Jul 2023 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the driver-front airbag inflator could rupture when the airbag deploys in a crash. If this happens, the airbag may not properly in… |
| 2017051 3 Feb 2017 | Lights And Instruments Certain vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. The headla… |
| 2016191 28 Apr 2016 | Electrical Certain vehicles equipped with a "Bring Your Own Media" (BYOM) radio may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114 - Theft Protection … |
| 2014274 3 Jul 2014 | Accessories On certain vehicles, insulation on the engine block heater power cord may become damaged if the cord is handled during very cold days (temperatures below -25C).… |
| 2013356 16 Oct 2013 | Lights And Instruments On certain vehicles, the brake lamps could flash intermittently without the brake pedal being depressed. This would convey a confusing message to following roa… |
| 2013334 27 Sept 2013 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, a fuel tank support strap bracket may have been welded incorrectly and could separate. This could potentially result in damage to the fuel … |
| 2012304 17 Sept 2012 | Electrical Certain vehicles fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 – Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. When a turn signal lamp fails to op… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
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, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured August 2, 2013, through August 12, 2013. Due to insufficient welds, the front fuel tank strap bracket may separate from the vehicle.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 29, 2012, through August 29, 2012. When a turn signal lamp fails to operate, the Body Control Module (BCM) in these vehicles does not detect this condition and will not indicate the condition to the driver. Thus, These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011989 | This service bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of ethylene glycol in transmission fluid. |
| 11011805 | This Preliminary information communicates a GM part number forreflective high temperature heat or insulating tape when repairing wiring harnesses. |
| 11011782 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe terminal has been released in the terminal repair kit (J-38125-620H) located in Lear Tray 7 part number 963716-2. There are 5 terminated leads in a package part number is 13505346, which can be ordered through your normal General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales parts channel. |
| 11011709 | This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer. |
| 11011444 | This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer a process for accessing the procedure to add attachments to a GM technical assistance case using the dealer case management tool. |
| 11011205 | This informational bulletin explains Unscheduled Supplemental Services and the importance of GM Simplified Maintenance Schedules. |
| 11010651 | This service bulletin informs the technician of an alternate lift procedure that has been developed when the lift plate does not fit the top of the transmission case for 6T30, 6T35, 6T40, 6T45, and 6T50 Transmissions. |
| 11010545 | This service bulletin provides information on key code security rules and information on GM keycode look-up applications (U.S). |
| 11010491 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information for GM courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs. |
| 11010490 | This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption. |
| 11010421 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements. |
| 11009764 | This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories. |
| 11009756 | This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission Assembly Replacement Under Warranty, Policy or Customer Enthusiasm and information on Submission of Warranty Transaction in Global Warranty Management. |
| 11009532 | This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive. |
| 11009531 | This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive. |
| 11009170 | This Preliminary information communicates additional information on how a LIN bus operates and diagnostic tips when working on a LIN bus. |
| 11009156 | This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update. |
| 11009088 | This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a slight movement that is more often seen visually, rather than felt, when viewed from the outside and using the auto-start feature, if equipped. |
| 11009039 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information, proper labor operation selection and causal part identification for warranty transactions (U.S. Only). |
| 11008986 | This Preliminary information communicatesdirection and examples when diagnosing multiple DTCs, one of which includes U**** Byte 71 DTC. |
| 11008956 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only). |
| 11008906 | This service bulletin provides graphics, information and guidelines for engine component wear to assist service personnel as a guideline to perform necessary engine repairs and prevent unnecessary engine replacement. |
| 11008898 | The bulletin provides direction on how to locate the Temporary Service Part (TSP) form in GlobalConnect. |
| 11007936 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
| 11007935 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation