Chevrolet Sonic: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Chevrolet Sonic model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 353 | 7 | 27 | 5 | 91.2 Medium | POWER TRAIN |
| 2013 | 217 | 6 | 24 | 4 | 129.0 High | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2014 | 149 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 89.9 Medium | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2015 | 114 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 236.8 High | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2016 | 48 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 179.2 High | ENGINE |
| 2017 | 37 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 167.6 High | ENGINE |
| 2018 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
Across 7 model years, the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic carries the highest severity index (236.8, driven by electrical system), while the 2018 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.