2012 Chevrolet Sonic: owner complaints and recalls

Analysis of 353 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 7 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.

353
Complaints
7
Recalls
27
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
18
Injuries
91.2
Severity index

Severity index 91.2 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.

Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic ranks 38 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 71% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.

What actually fails

ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
POWER TRAIN15443.6%
ENGINE8223.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM5916.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4613.0%
AIR BAGS349.6%
SUSPENSION195.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL164.5%
SERVICE BRAKES164.5%

The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 154 of 353 complaints (43.6%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.

Complaints filed per year

2012: 262013: 222014: 582015: 602016: 482017: 312018: 282019: 282020: 192021: 72022: 82023: 72024: 52025: 42026: 2121314151617181920212223242526
YearComplaints
201226
201322
201458
201560
201648
201731
201828
201928
202019
20217
20228
20237
20245
20254
2026 (year to date)2
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
14V41700002/07/2014EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICALGeneral 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 Augu
14V31500012/06/2014POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONGeneral 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 frac
14V30000006/06/2014AIR BAGSGeneral 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, a
11V59900028/12/2011SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADSGENERAL 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.
12V40800020/08/2012VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHERGeneral 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 windshie
12V52200031/10/2012AIR BAGSGeneral 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.
13V02300024/01/2013AIR BAGSGeneral 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.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.