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What 217 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (217)Crash / fire / injury (29)Electrical system (56)Engine (55)Transmission & drivetrain (38)Airbags (25)Fuel system (14)Steering (13)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (12)Brakes (11)Visibility & wipers (9)Body & structure (8)

29 of 217 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Jun 26, 2014AirbagsWheelsCrash

I JUST NOTICED THERE WAS AN AIRBAG RECALL ON MY VEHICLE, I DID NOT GET NOTICE OF THIS RECALL. I WAS IN A RECENT ACCIDENT AND EVERYONE SEEM SHOCKED THAT MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DUE TO THE DAMAGES TO MY CAR. ADDITIONALLY, I AM HAVING TO ADD AIR TO MY TIRES WEEKLY AS SOON AS I ADD AIR THEN I GET ANOTHER WARNING THAT MY TIRES NEED MORE AIR. THE SENSOR DID NOT RESPOND AS MY ONSTAR SERVICES DID NOT GET IT TO RESPOND AS THE SERVICE IS SET UP TO DO. I HAVE CHANGED CLIMATE FROM A COLD(PA) TO A WARMER (GA) AND STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10606270

Mar 25, 2014Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureBrakesCrash

ON MARCH 12, 2014 AROUND 8:00 P.M I HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH MY VEHICLE AT MY HOME. MY CAR IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION SO WHEN I WENT TO TURN IT ON, ONLY HALF OF MY BODY WAS IN THE VEHICLE TO TURN IT ON. BEFORE TURNING IT ON I DID NOTICE THE E-BRAKE ENGAGED AND THE CAR WAS IN FIRST GEAR. I PROCEEDED TO TURN IT ON KNOWING THAT I COULD STILL TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR BEFORE ENGAGING THE CLUTCH AGAIN. AT THE MOMENT OF IGNITION THOUGH, THE CAR TOOK OFF FORWARD AND TOOK ME WITH IT. FROM THE PANIC THAT I HAD, I HELD ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL AND PULLED IT TO THE LEFT AND THE VEHICLE RAN INTO ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE TO THE LEFT FRONT OF ME. THE IMPACT OF THE VEHICLE LED TO THE DOOR OF THE CHEVY SONIC TO CLOSE ON MY RIGHT LEG AND THE DOOR STAYED SHUT ON MY LEG SINCE THE CAR HAD RAN ONTO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE OTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT ONTO THE OTHER VEHICLE, I NOTICED AN ODD SMELL THAT SEEMED LIKE BRAKES. THE CAR HAD STOPPED DUE TRASH CANS THAT WERE AT THE FRONT OF IT. WHEN THE CAR IMPACTED THE TRASH CANS , THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING YET THE CAR WAS STILL WANTING TO GO ON AHEAD AS IF SOMEONE WAS ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE. DURING THIS TIME WHILE THIS HAPPENED AND I WAS STILL PINNED BETWEEN THE DOOR OF THE CHEVY SONIC AND HAVING THE DOOR KEPT SHUT ON ME DUE TO THE SIDE IMPACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE, I SMELLED SOMETHING THAT SEEMED LIKE BRAKES TO ME. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE, I FINALLY MANAGED TO TURN IT OFF. I THEN PUT IT TO NEUTRAL AND DISENGAGED THE E-BRAKE AND HAD FAMILY MEMBERS ROLL THE CAR BACK. UPON BEING UNPINNED FROM THE OTHER VEHICLE AND HAVING MY LEG FREED FROM THE CHEVY SONIC, MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO TRY OUT THE E-BRAKE TO MAKE SURE IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. THE E-BRAKE DID NOT FAIL TO ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE. I HAVE REPEATED THIS SAME SITUATION OVER AND OVER. THE ONLY RESULT HAS BEEN THE CAR JERKING FORWARD ABOUT 2 FEET THEN STALLING DUE TO THE E-BRAKE BEING ENGAGED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10574632

Feb 21, 2014Speed controlCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE, A HELIPAD, ANDTHEN A PARKED VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10565261

May 8, 2013AirbagsCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, A TRACTOR TRAILER CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. THE FRONT DRIVER, ROOF AND SIDE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

NHTSA ODI 10511168

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Working with the data? Download all 217 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Chevrolet Sonic verdict →