Home · 2013 Chevrolet Sonic · Complaints
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.
2 of 217 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
I WAS GOING UP HILL APPROACHING A PARKING SPACE IN THE GARAGE WHERE I WORK. I WENT TO TURN INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND MY TURBO ENGINE SPED UP AND SLAMMED ME INTO THE GARAGE WALL. THE AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED. THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION ON THIS CHEVY SONIC. IF I HAD PARKED ON THE TOP FLOOR, I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE IT WOULD HAVE CRASHED DOWN INTO THE STREET. I MY ARMS AND MY ONE LEG WAS BURNED BY THE AIR BAGS.
NHTSA ODI 10762295
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
Working with the data? Download all 217 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026