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What 114 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 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 (114)Crash / fire / injury (19)Electrical system (34)Airbags (27)Engine (23)Fuel system (12)Transmission & drivetrain (12)Steering (6)Brakes (5)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (4)Equipment (4)Engine & cooling (3)

11 of 114 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 27, 2023AirbagsCrash1 injury

Passenger side front airbags did not deploy during a front end vehicle crash. All other airbags in vehicle did deploy. Injury did occur due to this.

NHTSA ODI 11519192

Aug 19, 2019LightsAirbagsBody & structureCrash

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT ROAD WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 60 MPH WHEN SHE SAW A DEER IN THE ROAD - SHE SWERVED AND BRAKED HITTING THE DEER IN THE DRIVERS HEADLIGHT AREA ABOVE DRIVERS FRONT TIRE AND BOTH DRIVER SIDE DOORS. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK IN PLACE AND HOLD HER IN PLACE.

NHTSA ODI 11245012

Jun 27, 2017AirbagsCrash3 injuries

OUR VEHICLE WAS HIT WHILE IN MOTION AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ON A CITY STREET ON THE DRIVER SIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT DIDN'T YIELD AT A STOP INTERSECTION. SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ENTIRE DRIVER SIDE OF OUR THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. MY HEAD BOUNCED OFF THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW CAUSING INJURY THAT I DIDN'T SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR. CHILD IN BACKSEAT DRIVER SIDE HIT HEAD AS WELL, AND DID SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. OUR VEHICLE WAS INOPERABLE, AND HAD TO BE TOWED FROM THE SCENE.

NHTSA ODI 11001671

Feb 22, 2017SteeringAirbagsCrashFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED BEFORE THE CRASH OCCURRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 10956386

Aug 8, 2016AirbagsCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE MERGING INTO THE LEFT LANE, AN ONCOMING VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000. ..UPDATED 12/28/16 *BF *TR

NHTSA ODI 10894206

Jun 12, 2016Airbags1 injury

AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. NO COLLISION ONCE SO EVER, POLICE AND I AGREED THERE WAS NO PHYSICALLY INDICATION ON WHY THEY WENT OFF. AS WELL AS THE GM INSPECTOR COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING EITHER. STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM GM.

NHTSA ODI 10873765

Jun 8, 2016AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND REPAIRED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE NECK AND LOWER BACK, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,700.

NHTSA ODI 10873197

May 16, 2016AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING 40 MPH, WHEN SHE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER BUMPED HER HEAD ON THE WINDSHIELD, BUT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000. UPDATED 07/27/16*LJ

NHTSA ODI 10865107

Sep 3, 2015AirbagsCrash2 injuries

MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER HIT A DEER GOING ABOUT 60 MPH. THE DEER HIT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE FROM THE GRILL TO THE CORNER. AFTER THE IMPACT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DAMAGE COULD BE A TOTAL LOSS JUST WAITING ON THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER.

NHTSA ODI 10761416

Aug 10, 2015AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A DEER. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A HEAD INJURY THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE FRONT END DAMAGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

NHTSA ODI 10747406

Apr 7, 2015AirbagsCrash3 injuries

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE TRAVELING STRAIGHT IN A 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC LT AT APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH WHEN THE DRIVER OF A 2002 TOYOTA COROLLA MADE A LEFT HAND TURN CAUSING A COLLISION. SIMPLY PUT WE T BONED THE OTHER VEHICLE. 2015 CHEVY SONICS ARE EQUIPPED WITH WEIGHT SENSING RESTRAINT SYSTEMS. I WAS THE PASSENGER AND WEIGH APPROXIMATELY 142 LBS. BOTH DRIVER FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, KNEE AND STEERING WHEEL. THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOYED. ALMOST ALL OF THE DAMAGE WAS TO THE FRONT END PASSENGER SIDE. TOTAL MILEAGE AT TIME OF COLLISION WAS 3,191. SO FAR INSURANCE HAS ESTIMATED REPAIR COSTS TO BE $8,863.10, NOTE THIS IS BEFORE TARE DOWN. FINAL COST WILL RISE CONSIDERING THEY FAILED TO INCLUDE FRONT BUMPER AND RADIATOR. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE TOTAL LOSS. I HAVE CONTACTED GM CONCERNING THE AIR BAG FAILURE, AND THE REPORT HAS BEEN PASSED ALONG TO NOW THE THIRD PERSON. THE REPORT WAS "ESCALATED TO CENTRAL CLAIMS" ON 4/2/2015, I WAS TOLD THEN THAT I WOULD RECEIVE A CALL WITHIN 24-48 HOURS, IT IS NOW 4/7/215. I DID NOT RECEIVE A CALL, CALLED GM YESTERDAY AND WAS GIVEN CONTACT INFORMATION OF THE 3RD ASSIGNED PERSON, SENT AN EMAIL ASKING FOR A RETURN CALL, NO RESPONSE RECEIVED. IT HAS NOW BEEN 24 HOURS SINCE EMAIL. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN ALLOWING ADOLESCENTS/CHILDREN TO RIDE IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10704189

Working with the data? Download all 114 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 2015 Chevrolet Sonic verdict →