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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)

2 of 114 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

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

May 25, 2016SteeringCrash

I WAS DRIVING A 2015 SONIC DEALERSHIP CAR BECAUSE MY CAR WAS IN THE SHOP FOR THE WEEKEND, A CAR WAS ABOUT TO HIT ME AND ALL DID WAS I STEPPED ON BRAKES AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND RAN ME INTO A POLE. I HAD JUST TURNED THE CORNER, THE WEATHER WAS GREAT, I WAS ONLY GOING 15 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 10870766

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 →