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What 48 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (48)Crash / fire / injury (10)Engine (13)Electrical system (11)Airbags (8)Fuel system (5)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Suspension (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Body & structure (2)Brakes (2)Engine & cooling (2)

3 of 48 complaints match · Suspension · clear filters

Nov 10, 2017SuspensionElectronic Stability Control (esc)

THESE ISSUES HAPPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BOTH IN MOTION AND STILL.THE RIGHT INDICATOR LIGHT MALFUNCTIONS QUITE EXCESSIVELY. THE MALFUNCTION CAUSES THE REAR INDICATOR TO TURN OFF AND THE PEOPLE DRIVING BEHIND YOU CANNOT SEE YOU USING A TURN SIGNAL. ALSO THE SUSPENSION DOES NOT BRACE IMPACT OR ADJUST TO DIFFERENT TERRAIN.

NHTSA ODI 11045076

Aug 10, 2017Suspension

WHEN BACKING UP AND GOING FORWARD UP TO 25 MPH THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS VERY NOISY. FRONT SWAY LINKS REPLACED BY DEALER UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI 11014248

Jun 7, 2017SuspensionFuel systemCrash

CARS COMPUTER/PROGRAMMING IS REMOTELY CONTROLLED ,BRAKES TRANMISSION LIGHTS SUSPENSION DO NOTB PERFORM AS INTENDED BY MANUFACTURER.HACKING INVOLVED WHILE DRIVING STATIONARY FREEWAYS/CITY STREETS.

NHTSA ODI 10993851

Working with the data? Download all 48 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 2016 Chevrolet Sonic verdict →