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What 37 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 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 (37)Crash / fire / injury (7)Engine (19)Airbags (6)Electrical system (5)Fuel system (4)Steering (4)Visibility & wipers (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Speed control (3)Brakes (2)Body & structure (1)

6 of 37 complaints match · Airbags · clear filters

Nov 4, 2025AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that, while driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle failed to yield at a stop sign. As a result, the contact was unable to stop in time and collided with the driver's side B Pillar center region of the other vehicle. The air bags did deploy, which the contact held responsible for the injuries she sustained. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact reported sustaining injuries to her head and face, which she characterized as a bubble on her forehead, as well as bruising to the torso, but refused medical treatment. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V349000 (Air Bags), but the VIN was not included. The contact also stated that this was the second of two collisions where the air bags failed to deploy. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11697488

Jul 5, 2022AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven at approximately 30 mph, the driver crashed into a parked vehicle. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a head laceration and right and left knee injuries which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472334

Apr 2, 2020AirbagsEngineCrash

I WAS HIT HEAD ON AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY IT COULD HAVE BEEN WAY WORSE THAN IT WAS BUT IT SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AND MY ENGINE IS JUNK. HAVING ISSUES WITH IT AND ITS LESS THAN 70000 MILES

NHTSA ODI 11320007

Aug 22, 2018AirbagsCrash

WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH , AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON RECIRCULATE I BLACKED OUT AND TOTALED THE CAR . HOSPITAL RAN A CARBON MONOXIDE TEST AND IT WAS HIGH ,WAS THE CAUSE OF BLACKOUT. NOW HAVE MEMORY PROBLEMS AND SEVERE BACK PAIN

NHTSA ODI 11121759

Jul 14, 2018Electrical systemAirbagsCrash1 injury

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS MY DAUGHTER HAD AN ACCIDENT A FEW DAYS AGO INVOLVING A REAR END COLLISION WITH A FOUR WHEEL DRIVE PICKUP. SHE DIDN'T NOTICE THE CARS IN FRONT HAD STOPPED SUDDENLY AND HIT THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF HER. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT HER FRONT PROXIMITY SIGNAL DIDN'T SOUND OFF WARNING SHE WAS TOO CLOSE AND AFTER THE IMPACT HER AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT LEASTT 35 MPH. I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY WITH THE CAR NOW AND IF IT'S REPAIRABLE WE WILL STILL SELL AS MY CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY IS GONE

NHTSA ODI 11111313

Jun 13, 2018AirbagsSpeed controlCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE WITHOUT WARNING. ALL THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED CHEMICAL BURNS FROM THE AIR BAGS THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11101714

Working with the data? Download all 37 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 2017 Chevrolet Sonic verdict →