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What 14 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (14)Electrical system (5)Engine (4)Fuel system (2)Seats (2)Wheels (2)Airbags (1)Lights (1)Parking Brake (1)Seat belts (1)Steering (1)

1 of 14 complaints match · Lights · clear filters

Nov 16, 2018Lights

DURING NIGHT OPERATION, THE BACKLIGHT OF THE CENTER SCREEN IS SO BRIGHT IT CAUSES DIFFICULTY SEEING THE ROAD. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS AT AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL (AS ADJUSTED BY THE SWITCH TO THE LEFT OF THE STEERING WHEEL), BUT THE CENTER SCREEN IS STILL TOO BRIGHT. A SIMPLE FLOATING SOFTWARE BUTTON ALLOWING A DISPLAY OFF FUNCTION WOULD ADDRESS ISSUE. AS IT IS, THE DISPLAY OFF FUNCTION IS HIDDEN IN A SUBMENU REQUIRING INATTENTION TO THE ROAD TO ACTIVATE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11152052

Working with the data? Download all 14 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 2018 Chevrolet Sonic verdict →