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2014 Chevrolet Sonic

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Sonic years

Owner complaints for the 2014 Chevrolet Sonic are substantially higher than the model-year median of 42.5.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

112 reports with mileage · 38 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

150 reports
5,500 miles · Oct 10, 2014
Fuel/propulsion System

IM ONLY GETTING ABOUT 14 TO 16 MPG ON MY CAR.I WENT TO THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NORMAL.I SAID THAT ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET SUCH LOW MPG WHEN THE PAPERWORK SAYS THAT I SHOULD GET 25/35.KNOW I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HE SAID THAT ITS NORMAL TO GET 14 TO 16 MPG.I TOLD HIM YOU TELLING MY 2005 ALTIMA 3.5 GETS BETT…

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IM ONLY GETTING ABOUT 14 TO 16 MPG ON MY CAR.I WENT TO THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NORMAL.I SAID THAT ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET SUCH LOW MPG WHEN THE PAPERWORK SAYS THAT I SHOULD GET 25/35.KNOW I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HE SAID THAT ITS NORMAL TO GET 14 TO 16 MPG.I TOLD HIM YOU TELLING MY 2005 ALTIMA 3.5 GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE A DODGE DURANGO GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE?? WELL THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CANT SEEM TO FIND THE PROBLEM.THEY RECALIBRATED EVERYTHING AND ITS EVEN WORSE.I SPEND 300 IN GAS A MONTH WHICH IS UNHEARD OF..PLEASE HELP... *TR

NHTSA ODI #10643955

4,429 miles · Oct 4, 2014
Seats

I UNDERSTAND THAT NHTSA HAS MANDATED FORWARD-LEANING HEAD RESTRAINTS ON ALL LATE-MODEL VEHICLES. THE HEAD RESTRAINT IN MY 2014 SONIC IS TERRIBLE; IT SHOVES MY HEAD FORWARD, FORCING ME TO EITHER STARE AT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OR RAISE MY EYES IN A KUBRICK STARE TO SEE THE ROAD. IT WASN'T IMMEDIATELY APPARENT DURING THE TEST DRIV…

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I UNDERSTAND THAT NHTSA HAS MANDATED FORWARD-LEANING HEAD RESTRAINTS ON ALL LATE-MODEL VEHICLES. THE HEAD RESTRAINT IN MY 2014 SONIC IS TERRIBLE; IT SHOVES MY HEAD FORWARD, FORCING ME TO EITHER STARE AT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OR RAISE MY EYES IN A KUBRICK STARE TO SEE THE ROAD. IT WASN'T IMMEDIATELY APPARENT DURING THE TEST DRIVE, BUT AFTER 200+ MILES OF DRIVING IN LESS THAN A WEEK, MY NECK IS STIFF AND SHOULDERS FEEL LIKE ROCKS. ALL THIS PAIN AGAINST THE STATISTICALLY UNLIKELY OCCURRENCE OF BEING REAR-ENDED (TWICE IN 30 YEARS OF DRIVING)? FAIL. ABSOLUTE, 100%, TOTAL FAIL. MY 2012 CRUZE HAD STRAIGHT HEAD RESTRAINTS THAT DIDN'T CAUSE ME PAIN AND WERE STILL AVAILABLE WHEN I NEEDED TO BRACE (SEEING SOMEONE RACING UP BEHIND ME, FOR INSTANCE). PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF G-D, RECONSIDER THIS IDIOTIC AND OVERBEARING REGULATION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10641442

915 miles · Jul 26, 2014
Electrical System

THE IGNITION KEY GETS HOT AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR MORE THAN 5 MILES. THERE IS A STRANGE WHIRRING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF CAR WHEN DRIVING. IT STARTED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AND IS NOW ON BOTH SIDES. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10616472

100 miles · Jul 20, 2014
Fuel/propulsion System

THIS VEHICLE IS GETTING BETWEEN 19-21 MPG AT THE MOST, INCLUDING HIGHWAY, WHICH IS EXTREMELY LOW COMPARED TO OTHER SIMILAR SONIC VEHICLE MODELS AND THE ESTIMATED 25/35 MPG FOR THIS VEHICLE.I AM WONDERING IF IT IS LEAKING FUEL. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CHEVY REQUIRING THIS MUCH GAS. I AM CONCERNED THAT IT MIGHT BE AFFECTED BY THE FUE…

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THIS VEHICLE IS GETTING BETWEEN 19-21 MPG AT THE MOST, INCLUDING HIGHWAY, WHICH IS EXTREMELY LOW COMPARED TO OTHER SIMILAR SONIC VEHICLE MODELS AND THE ESTIMATED 25/35 MPG FOR THIS VEHICLE.I AM WONDERING IF IT IS LEAKING FUEL. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CHEVY REQUIRING THIS MUCH GAS. I AM CONCERNED THAT IT MIGHT BE AFFECTED BY THE FUEL RECALL BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED. GM AND THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP HAVE DISREGARDED MY CONCERNS, TELLING ME MY VEHICLE IS OPERATING NORMALLY. I WOULD LIKE MY VEHICLE INSPECTED FOR SAFETY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10614778

3,080 miles · Jul 8, 2014
Fuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE IGNITION, A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE ENTIRE FUEL LEAKED OUT OF THE FUEL TANK ONTO THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 13V…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE IGNITION, A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE ENTIRE FUEL LEAKED OUT OF THE FUEL TANK ONTO THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 13V464000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,080.

NHTSA ODI #10608902

3,480 miles · Jul 8, 2014
Fuel/propulsion System

GAS STARTED LEAKING FROM BOTTOM OF GAS TANK. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10608887

Mileage unknown · Jun 24, 2014
Electrical System

DRIVING IN 70MPH TRAFFIC, MY WIFE JOSTLED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION WHILE REACHING UP TO ADJUST WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE CAR STALLED. A TRUCK WAS BARRELING DOWN ON US. FORTUNATELY WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TIME. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED WITH NO TROUBLE. THIS WAS A RENTED CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10605510

2,800 miles · Apr 29, 2014
Tires

NEW HANKOOK OPTIMO H428 TIRE ON MY 2014 SONIC DEVELOPED A BULGE ON THE FRONT DRIVER TIRE. DEALER CLAIMS IT WAS DUE TO ROAD HAZARD. RESEARCH SHOWING THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT FOR THIS COMPANY'S TIRE. NO KNOW HAZARD WAS HIT TO CAUSE THIS. TIRE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED BEFORE A BLOW-OUT OCCURS, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDEN…

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NEW HANKOOK OPTIMO H428 TIRE ON MY 2014 SONIC DEVELOPED A BULGE ON THE FRONT DRIVER TIRE. DEALER CLAIMS IT WAS DUE TO ROAD HAZARD. RESEARCH SHOWING THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT FOR THIS COMPANY'S TIRE. NO KNOW HAZARD WAS HIT TO CAUSE THIS. TIRE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED BEFORE A BLOW-OUT OCCURS, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10585419

8,480 miles · Apr 7, 2014
Engine

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A LONG, STEEP BRIDGE AT A CAUTIOUS SPEED AND REACHED OVER TO ADJUST THE RADIO VOLUME. WHEN I PLACED MY RIGHT HAND BACK ON THE STEERING WHEEL SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT SO I QUICKLY VERIFIED THAT I HAD BRAKES AND LIGHTS, BUT NO ENGINE POWER. I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THE ONLY REASON F…

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN A LONG, STEEP BRIDGE AT A CAUTIOUS SPEED AND REACHED OVER TO ADJUST THE RADIO VOLUME. WHEN I PLACED MY RIGHT HAND BACK ON THE STEERING WHEEL SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT SO I QUICKLY VERIFIED THAT I HAD BRAKES AND LIGHTS, BUT NO ENGINE POWER. I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THE ONLY REASON FOR THE ENGINE FAILURE THAT I COULD FIGURE OUT AT THE TIME WAS THAT I HAD JARRED THE KEY CHAIN WITH MY COAT SLEEVE, INADVERTENTLY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. THIS WAS A RENTAL CAR AND THE TWO SETS OF KEYS HAD BEEN PERMANENTLY CRIMPED TOGETHER BY A CABLE. I HAD CALLED THE RENTAL COMPANY A FEW HOURS AFTER PICKING UP THE CAR AT THE AIRPORT TO FIND OUT HOW TO SEPARATE THE KEYS AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS INTENTIONALLY DONE TO KEEP THE SETS TOGETHER IN CASE THE CAR WAS DROPPED OFF AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION. A MONTH OR SO LATER I LEARNED OF THE GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION OF THE DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH IN GM VEHICLES THAT COULD TURN OFF THE CAR IF JOSTLED OR WEIGHED DOWN BY A HEAVY KEY RING. THE CAR WAS A 2014 CHEVROLET SONIC. FORTUNATELY IT DIDN'T LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT, BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL AND WAS MADE EVEN MORE FRIGHTENING DUE TO THE POSITION ON THE BRIDGE. FROM NOW ON I WILL NOT RENT ANY GM CARS AND WILL INSIST THAT THE KEY CHAINS BE SEPARATED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10578024

4,400 miles · Apr 4, 2014
SuspensionUnknown Or OtherWheelsCrash

THE DRIVER BACKED OUT ONTO THE RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE DRIVE ALIGNED THE WHEELS TO POINT STRAIGHT DOWN THE STREET. THE DRIVER SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND PRESSED PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. THE CAR RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AND SWERVED TO THE LEFT. IT GRAZED THE BUMPER OF A PACKED CAR AND CAME TO REST ON A TREE. UPON LEAVING THE FRONT LEFT T…

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THE DRIVER BACKED OUT ONTO THE RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE DRIVE ALIGNED THE WHEELS TO POINT STRAIGHT DOWN THE STREET. THE DRIVER SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND PRESSED PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. THE CAR RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AND SWERVED TO THE LEFT. IT GRAZED THE BUMPER OF A PACKED CAR AND CAME TO REST ON A TREE. UPON LEAVING THE FRONT LEFT TIRE WAS DEFLATED. THE REPAIR SHOP REPORTED LEFT SUSPENSION DAMAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10577515

Official recalls

4

16V257000 · Electrical System:software; Equipment:electrical:radio/tape Deck/cd Etc.

Apr 28, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."

Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.

Equipment:electrical:radio/tape Deck/cd Etc.

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."

Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.

14V543000 · Air Bags

Sep 9, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured July 28, 2014, to August 1, 2014. Due to a loss of electrical connection in the steering column, in the event of a severe crash, the driver's frontal air bag deployment may be limited to the first-stage deployment only instead of the intended first-stage and second-stage deployments.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If only the first-stage of the driver's frontal air bag deploys without the additional second-stage, the driver has an increased risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will test the terminals in the IP harness clock spring coil connector and replace any loose terminals, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14537.

14V417000 · Equipment:electrical

Jul 2, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.

13V464000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:mounting

Sep 26, 2013

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured August 2, 2013, through August 12, 2013. Due to insufficient welds, the front fuel tank strap bracket may separate from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front fuel tank strap bracket separates, the increased load may lead to the failure of the other tank support. As a result, the fuel tank may come loose from the vehicle causing a fuel leak. A fuel leak, in the presence of an ignition source, may result in a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front fuel tank strap bracket, and repair it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 7, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13296.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.