Reliable Auto DB

2012 Chevrolet Sonic reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic over 15 years — 35 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 9 Sonic years on this site. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Electrical, Automatic transmission, and Air bags.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Photo by Cosmic Console, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0
Complaints

354

Per year

35

Recalls

7

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (154 of 354), then Engine (83) and Electrical system (59). Those filings include 27 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Sonic has 217 complaints, 22 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall equipment, electrical 2014-07-02 · NHTSA campaign 14V417000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2014-06-12 · NHTSA campaign 14V315000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, to June 29, 2012, and equipped with a 6 speed automatic transmission and 1.8L four cylinder engine. In the affected vehicles, the transmission turbine shaft may fracture.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission turbine shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14234.
Recall Air bags 2014-06-06 · NHTSA campaign 14V300000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.
Recall Air bags 2013-01-24 · NHTSA campaign 13V023000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Recall Air bags 2012-10-31 · NHTSA campaign 12V522000
Summary General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
Remedy General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper 2012-08-20 · NHTSA campaign 12V408000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 5, 2011, through February 24, 2012. These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems." The windshield wiper washer hose on these vehicles may separate from the washer fluid reservoir. If this occurs, washer fluid will not be available to the windshield.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will secure the windshield washer hose to prevent separation, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, pads 2011-12-28 · NHTSA campaign 11V599000
Summary GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET SONIC VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 2, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 21, 2011. ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE FRONT BRAKE INNER OR OUTER PAD MAY BE MISSING.
Remedy GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FRONT BRAKES FOR A MISSING INNER OR OUTER PAD. IF A BRAKE PAD IS MISSING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW INNER AND OUTER PADS, A NEW BRAKE CALIPER, AND A NEW ROTOR. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 14, 2012

Complaints by component (354 total)

Powertrain
154
Engine
83
Electrical system
59
Air bags
34
Suspension
19
Fuel and propulsion system
16
Speed control
16
Service brakes
15
Steering
14
Structure
12
Visibility and wipers
11
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
Exterior lighting
6
Visibility
5
Engine and engine cooling
4
Seat belts
4
Traction control
3
Wheels
3
Adaptive and mobility equipment
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seats
1
Tires
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

27

Fire-flagged

5

Injury reports

17

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

262012222013582014602015482016312017282018282019192020720218202272023520244202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I purchased a 2012 Chevy Sonic with 65k miles on it from Carvibe LLC earlier this month. When I took it into Firestone for a full inspection, they found that the car has severe rusting to the mechanical parts along with…"
    Structure, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-08-20
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that on several occasions, while coming to a stop, the vehicle unexpectedly remained in second gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-02-25
  • "Transmission shaft malfunction. Doesn't shift out of 1st gear. Transmission does not engage into gear."
    Powertrain · filed 2026-02-02
  • "Reviving the p2138 code for throttle/accelerator sensor. Still getting code after replacing 3 accelerator peddles. Possible manufacture issue with wiring that water gets into connectors shorting out that system"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-07-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 5 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Sonic 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Sonic 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150
Sonic 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 26 34 29 MPG $2250
Sonic 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 38 32 MPG $2050
Sonic 5 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Sonic 5 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150
Sonic 5 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 26 34 29 MPG $2250
Sonic 5 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 38 32 MPG $2050

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2012–2020
Body styles Sedan, Hatchback
Oil 5W-30 (all temps); 0W-30 below -29°C , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 195/65R15, 205/55R16, 205/50R17 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 16V-257 covers certain 2013-2016 Sonic vehicles (and Trax/Spark models named in the campaign) with Bring Your Own Media radios: the radio may fail to sound the key-in-ignition warning chime. Dealers update radio software. Recall 16V-422 covers certain 2015-2016 Sonic vehicles with the same radio type: the radio may fail to chime for an unfastened seat belt; dealers update software. Recall 18V-342 covers certain 2018 Sonic vehicles: a joint in the driver seat-back frame may not be properly welded; dealers replace the seat-back.

Compare

Next year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic See every Chevrolet Sonic model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic reliable?

Owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic over 15 years — 35 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 9 Sonic years on this site. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Electrical, Automatic transmission, and Air bags.

What are common problems with a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (154 of 354), then Engine (83) and Electrical system (59). Those filings include 27 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Sonic has 217 complaints, 22 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic been recalled?

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic?

Owners have filed 354 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is 29.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic?

1st generation (2012-2020) for the US years this site tracks.

What oil does a Chevrolet Sonic take?

US notes list 5W-30 for all temperatures, with 0W-30 as an alternative below -29°C.

What tire sizes does a Chevrolet Sonic use?

Common US sizes include 195/65R15, 205/55R16, and 205/50R17 depending on trim.