Reliable Auto DB

2015 Chevrolet Sonic reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 114 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic over 12 years — 13 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sonic years here — over the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Electrical system, software and Radio.

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

114

Per year

13

Recalls

3

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (34 of 114), then Air bags (27) and Engine (23). Those filings include 15 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 11 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Sonic has 150 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2016 has 48 complaints, 5 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall electrical system, software 2016-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V422000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
Recall equipment, electrical, radio 2016-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 16V257000
Summary 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."
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.
Recall equipment, electrical, radio 2015-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 15V416000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 20, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured June 18, 2014, to June 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, equipped with the base radio and OnStar, the radio may lock up due to a software issue, causing the display to go blank and all audio functions to cease. Because of this, there may be no warning chimes such as the reminder to buckle the seat belt and the key being left in ignition when the driver goes to exit the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 "Occupant Crash Protection", and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on August 11, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15504.

Complaints by component (114 total)

Electrical system
34
Air bags
27
Engine
23
Fuel and propulsion system
12
Powertrain
12
Steering
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Equipment
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Exterior lighting
3
Service brakes
3
Wheels
3
Hydraulic brakes
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Seat belts
2
Seats
2
Structure
2
Lane departure
1
Speed control
1
Suspension
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

15

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

11

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

920151720161220171220181620191120208202112202262023720243202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Passenger seat airbag shows that it is still off even when there is someone in the Passenger seat"
    Air bags · filed 2026-05-23
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact purchased the vehicle from a dealer in March 2024. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the odometer at 60,000, and the…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-09-29
  • "my recall is already completed, why on the your website still showing incompleted?"
    Wheels, Unknown or other, Lane departure · filed 2025-07-10
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2025-02-03
  • "I have had this vehicle for three years now and no matter of the repairs I had done to it by machanics the check engind light continue to turn on and the vehicle has shut down on the road and I can't find out what the…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2024-10-27

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Chevrolet Sonic 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 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 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 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 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
Sonic 5 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150
Sonic 5 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Sonic 5 RS 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 33 28 MPG $2300
Sonic 5 RS 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250
Sonic RS 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 33 28 MPG $2300
Sonic RS 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 33 29 MPG $2250

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

Previous year 2014 Chevrolet Sonic Next year 2016 Chevrolet Sonic See every Chevrolet Sonic model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic reliable?

Owners have filed 114 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic over 12 years — 13 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sonic years here — over the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Electrical system, software and Radio.

What are common problems with a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (34 of 114), then Air bags (27) and Engine (23). Those filings include 15 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 11 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Sonic has 150 complaints, 14 per year, and the 2016 has 48 complaints, 5 per year. The 2015 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic been recalled?

The 2015 Chevrolet Sonic has 3 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 2015 Chevrolet Sonic?

Owners have filed 114 complaints about the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Chevrolet Sonic is 29.3 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.