Chevrolet · Sonic · 2013
6
Recalls
217
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Chevrolet Sonic has 6 recalls and 217 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: unknown or other (30 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
12.6% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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 Status
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.
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 Status
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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on June 13, 2013. Owner's may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. GM's recall number is 13158.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 29, 2012, through August 29, 2012. When a turn signal lamp fails to operate, the Body Control Module (BCM) in these vehicles does not detect this condition and will not indicate the condition to the driver. Thus, These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the BCM and the vehicle's key fobs, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 3, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
The contact owned a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously sustained undercarriage damage while driving at 20 MPH and hitting a pothole. The undercarriage was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. A coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled into the Walmart parking lot and parked the vehicle. An independent mechanic was notified of the failure. The contact stated that while the mechanic was towing the vehicle to the repair shop, the vehicle caught on fire. The mechanic pulled over to the side of the road. The incident occurred near the mechanic's shop. The contact stated that the workers of a nearby recreation center extinguished the fire with fire extinguishers. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact stated that the fire originated from the engine compartment. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
Vehicle enters into catalyst monitor too early. Monitor Fales indicating that the catalyst is below efficiency threshold. A vehicle is run for a significant amount of time before being allowed to enter the driving conditions for the catalyst monitor, monitor will pass. This indicates that there is a programming failure, not an actual component failure. Theory has been tested multiple times. Catalyst had also been tested by temperature sensor as well as by taking readings with a gas analyzer before and after the catalyst. Everything indicates the catalyst is well within operating parameters. Theories, test, and confirmations have been conducted by a certified technician and mechanical engineer.
On 7-27-2023 General Motors issued a recall on 2013 models of Sonic, my VIN was not included in this recall. However on 4-16-2025 my sonic was involved in a impact incident in which the air bags should have deployed, and did not. It is my opinion that Chevy, knowing of the issues with the model of car, should have issued a recall for my vehicle as well, but did not. As a result I suffered additional strain and injury during my impact as no airbags deployed.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle, the ignition key remained stuck in the ignition switch. Additionally, the contact noticed that the gear shift indicator was indicating that the transmission was in park(P) and in drive(D) simultaneously. The contact stated that upon moving the gear shifter in and out of park(P) several times, and shifting back to park(P), the contact was able to release the key. The contact stated that the failure had recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the gear shifter was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,419.
UNKNOWN. Our car caught fire but I'm not sure what actually caused it, it was in perfect working condition before. I saw articles online saying there was a voluntary recall due to faulty welding in the fuel tank so it could be that. I believe it's a dangerous defect and should be an official recall. My family and I almost lost our lives because of it
Unable to shift to park from drive due to internal mechanism broke.
The Sonic rear ended a stationary vehicle going close to 50mph. No airbags deployed.
Was driving in heavy rain when car suddenly cut power and decelerated showed code 84 and the CEL came back with P2138. It is a known issue that rain gets up into the connector and causes a malfunction.
Last week when I was driving my car on the street, and wanted to make a left the steering wheel was very hard to turn. And the next day It happened again , steering hard to turn and it’s been intermittent but not driving my car right now, thanks for your attention
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that there was fluid leaking from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a water pump and the thermostat housing failure. The contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 14371B; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.
Car accident November 3, 2023. A dear ran in front car while traveling 55mps. As the impact took place causing front and of the car to be smashed Air bags in the car did not deployed. Causing head to hit steering wheel.
Car was taken to a mechanic. The diagnosis is that the 16186 Catalytic Converter Internal Damage. This forces the car to keep stalling. Upon further research, certain models had this recall. I called GM and they said my car is not one of the ones that had the recall how ever it has the same failure that the other recalls do.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the rear windshield suddenly imploded, causing glass shards to be propelled inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that it sounded as if a shotgun had been fired. As a result of the implosion, the contact sustained injuries to the left eye. The contact sought medical attention. The contact stated that there was an abnormal electrical humming sound coming from the rear windshield prior to the failure. The contact stated that the defroster was not activated at the time of the failure. The contact stated that there was prior electrical shortage failures with the vehicle. Additionally, there was melted solder present at the rear window defroster electrical connection. An unknown local dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact stated that he had a Police Report for the failure. The contact stated that a field investigator was sent to the residence to inspect the vehicle; however, the cause of the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 125,000.
2013 Chevrolet Sonic 1.8 L , fuel system lean ,mass airflow sensor, in limp mode preventing acceleration, gas tank when added gas....shuts down after start up-fuel system/gasoline; may cause possible fuel leak and could combust, alarm system and locks don't properly function - electric system equipment, insufficient welds...around fuel tank and front of vehicle on bottom by driver's side could also cause combustion, bcm codes that came up were communication, electrical, fuel, windows, and airbags! AutoZone codes were po171 and co561-77,I looked up recalls , several came up for my make and model but weren't specific to my vin# however my vehicle is doing everything pertaining to them! And I looked up if there was any special coverage on it and said there is...before 120k miles or ten years time. And I was never notified of it & never received anything in the mail ...
I purchased a 2013 Chevy Sonic in October 2021.it has been in the repair shop twice since then. They replaced a sensor that it probably didn’t need. Now they tell me that it needs a new catalytic converter.. I have a warranty on this car . Please help ! [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Multiple parts in my engine have malfunctioned in the past year, the most recent being a tube bursting and getting coolant everywhere. Other problems have been with valves, temperature gauges and even the radiator. It’s like something new breaks every month. I have had every issue fixed and usually I don’t get a warning lamp until I’m broken down on the side of the road.
The air conditioner instead of blowing cold air, it blows hot air. I have taken it from Miami to a 3rd party mechanic where it did not helped much. Nobody knew what was the problem. I move to Texas and in summer over 100 degrees and having a baby sweat is not good. The temperature as “weather shows -15 degrees. When right now is 99 degrees at 7:10 am central time
Boniface hiers Chevrolet dealer in Melbourne Florida said they did a full inspection before selling this vehicle. 2 days later after purchase the Radiator fan stop working even tho they put a new one, missing thermostat, code 3rd gear malfunction.
My Odometer miles was erased about 9 months ago and I cannot retrieve it. A Chevy dealership associate looked at it this week (October 31, 2022) and manually could not recover the miles. A GM parts online website suggested it could be a speed sensor (blown fuse) or dash cluster. To diagnose the problem, the dealership wants to perform a diagnostic which costs $120-140 plus parts and labor. This is unjustified: GM and dealerships should be aware of this problem since it is prevalent in Chevy Sonics. GM should back this repair either partially or fully.
My car is a lemon , brought from Arizona and they sold me a car that has a rusted chassis so if repairs are needed I will have to spend more money to get fixed because things are very fragile because everything is rusted and then I’m lease the car for a price a car isn’t worth for .
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2013 Chevrolet Sonic has 6 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 217 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic.
The 2013 Chevrolet Sonic received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic are unknown or other (30 reports), engine (25 reports), power train (24 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 6 recalls on record for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.