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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is fairly new & is already showing an early trend of transmission problems.

Owners report hesitation when shifting & grinding/hard shifting into gears. Some dealers are calling the condition "normal". Another owner reported his dealership replaced the transmission under warranty, but the new transmission had the same exact grinding problem. Design defect?

8.8

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$140
Average Mileage:
83,000 miles
Total Complaints:
5 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace entire manifold (2 reports)
  2. not sure (1 reports)
  3. replace air intake duct (1 reports)
  4. replace part #94537633 (1 reports)
2012 Chevrolet Sonic engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments

problem #5

Aug 012019

Sonic LS 1.8L

  • CVT transmission
  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Manifold cracked after first air filter cleaning. I was quoted a 400.00 fix at dealership. Decided to duct tape. Has worked ok up until now. Check engine light is on and give the code about the faulty manifold again. I guess it's time for more duct tape. Waiting for a recall by some miracle from the Good Lord above who sees all us Chevy sonic owners are going through.

- Christine G., El Paso, TX, US

problem #4

Jan 312019

Sonic LTZ Turbo 1.4L Turbo

  • Manual transmission
  • 119,193 miles

P0171 code specific to cracked air intake duct/faulty manifold. Chevy knows it is an issue due to cheap hose. That said ONLY "certain" 1.8L AUTOMATIC VIN numbers between 2012-2014 were granted special coverage to fix "CHEVY" only part at no cost. So as a single Mom I'm now stuck losing time in my life trying to find out WHY only certain VIN's are covered up 120000 miles for this issue but MINE is not; even though it is a 1.4L Turbo manual transmission. Same hoses, same manifold, already dealt with the cheap plastic pcv valve made that is built into valve cover that I only had coverage for due to expensive extended warranty I paid for at time of purchase.

Now I will make who knows how many calls, hours of stress, and have to drive to work and back until which time I get them to admit their issues and fix this. Between the dealer i bought the car from destroying my driver's side seat and getting away with it, claiming they did the free maintenance i paid a fortune for in an extended service warranty (but they didn't leaving old oil in my car for entire cycle because they swore they did).

I have loved Chevy my entire life but I HAVE HAD IT!!! They've quit making real manual transmissions, put in cheap plastic clutches, etc etc claiming no one knows how to drive them. My kid drives a 5 speed HHR and has taught all her friends to drive manual. We have over a dozen driving manuals now and more wanting to learn.

CHEVY NEEDS A REVAMP OF EPIC PROPORTIONS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS!!!! Your customers don't want inferior made, weak cars... AND DID IT DAWN ON YOU EINSTEINS THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT BUYING MANUAL TRANSMISSION BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO FEW WE CAN'T FIND GENTLY USED ONES NEAR US?

- Nora S., Waterloo, IL, US

problem #3

Feb 012016

Sonic LS 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,710 miles

click to see larger images

air intake manifold faulty air intake manifold faulty air intake manifold faulty

I am not a car guy, not by a long shot. After a trip to stealership (car had rough idle and engine sounded really rough - like a diesel or a truck not a little 1.8) and having been quotes $277.28 plus tax (200 USD plus tax) right after I picked by jaw which happened to drop to the floor as I heard that and other pearls of wisdom (as a bonus the nice folks at Chevy also tried to convince me I need throttle cleaning and fuel injection cleaning services - another $300 plus tax) I walked across the floor to the parts department and bought part# 94537633 (essentially a 3 inch rubber hose!) parts department and proceeded to 'perform the repairs myself' (i.e. unscrew old part, pull it out, put the new part in its place and screw/tighten metal clamps holding both ends of it). Total cost of the repair: $77 and change (around $55 US) and 10 minutes of my time. It took 10 minutes because while at it I also cleaned throttle body (do not touch it unless battery is disconnected or else computer connected to it will wreck havoc on your idle rmps).

BTW I was at the same place for another problem around two weeks ago (plastic connector between heater core and hose was busted and leaking fluid) and I'm pretty (please correct me if I am wrong) sure one has to remove air intake to get to it in this model (another way of getting at it is ripping out dashboard and going in from that side). It could very well be that the unit which I had to replace today could have been damaged while the connector was replaced (rough idling started after my visit). I am far from accusing anybody, especially not highly qualified underpaid mechanics, I am a working guy myself and I take pride at what I do, but it has to be said that the scale of damage (see photos) is quite extensive for a three year old vehicle.

In sum, as Lenin (I think that place is about as friendly and helpful as a Soviet gulag hence the Lenin reference) used to say about his fellow revolutionaries: I trust them but I check up on them - and now I plan to live by that rule when it comes to dealing with the great folks at Chevy.

- tomtom, Mississauga, ON, Canada

problem #2

Nov 122015

Sonic LX 1.8L

  • Manual transmission
  • 50,000 miles

Do not buy Chevy. I thought I would help out to buy an USA car? The Chevy dealer and MSN web said this car would be awesome??

1. air intake cracked 50000, lets dirty air in 2. roff idial 3. clonking noise when hit a small bump 4. cup holders bad placement

80,000 miles

- Joe A., Casnovia, MI, US

problem #1

Apr 162014

Sonic LTZ 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles

This was the start of me hating my car. Basically the intake hose becomes cracked over time due to it rubbing on the frame of the car. To fix it you either have to keep an eye on it and hope your under the 12,000 mile warranty or purchase a new manifold. I bought a new unit and the dealership took it apart because they said my car stalled on them when I brought the car in for a transmission issue. I ended up having to buy their air intake hose because they could not put mine back on. Their intake hose cost $85.00.

- Amanda B., Lakewood, NJ, US

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