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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,469 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Chevrolet Sonic engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Comments

problem #15

Apr 152024

Sonic

  • 108,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the entire vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that after the vehicle was left idling, the shaking and vibration diminished; however, when the vehicle was shifted into drive(D) and the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle was slow to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle was slow to gain forward momentum while attempting to merge into traffic or ascend a grade in the road. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the turbo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

- San Bruno, CA, USA

problem #14

May 272022

Sonic

  • miles
Steering Colom locks up, 4 different times. Engine shuts off. NO power to turn vehicle. Vehicle at Paradise Chevrolet since 3\18\24. Only Steering Colom, - service power steering ASAP.

- Oxnard, CA, USA

problem #13

Sep 232023

Sonic

  • miles
steering wheel will lock up when you turn on car, we took it to Paradise Chevrolet, and they found power steering module has update available however need 12 Volt battery to be a higher CCA to reprogram p/s volt battery testing at 356 CCA recommend replacing battery and reprogramming P/S module. Of course, this was not covered under our Protection Plan and should be covered, I had to pay. $578.37 My car is only six years, and this should not be happing. 11/27/23 vehicle shuts off while driving this has happened three time to us. we cannot drive the car it is not safe. 12/19/23 had it tow to Paradise Chevrolet. This car is not safe to drive. We have a protection Plan its useless.

- Oxnard, CA, USA

problem #12

Jun 262023

Sonic

  • miles

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

Vehicle has 53k miles. I have had the error code p0011 (camshaft, vvt bank 1 too advanced) for most of the time I've had this car. Spend thousands at a certified dealership to get this issue fixed, only for it to pop up again. I was told the solution for this code is a new engine. This was after I spend thousands and my power train warranty expired. Oil changes and Routine maintenance were all done in timely manner. This engine was built to fail.

- Oak Lawn, IL, USA

problem #11

Jun 272023

Sonic

  • miles
The heating and cooling system has failed numerous times. The water outlet has been defective causing the engine to overheat along with the thermostat housing. The water outlet failed within a month of buying the car. It wasn't even 3 years old and only had 60 000 miles on it. Last month it failed. Just last week the thermostat housing failed. Now today the water outlet failed again. This car really needs investigated and have parts recalled. It's not fair to have a car for this short of time to have these issues. Each time it's been repaired by a certified mechanic.

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #10

Feb 092023

Sonic

  • miles
Throttle Housing cracked. Lessing the power in the engine.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #9

Jul 092022

Sonic

  • miles

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

Purchased this vehicle in February 2022 with 105,000 miles. Oil sticker indicated recent oil change and oil color was light and clear. The day after purchase the check engine light came on. Diagnostic scan indicated bad thermostat assembly and 2 oil sensors needed replacement. Radiator fluid was low. AC didn't cool. Repairs completed almost $900. The check engine light came on again the next day. The check engine and check oil lights/alarms need to be actual gauges. The vehicle overheated 3 times due to low coolant and faulty fan sensor fuse. Where is all the coolant going" A leaky hose was replaced but it didn't fix the coolant leak. Of course the car will easily overheat so I keep coolant with me to avoid being disabled during rush hour traffic on the Interstate in 105 degree temperatures. The engine continues to run hot and the check engine light stays on. The oil light/alarm is something new that started last Monday after driving 20 miles to Yukon, OK. No warning of any problem until I exited onto the service road to wait for a green light. The oil alarm/light turned off upon acceleration but returned again when the idle RPM went below 1000. Repairs were estimated at over $2200 for a new oil pump. I requested an engine flush and oil change instead since an oil pump could NOT be located. The oil filter was found to have collapsed but a new oil filter did not fix the low oil pressure at idle. So many defects with this vehicle!!! What the heck???? Odometer reading today is 107,364. It seems Chevy has manufactured a car that will barely make it past 100,000 miles and repair parts aren't available" Something isn't right with this picture. This car isn't safe to drive. Sincerely, NOT-Okay in OKC, OK.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #8

Jan 022021

Sonic

  • 54,136 miles
The contact's daughter owned a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 25 mph, a fellow motorist had honked at her as she noticed flames forming from underneath the radio inside her vehicle. The contact's daughter initially attempted to extinguish the fire with a cup of water but to no avail. She was able to pull over and exit the vehicle and then called the authorities who arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire and was towed to an independent tow yard. Prior to the failure, the contact stated that the check engine light had illuminated on the dashboard. Her daughter had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and alan webb Chevrolet( 3712 ne 66th ave, vancouver, wa 98661) to have the vehicle serviced for a defective purge valve. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 54,136.

- Vancover, WA, USA

problem #7

Nov 262020

Sonic

  • 45,000 miles
My engine light is on, so I had it ran for a test which P2076 has came up as 1 of the codes. Prior to finding this out my car has cut off on me 3 times just being stropped at a red light. Last time was on thanksgiving 2020, I was sitting at a red light when my car suddenly turned off. I had to put it back in park and shut it off, but it did cut back on. The other 2 times that my car suddenly cut off on me, the engine light was not visible at the time which is very scary if a car is cutting off

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #6

Oct 012020

Sonic

  • miles
The coolant had leaked out my car and the check engine came on. I took it back to the dealer whom I purchased it from. It's only being five months and I am having these errors again. This is the second time the coolant has leaked out and I had to refill the coolant.

- Berkeley, IL, USA

problem #5

Aug 072020

Sonic

  • 58,000 miles

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

My coolant has continuously leaked since I got the car. It may be a hose issue, but my "engine overheating- idle engine" warning light continues to come on, and my coolant reservoir keeps emptying quickly. I have read many similar instances with this particular year of the Chevy Sonic. My air also gets warm very often, which is linked to the coolant issue. My car is in motion when this light comes on.

- Lansdale, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 042020

Sonic

  • 28,395 miles
Lights come on after driving about 12 miles, the engine looses power bad, when you let up on gas foot it takes very long to get it going slow to build up power.regular roadway, no hills.lights go out when parked a while then come back on after 12 miles.

- Huntington, WV, USA

problem #3

Feb 152020

Sonic

  • 65,000 miles
I was hit head on and the air bag did not deploy it could have been way worse than it was but it should have deployed and my engine is junk. Having issues with it and its less than 70000 miles

- Racine, OH, USA

problem #2

Jan 152020

Sonic

  • 50,000 miles
Car has gone through 4 valve covers in 5 moths. Its a known problem and GM has and will not extend warranty.

- Newburgh, NY, USA

problem #1

Jul 052019

Sonic

  • 48,500 miles
Came to a stop at a controlled signal light and my car died and refused to start. I had to get help to push my car out of the traffic. After several tries and 30 minutes later the car started. At least 40 other people have reported this same issue to car complaints.com and lemon laws.com

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

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