2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalls, Complaints & Specs
7 safety recalls list the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, and owners have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
7 safety recalls for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Electrical (equipment)
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…
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…
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Automatic transmission (power train)
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…
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Air bags
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…
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…
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Air bags
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.
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Air bags
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.
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Windshield wiper/washer (visibility)
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…
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…
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Pads (service brakes)
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…
354 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic have filed 354 complaints with NHTSA; 27 describe a crash and 5 describe a fire. Reports cite 18 injuries and 1 death. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 54,581 miles. Complaints peaked in 2015 with 60 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“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 mechanic”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 20, 2026 · Service brakes
“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 illuminate”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 25, 2026 · Power train
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic (Sonic 5). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 28–32 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 24–28 / 34–38 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Compact Cars, Midsize Cars |
| Engine | 4 cyl, 1.4/1.8 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S6); Manual 5-spd; Manual 6-spd |
Compare Chevrolet Sonic model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Chevrolet Sonic model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Chevrolet Sonic | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 Chevrolet Sonic | 7 | 354 |
| 2013 Chevrolet Sonic | 6 | 217 |
| 2014 Chevrolet Sonic | 4 | 150 |
| 2015 Chevrolet Sonic | 3 | 114 |
| 2016 Chevrolet Sonic | 2 | 48 |
| 2017 Chevrolet Sonic | 0 | 37 |
| 2018 Chevrolet Sonic | 1 | 14 |
| 2019 Chevrolet Sonic | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 Chevrolet Sonic | 0 | 10 |
Checking a specific 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
How do I know if my 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 7 campaigns currently list the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Chevrolet dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 11V599000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Chevrolet models
- Malibu19,364 complaints
- Silverado 150018,029 complaints
- Impala10,434 complaints
- Tahoe10,032 complaints
- Equinox9,161 complaints
- Silverado8,799 complaints
- Blazer8,192 complaints
- Suburban8,164 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.