16 NHTSA safety recalls cover the Chevrolet Sonic, across model years 2012–2018. Every recall repair is free at any Chevrolet dealer.
Is yours affected? Check your Sonic by VIN — or pick your model year below for every recall, complaint and fix.
Recalls and owner complaints by model year
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has the most recalls (7) and the most owner complaints (354).
Recalls: NHTSA campaigns covering each Chevrolet Sonic model year on this page. Complaints: owner reports filed with NHTSA for that model year, including trims and variants sold under the model name (e.g. an F-150 page counts F-150 Raptor). Separate scales: compare the shape, not the heights across panels.
| Model year | Recalls | Owner complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 7 | 354 |
| 2013 | 6 | 217 |
| 2014 | 4 | 150 |
| 2015 | 3 | 114 |
| 2016 | 2 | 48 |
| 2017 | 0 | 37 |
| 2018 | 1 | 14 |
| 2019 | 0 | 8 |
| 2020 | 0 | 10 |
What these recalls fix, grouped by the vehicle system NHTSA files them under:
General Motors recalls 2013 Buick Verano vehicles with driver-side air bag inflator explosion risk. Owners must get free replacement of air bag module by dealers.
GM recalls 2018 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles with potentially weak driver seat-backs that could fail in rear crashes, increasing injury risk. Owners must have seat replaced free by dealers.
Chevrolet is recalling 2016 Trax models with faulty seatbelt warning systems that may prevent drivers from fastening seatbelts, increasing crash injury risk. Owners must update radio software for free.
When the Chevrolet Sonic recalls were issued, by year — a cluster usually means one defect recalled in stages or across a platform.
Owners have filed 953 complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Sonic; the most reported area is engine. These are reports, not recalls: they are how NHTSA spots defects.
See Chevrolet Sonic complaints, TSBs and investigations by year →
We have 16 NHTSA safety recalls on record for the Chevrolet Sonic, covering model years 2012–2018. The most recent was issued Jul 27, 2023 (Air Bags).
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has the most, with 7 recalls on record. Every model year with a recall is listed on this page with links to each one.
By system: Air Bags (5), Electrical System (3), Equipment (3), Seats (1).
None of these recalls carries an NHTSA do-not-drive or park-outside warning, but each fixes a safety defect, so book the free repair promptly.
Run a VIN recall check: enter your 17-character VIN to see the recalls on record for your exact year, then confirm at NHTSA.gov which are still unrepaired on your vehicle. Any Chevrolet dealer can also look it up.
Yes. Federal law requires Chevrolet to fix safety recalls free of charge at any authorized Chevrolet dealer, regardless of the vehicle’s age or how many owners it has had.