| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic repairs by problem area
Engine (45%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (9%)
Brakes and Traction Control (4%)
Suspension and Steering (16%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (16%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (5%)
Other (5%)
Chart based on 161 repairs.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (0%)
$1000 - $2499 (5%)
$500 - $999 (13%)
$100 - $499 (38%)
< $100 (44%)
Chart based on 61 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 231000 mi US $650 |
Heating and cooling problem. After fighting the disappearing coolant for some time now my radiator finally gave up the ghost. |
| 265000 mi US $200 |
Coolant and oil leaks from turbocharger. Replaced all coolant and oil lines going to and coming from the turbo. |
| 268300 mi US $200 |
Had to replace the turbocharger Had to replace all the gaskets and O-rings on the oil cooler due to oil leaks. This was easiest done by removing the turbo again in order to provide access to oil cooler and hardware. |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 52500 mi | PCV valve needed to be replaced under powertrain warranty. Injectors needed to be cleaned |
| 48000 mi US $258 |
Valve Cover broke |
| 73800 mi US $136 |
EVAP system Failure |
| 90000 mi US $263 |
valve cover needed to be replaced again a hose that went through the firewall was leaking causing coolant to leak and lose heat |
| 118000 mi US $274 |
valve cover gasket caused oil leaking onto spark plugs. replaced spark plugs, valve cover gasket, and oil change. |
| Check engine light (constant, not flashing). Dealer diagnosed MIL code as 'low voltage oxygen sensor'. Re-set. No repair. |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan
138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 21000 mi | no power when turning a bend when car is started the whole car shakes and also the muffler,tailpipe and engine shakes and rattles bad. now have a code 82 muffler and or tailpipe gets loose and rattles especially when going up a hill. I tightened it, but it still vibrates the whole car at red lights. |
| 34000 mi | Rusted through exhaust pipe coming from exhaust manifold |
| 79000 mi | Air intake hose cracked |
| 51000 mi US $780 |
Got 'check engine' light and noisy fan. Results were a coolant leak and defective coolant fan. Serious repair cost. Car is only 3 years old with 51k. Planning to see before it's too late. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR OR ELSE... |
| 115000 mi US $550 |
Part 2 of previous problem. After numerous issues with low coolant levels radiator was replaced. |
| 128300 mi US $400 |
Cracked radiator. Had another unit installed. |
| 220000 mi | Car has multiple oil leaks around the entire engine. Mechanic advised us to liquidate the care ASAP. Repair not worth the investment. |
| 55000 mi US $99 |
Air intake valve cracked |
| 46000 mi US $20 |
The air cleaner intake duct split. I replaced the hose myself |
| 103000 mi US $900 |
chain |
| 10000 mi | Oil pressure valve broken. Coolant line broken. |
| 27000 mi US $1100 |
Hole in exhaust pipe |
| 61300 mi US $52 |
Replaced hose from intake box to manifold |
| 7000 mi | chek engine light came on, car idled rough |
| 38800 mi | catalytic converter checked due to rotten egg smell |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan
138-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 27700 mi | Thermostat housing, heater hoses and all related gaskets and seals Main hose from throttle bottle to air cleaner was torn causing a check engine light and an OBD-II code |
| 67000 mi | Obd II system initiated a check engine light with a code read of PO597. The service technician determined the thermostat was faulty. |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 123000 mi US $100 |
PCV rupture disc burst in valve cover causing the engine to run rough and several engine codes to pop up. Had to replace valve cover assembly. |
| 143200 mi US $140 |
cooling fan went out and had to be replaced. |
| 179000 mi US $80 |
"low fuel pump performance" purchased used fuel pump & fuel pump driver module on ebay from newly salvaged car & installed. old fuel pump filter sock filled with some kind of gel restricting the flow of fuel. cleaned and tested old pump.good |
| 184000 mi US $400 |
Turbo failed. No engine power and rattling noise. |
| 265000 mi US $45 |
replaced cracked reservoir tank and cracked plastic "T" fitting near water pump |
| 106000 mi US $1175 |
radiator cracked, thermostat sticking. PCV valve, (required replacing the valve cover to correct) caused massive vacuum leak. |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch
turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 90700 mi US $400 |
Check valve in the intake failed, causing PCV valve to fail. Replacement of Camshaft cover and intake manifold required. |
| 39600 mi | Camshaft vacuum leak. Replaced camshaft cover |
| 69000 mi US $450 |
Car was making a rattling sound. Mechanic replaced the water pump |
| 96000 mi US $2000 |
Check engine light. Code said it is the turbo. |
| 58000 mi | Leak in valve cover, valve cover replaced |
| 68496 mi US $317 |
Replaced Thermostat Housing due to coolant leak. GM Part #25193922 (Thermostat) Outlet Housing. Flush & Refill with 50/50 Dex-Cool. Note: OEM Thermostat temperature is 221F. Leak was probably caused by pulling lightweight travel trailer up grade. Temperature briefly reached 240F possibly causing housing failure. Will look into a cooler thermostat. |
| 70934 mi US $308 |
Check Engine Light - Code: P0171. Replace valve cover with defective PCV valve due to vacuum leak. |
| 9000 mi | Constant check engine light stating emissions leak in system. Dealer smoke tested system and reset ecu. Light reappered. Back at dealer for further evaluation. |
| 9000 mi | Constant CEL. |
| 64000 mi | PCV valve diaphragm ruptured, causing vacuum leak in valve cover |
| 26000 mi | P0449 OBD code for emissions EVAP recirc valve. Two trips needed for diagnosis/repair: Engine control computer seemed to lock the circuit so it was replaced but engine coded again later; second diagnosis found a broken wire over gas tank. |
| 47000 mi | Issue: CEL P0449 - Evap Emission Control Sys Vent Valve/Solenoid Circuit Malfunction reappeared. Diagnosis: dealer's previous repair (broken wire above rear axle) broke again. Repair: reroute wire to avoid bending/pulling and re-solder wire. |
| 80000 mi | Third occurrence of P0449 CEL related to fuel system evaporative recirculation system. Broken and corroded circuity wire above fuel tank repaired again. |
| 104000 mi US $800 |
Replace manifold |
| 23000 mi | Ignition lock cylinder tumblers broken. Lock cylinder replaced according to the dealer statement. |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch
138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 60000 mi US $100 |
The intake boot between the airbox and throttle body is a known culprit for developnig a tear on the unseen side causing a CEL. Chevy knows of this exceedingly common issue but will not cover outside of warranty and will not issue a TSB or recall for this vital engine component that allows unfiltered air into engine when broken. |
| 61500 mi US $200 |
Thermostat failed. Common Sonic failure item. Also affects Cruze models. |
| 6800 mi | The ignition key could not be removed sometimes, had to use a screwdriver in the slot under the key mechanism to unlock the key. |
| 21000 mi US $297 |
Key would not come out of ignition switch. Ignition switch replaced. |
| 54000 mi US $200 |
Thermostat replaced. |
| 54000 mi US $325 |
Check engine light indicated lean fuel/air mixture. Intake part was replaced with factory redesigned part. |
| 11000 mi | Engine light came on. On my call to dealer they wanted an appointment so I made one. However, on the day on the appointment the light was not on & the dealer could not find any fault code in memory. Since then, the light has not come on. |
| 13000 mi | Engine Light would come on intermittently; then go off. However, this spring the light came on, stayed on, & I took the car to the dealer who said it was either engine knock sensor or wiring to this sensor. Engine Knock sensor replaced. |
| 38000 mi | Air intake hose was cracked in several places. Check engine light was on. The hose was replaced with the same stock GM part. |
| 17200 mi US $163 |
Engine light came on, dealer diagnosed a cracked air intake valve. Dealer replaced with in stock GM part. |
| 43000 mi US $400 |
Rough idling at slow speeds. Dealer diagnosed that spark plugs had failed. |
| 51000 mi US $120 |
Inlet tube from air filter to throttle body was cracked causing a check engine light. |
| 69678 mi US $341 |
No heat. Heater core outlet coupling was leaking. Back flushed heater core due to a restriction. |
| 79000 mi US $551 |
Replaced Purge Solenoid and Vent Solenoid - ECM reprogrammed with updates |
| 89000 mi US $504 |
Exhaust noise coming from under car. Flex pipe rusted and was leaking. Flex pipe replaced |
2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch
138-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 58000 mi US $100 |
Check engine light- unable to determine cause. Been in the shop twice and light continues to come on. Cause yet unknown |
See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans and Hatchbacks.
See TrueDelta's information for all Chevrolet models.
