Chevrolet Sonic Chevrolet Sonic

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Chevrolet Sonic repairs by problem area

Engine (41%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (7%)

Brakes and Traction Control (4%)

Suspension and Steering (13%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (23%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (6%)

Other (4%)

Chart based on 282 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the Chevrolet Sonic.

Chevrolet Sonic engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (3%)

$500 - $999 (12%)

$100 - $499 (33%)

< $100 (51%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 90 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2019 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

69000 mi

US $417
water pump failed. drove to dealer for repairs. Repair took a little over an hour. Dealer provided part and replacement cooling. Inside of the water pump on the 1.4L is very mickey mouse and the plastic backing plate behind the impeller shifted. While running, the pump did not leak. Once the engine was shut off, coolant would pour out of the impeller drive. 

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2018 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

13000 mi actuator parts fell off intake manifold 

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2017 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

30000 mi

US $250
timing engine light went off 

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2015 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

75000 mi

US $150
Thermostat housing had cracked and was leaking. Replaced with OEM part. 

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2015 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD

6600 mi Oil pan gasket replaced 

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2014 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

61704 mi Thermostat replacement under OEM warranty 
64791 mi

US $542
Cooling fan replacement partially under extended warranty. 
68048 mi Replaced engine air intake hose under warranty. Known issue with these cars. 

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2014 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

39680 mi Replaced fan 
68200 mi water Pump 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

13700 mi Slow coolant leak. Known issue with early Sonic Turbo water pumps. Dealer replaced pump. Leak has been resolved. 
113000 mi Intake manifold and valve cover were replaced due to check engine light. Intake manifold has a defect which causes the check engine light to come on, new manifold is supposed to have an improved design.  A week later the check engine light came on and it needed the map sensor replaced. 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

14000 mi Bad turbocharger 
15000 mi Coolant Leak after turbo replacement 
Water pump failed. Dealer said likely defective pump from factory. Failure caused mass coolant dump and engine overheat. This repair happened at 350 miles on the odometer. 
59000 mi

US $301
Second trip to dealer in less than six months for turbo issues and wiper decided to quit during a downpour 
59000 mi Bought back. No oil in the engine and I refused to drive the car any longer due to numerous issues with the car and the shabby way the dealership replaced the valve cover gasket and waste gate solenoid. 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD

44000 mi ECM failed 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

27000 mi Oil pan gasket leaking, gasket replaced. 
31000 mi Car was loosing coolant. Water pump was leaking and replaced. 
32000 mi

US $100
Car was leaking coolant and oil, found oil cooler and water outlet leaking. 
65713 mi Experiencing intermittent loss of power steering; dealer replaced water pump and belt under warranty in an effort to resolve issue. 
35000 mi Started losing coolant and noted it puddling under the car when parked overnight. Oil leak noted when I took the car in for a coolant leak. It was found that the bolts were loose, so the pan gasket was replaced and bolts tightened. 
78000 mi Oil leak pooling on the ground under my vehicle. It was leaking from an "actuator" plug for the oil pressure sensor. 
112000 mi

US $235
I noticed a loss of coolant and tok the car in to be checked. The upper radiator hose and coolant overflow tank were leaking, so they were replaced. 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

31000 mi Water pump defect allowed coolant to leak. Known defect covered under special extended warranty. 
43000 mi Water pump flange cracked. Repaired under powertrain warranty. 
44000 mi Water pump 
86000 mi Excess play in the turbocharger wastegate shaft. Turbocharger assembly replaced. 
131000 mi

US $75
Replaced the intake manifold do to a failed check valve. 
16898 mi CEL, CODE P0496, PURGE VALVE IS PURGING DURING NON-PURGE MODE, REPLACE PURGE VALVE, SOLENOID VALVE REPLACEMENT [TECH NOTES] CEL, CODE P0496, PURGE VALVE IS PURGING DURING NON-PURGE MODE, REPLACE PURGE VALVE, SOLENOID VALVE REPLACEMENT. Parts replaced under warranty. 
56000 mi Losing coolant, water pump deemed faulty and replaced under warranty 
14000 mi Factory water pump started making a high pitch noise and was replaced under warranty. 
14000 mi heater intake hose developed a leak causing engine overheating 
32000 mi Oil leak by bell housing. Was a loose bolt, sealed it and tighten fixed it. 

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2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

35000 mi hose replaced 
68000 mi

US $680
The car over heated and stalled; the water pump was replaced and the cooling system flushed. The total including diagnostic came to $710 - $680 was for the water pump only. It was driveable after that as long as I was not stuck in traffic - as soon as I was in traffic for a prolonged period, less than a week later, he car overheated and stalled again. The dealer said it would take another $600 to repair the fan motor. As the fan was operational, I declined the repair - they seemed to be guessing. The car has now been with another mechanic for two days and he has not been able to determine the cause. 
75000 mi

US $500
Smoke from the engine is pulled into the cabin air when the heat and defroster are on (75K miles onward). 
29000 mi

US $300
Intake hose split. Replaced with K&N CAI 
38000 mi

US $750
Replace vent valve solenoid. Drop gas tank and replace vent valve solenoid. Code was thrown. Replace radiator fan. Fan was making noise and visibly not spinning correctly. 

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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. 

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

Check engine light (constant, not flashing). Dealer diagnosed MIL code as 'low voltage oxygen sensor'. Re-set. No repair. 
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. 

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Sedan

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

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. 
46000 mi

US $20
The air cleaner intake duct split. I replaced the hose myself 
55000 mi

US $99
Air intake valve cracked 
10000 mi Oil pressure valve broken. Coolant line broken. 
27000 mi

US $1100
Hole in exhaust pipe 
34000 mi Rusted through exhaust pipe coming from exhaust manifold 
79000 mi Air intake hose cracked 
103000 mi

US $900
chain 
61300 mi

US $52
Replaced hose from intake box to manifold 
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. 
7000 mi chek engine light came on, car idled rough 
17000 mi catalytic converter checked due to rotten egg smell 

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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. 

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

106000 mi

US $1175
radiator cracked, thermostat sticking. PCV valve, (required replacing the valve cover to correct) caused massive vacuum leak. 
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 

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

turbocharged 138hp 1.4L I4 6-speed manual FWD

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. 
23000 mi Ignition lock cylinder tumblers broken. Lock cylinder replaced according to the dealer statement. 
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. 
29800 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. 
64000 mi PCV valve diaphragm ruptured, causing vacuum leak in valve cover 
104000 mi

US $800
Replace manifold 
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. 

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2012 Chevrolet Sonic 4dr Hatch

138-horsepower 1.8L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

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. 
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. 
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. 
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. 
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 
18500 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. 
22200 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. 

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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 

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See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans and Hatchbacks.
See TrueDelta's information for all Chevrolet models.

Chevrolet Sonic Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently Chevrolet Sonic problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.