2016 CHEVROLET SONIC — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
69
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
18
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
The 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC has received a total of 69 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 4 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE, EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.. 18 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (13 complaints), Electrical System (9 complaints), and Air Bags (8 complaints).
Recalls for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
NHTSA has recorded 4 recalls for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC, potentially affecting up to 672,704 vehicles.
Recall 16V422000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
| 18,780 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail...
Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
View full details →Recall 16V422000 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
| 18,780 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail...
Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
View full details →Recall 16V257000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
| 317,572 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to...
Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
View full details →Recall 16V257000 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
| 317,572 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to...
Consequence: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
69 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic Stability Control Esc | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systemignition | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systemwiringinteriorunder Dash | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latcheslockslinkages | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
This car overheated and a head gasket blew. I am on a Facebook forum, and it seems like all of these cars have these problems. The Chevy Sonic ltz turbo 1.4 2016 is known for coolant issues and head gasket failures. My car only had 104,000 miles on it. It should last a lot longer than that, but this is a common issue. For some reason there was a recall but they stopped fixing cars with 1.4 engines that came out after 2014. There cars don't have temperature gauges and when they overheat they don't tell you until a light comes on the dash and by then it's too late and your engine is blown. This should be illegal. Chevrolet needs to fix this.
Radio malfunctions. Channels automatically change and touch screen doesn't work all the time. I believe 2015 Sonic has a recall for this issue , but not 2016. It appears to be the same issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the driver's side door was stuck, and extra force was needed to open the door. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power locks functioned as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel would unlock from the normal position and almost fell into the driver’s lap. The contact stated that failure of the steering wheel was frequent and occurred while driving at various speeds. The failure with the door was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the driver's side door was stuck, and extra force was needed to open the door. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power locks functioned as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel would unlock from the normal position and almost fell into the driver’s lap. The contact stated that failure of the steering wheel was frequent and occurred while driving at various speeds. The failure with the door was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The ESC and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the Intake Plenum Gasket and other unknown parts needed to be sealed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,299.
Safety Rating for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
The 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
General Motors, LLC has issued 18 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
16NA118 — STEERING
This Technical bulletin provides a procedure to reroute the engine harness because of possible chafing on the ECM stud to prevent conditions of a no start, MIL Lamp Illum or possible loos of steering assist.
PIC6242A — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have washer fluid leaking. Technician should check for the washer solvent filler tube seal may be damaged. Technician will need to replace the Windshield Washer Solvent Container if found damaged.
PI1086B — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
This preliminary information bulletin provides a procedure to replace the shifter handle knob due to the knob being cracked and/or will not operate while shifting out of park.
PIC6242 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have washer fluid leaking. Technician should check for the washer solvent filler tube seal may be damaged. Technician will need to replace the Windshield Washer Solvent Container if found damaged.
PIC5704C — SERVICE BRAKES
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that had the Brake Pressure Modulator Valve now Diagnostic Trouble Code C0131 is set current. Technician should remove Brake Pressure Modulator Valve assembly and inspect the brake pressure sensor assembly to ensure all shipping material has been removed before...
16NA347 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the radio to correct a condition of Right Hand Steering Wheel Controls Inoperative, Outside Ambient Temperature Reading on Radio Display Inoperative, and/or Rear Vision Camera Gridlines Inoperative after Performing 17130 or 45340 Radio Reprogramming due to an internal calibration concern.
140089004C — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ANTI-THEFT DEVICES
The information in this bulletin details the proper configurations for the ignition key, fob, key tags and key rings and applying a QR code sticker or barcode sticker to a key fob.
53941 — FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
53941 - CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS RECALL WERE PLACED ON STOP DELIVERY JUNE 22, 2016 UNDER GM REFERENCE # 53940. ONCE THE PROCEDURE CONTAINED IN THE BULLETIN HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE IS RELEASED FROM STOP DELIVERY AND THE VEHICLE CAN BE DELIVERED TO THE...
53940 — FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
53940 - STOP DELIVERY ORDER. GM DISCOVERED AN ERROR WHICH AFFECTED THE FUEL ECONOMY INFORMATION ON THE FUEL ECONOMY LABELS ON CERTAIN VEHICLES. THE ERROR CAUSED THE EPA ESTIMATED FUEL ECONOMY TO BE LISTED ON THE WINDOW LABEL AS 1 MPG HIGHER (1L/100 KM LOWER) THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN....
PIC-6201 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THIS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION COMMUNICATION PROVIDES THE TECHNICIAN WITH THE STEPS NEEDED TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR A VEHICLE WITH WI-FI OR BLUETOOTH INOPERATIVE OR POOR PERFORMANCE CONCERN. TECHNICIAN WILL NEED TO OBTAIN DATA FROM GLOBAL DIAGNOSTICS SERVICES 2 AND CALL GENERAL MOTORS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE.
Showing 10 of 18 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET SONIC
- 2011 CHEVROLET SONIC — 1 complaint
- 2012 CHEVROLET SONIC — 518 complaints
- 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC — 322 complaints
- 2014 CHEVROLET SONIC — 226 complaints
- 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC — 170 complaints
- 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC (current)
- 2017 CHEVROLET SONIC — 57 complaints
- 2018 CHEVROLET SONIC — 23 complaints
- 2019 CHEVROLET SONIC — 10 complaints
- 2020 CHEVROLET SONIC — 15 complaints
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- CHEVROLET BLAZER — 11,032 total complaints
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- CHEVROLET SUBURBAN — 10,375 total complaints