2013 CHEVROLET SONIC Complaints

INTERMITTENTLY, APPLYING THE BRAKES HARD IS UNRESPONSIVE - LIKE PRESSING ON A BOARD. I NEARLY STRUCK 2 KIDS ON BIKES THE OTHER DAY. SCARY. THE DEALER STATED, "TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE VEHICLE AND VERIFIED CUSTOMER'S CONCERN. INSPECTED BRAKE SYSTEM, FOUND CHECK VALVE FOR BRAKE BOOSTER STUCK OPEN AND BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM PUMP SEIZED." I CONTEND THAT THIS IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR TYPE OF ISSUE, BUT RATHER A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. IN RESEARCHING THIS MATTER, I FOUND MESSAGE BOARDS AND FORUMS THAT DESCRIBE THE SAME ISSUE. HERE IS ONE SUCH DISCUSSION: HTTP://WWW.SONICOWNERSFORUM.COM/FORUM/HANDLING-BRAKING-SUSPENSION-DISCUSSION/18313-BRAKE-PEDAL-GETS-ROCK-HARD-IMMEDIATELY-OFF-BOOST-VAC-PUMP-GOING.HTML CHEVROLET WILL NOT REMEDY THIS PROBLEM UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND THE DEALER WANTS $700 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE FIXED FREE OF CHARGE BECAUSE IT IS APPARENTLY A COMMON AND VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT IN THIS VEHICLE.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DURING A RAIN SHOWER AT ABOUT 60 MPH, WHILE USING THE WIPERS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WIPER MADE A LOUD CRACK SOUND AND FELL OFF! I WAS UNABLE TO SEE AND NEARLY HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF MYSELF. SINCE IT WAS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT, I STOPPED AT A LOCAL PARTS STORE (ADVANCED AUTO) AND PURCHASED A NEW WIPER. WHEN THE CLERK INSPECTED THE BLADE, HE FOUND THAT THE WIPER ARM DOES SECURELY ATTACH WITH THE WIPER ITSELF. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, THE MAN I SPOKE WITH SAID HE COULD REPLACE THE WIPER ARM, HOWEVER THIS MAY NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE WITH IT "FALLING OFF".

I WAS GOING UP HILL APPROACHING A PARKING SPACE IN THE GARAGE WHERE I WORK. I WENT TO TURN INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND MY TURBO ENGINE SPED UP AND SLAMMED ME INTO THE GARAGE WALL. THE AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED. THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION ON THIS CHEVY SONIC. IF I HAD PARKED ON THE TOP FLOOR, I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE IT WOULD HAVE CRASHED DOWN INTO THE STREET. I MY ARMS AND MY ONE LEG WAS BURNED BY THE AIR BAGS.

I WAS TOLD THAT MY DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TURN/HAZARD LIGHT WAS VERY DIM. I PURCHASED THE BULB AND SOUGHT HELP TO CHANGE IT. IT WAS AT ONCE CLEAR THAT THE BULB HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE HOUSING AND HAD MOVED BACK ONTO THE PLASTIC PART OF THE HOUSING, MELTING IT ONTO THE BULB. I WENT THE NEXT DAY TO THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT. ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE PIECE WHICH HOUSES THE 2 HEADLIGHTS AND THE TURN SIGNAL BULB WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED, THAT THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACK-ORDER SO THERE WAS NO EXPECTED DELIVERY DATE AND THAT THERE WAS NO TEMPORARY REPAIR THAT COULD BE DONE. THIS BULB IS PART OF THE NIGHTTIME OPERATING SYSTEM AND COMES ON AUTOMATICALLY. LEFT UNREPAIRED IN SOME WAY, IT OBVIOUSLY WILL CONTINUE TO BURN THE PLASTIC, FALL THROUGH ONTO EITHER IT'S OWN WIRES OR THE HEADLIGHT WIRES, SETTING A FIRE. ONLY THEN WILL THE WARNING SYSTEM, FOR WHICH THERE IS A RECALL, BE ACTIVATED! IMMEDIATELY NOTIFYING ALL SONIC OWNERS TO LOOK THROUGH THE YELLOW GLASS AT AND AROUND THE BULB WHEN IT IS NOT LIT AND TO COMPARE EACH SIDE TO THE OTHER, MIGHT SAVE SOME LIVES. SO WILL INSISTING THAT CHEVY'S ENGINEERS DEVISE A TEMPORARY REPAIR UNTIL THE PART CAN BE OBTAINED, AND ADDING THIS ISSUE TO THE EXISTING LIGHTING RECALL AS A PRIORITY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL THE SAFETY FEATURES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT BOTH TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

THIS MESSAGE IS DESCRIBING 2 DIFFERENT ISSUES: THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 2012 AND HAS EXPERIENCED CONSISTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES STARTING IN THE WINTER OF 2012. THE ENTIRE MIDDLE CONSOLE WILL COMPLETE POWER OFF, AND THE DIRECTIONAL LIGHTS DO NOT ACTIVATE. THE ONLY STRATEGY FOR "TURNING IT BACK ON" IS WHEN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROST BUTTON IS PUSHED REPEATEDLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED EVERY WINTER SINCE. I HAVE HAD THE DIRECTIONAL WAND REPLACED, AND HAVE ADDRESSED 2 RECALLS SENT FROM THE MANUFACTUER. THE PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST. SECOND AND MOST RECENT ISSUE (BEGAN IN APRIL 2015)- THE CAR STEREO SYSTEM HAS TURNED ITSELF ON AT LEAST 3 TIMES WHILE THE CAR IS PARKED, TURNED OFF- INCLUDING THE RADIO BEING POWERED OFF BEFORE THE CAR IS. ON THREE OCCASSIONS, I HAVE CAME OUT THE NEXT MORNING AND COULD HEAR MY CAR STEREO PLAYING. ON THE THIRD TIME, IT KILLED THE BATTERY.

I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE WHERE A TRANSAXLE LEAK WAS NOTICED. I THEN MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING TO DEALER AS PER TRANSMISSION WARRANTY. THEY REPLACED THE SEAL, 3 WEEKS LATER WHEN THEY GOT IT IN, I LEFT ONLY TO FIND MY ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON, I THEN BROUGHT IT TO A PARTS STORE FOR A READ AND IT CAME BACK OXYGEN SENSOR. I LATER WAS LOOKING UNDER HOOD AND FOUND THAT THE AIR INTAKE HOSE IS CRACKED AS I PULLED IT OFF I FOUND IT TO BE CRACKED WITH HOLE IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE, I WILL NOW REPLACE THAT AND HOPE THE ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF.

CAR IS COMPLETELY UNSAFE AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE STEERING IS WAY TO TOUCHY ANY SLIGHT MOVEMENT AND THE CAR IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. THE CAR DOESN'T STAY IN A STRAIGHT LINE IT EITHER GOES RIGHT OR LEFT. ALIGNMENT CHECK DONE EVERYTHING IS GREAT AND GOT NEW TIRES. I'M PART OF THE SONIC OWNERS FORUM AND THIS ISSUE ISN'T EVERY SONIC IT DOES SEEM TO BE VERY WIDESPREAD THOUGH AS YOU CAN JUST CHECK THE LEMON LAW WEBSITE. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING DON'T KNOW WHY THEY SWITCHED FROM HYDRAULIC. THESE SYSTEMS ARE UNSAFE AND FAILURE PRONE. I CAN'T KEEP THE CAR IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BUT AT NORMAL SPEEDS IT'S A LOT EASIER TO KEEP IT STRAIGHT BUT SOMETIMES IT DOES WANDER A TINY BIT. PEOPLE PROBABLY THINK I'M INTOXICATED BECAUSE I'M WANDERING AND TRYING TO KEEP THE CAR IN A STRAIGHT LINE.

TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE WITH THE AIR DUCT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE RAN HOT DUE TO THE PRESSURE RATIO. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE AIR DUCT THAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE TEAR IN THE AIR DUCT WAS BETWEEN THE MAP SENSOR AND THE THROTTLE BODY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

IN 2014 WHEN THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY...THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE ISSUE WAS CAR APPLIED BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY WHEN TURNING CERTAIN CORNERS...THE ISSUE WAS NEVER FIXED AND COMPLAINTS WERE FILED WITH GM FOR RECORD PURPOSES IN CASE OF AN INCIDENT AND AS AN ATTEMPT TO GET CAR FIXED....WHILE THIS IS NOT THE EXACT PROBLEM OCCURRING AT THE PRESENT TIME...IT IS A STEERING TYPE PROBLEM...NOW THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND MOMENTARILY COMES BACK ON.