2013 CHEVROLET SONIC Complaints

OUR 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC IS AN AUTOMATIC AND WHEN WE WERE DRIVING IN IT THE BUTTON TO SHIFT IT FELL OFF. IT HAD TO BE PUT BACK, WHICH WAS DIFFICULT, WHILE STEPPING ON THE BRAKE. IT STICKS AND I AM AFRAID IT WILL STICK AND SHIFT AND CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. I SHIFTED FROM 4TH TO 5TH AND SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT, LIKE THE TRANSMISSION DIDN'T ENGAGE. I THEN REALIZED I COULD NOT MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER ON THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF GEAR. I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE THE NEXT EXIT BUT THE RAMP WAS ONLY SUITABLE FOR AROUND 30MPH. I TRIED TO KEEP THE ENGINE FROM STALLING AS BEST AS I COULD. AS I GOT AROUND THE RAMP I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER AND NEARLY HIT A GUARD RAIL BECAUSE THE SHOULDER ENDED AND I BARELY STOPPED IN TIME. I CALLED CHEVY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR A TOW VEHICLE AND THEY DISPATCHED ONE. WHILE I WAS WAITING I GOOGLE'D MY PROBLEM ("CHEVY SONIC STUCK IN GEAR"). ALAS, ANOTHER PERSON HAD THE SAME EXACT ISSUE WITH THE SAME EXACT VEHICLE. ACCORDING TO THIS MESSAGE BOARD POSTER A SMALL PLASTIC CLAMP SLID OUT OF PLACE CAUSING THE SHIFT CABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM IT'S HOUSING, ESSENTIALLY RENDERING IT USELESS. I TOOK APART MY CONSOLE AND FOUND I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN I REINSTALLED THE PLASTIC CLAMP THAT HOLDS THE CABLE IN PLACE EVERYTHING WORKED NORMALLY, I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEAR. I BELIEVE A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED AS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE IN WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON AND PUT IT IN DRIVE THE RADIO TURNED OFF AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. AS I WAS DRIVING I THEN NOTICED THE CARS SIGNAL LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING EITHER. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE SIGNAL LIGHTS WOULD BEGIN TO WORK AGAIN. *TR

CPSC:I1480205A. 2013 CHEVY SONIC. CONSUMER STATED THAT HE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE KEY FOB FOR IS CAR. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED HE HIT THE KEY FOB FAIRLY HARD WHICH CAUSED THE KEY TO TURN, AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. *JB

CHEVY IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A WORKING SOLUTION. THEIR RELATED BULLETIN IS PI0826. I PARK MY CAR ON AN INCLINE WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE LEFT BY APPROXIMATELY 10 DEGREES WHEN IT RAINS, WATER COMES IN THROUGH THE LOWER WINDSHIELD AREA, DOWN AN AIR VENT, THROUGH AND AROUND AN AIR FILTER, THROUGH AND AROUND A FAN ASSEMBLY AND DRIPS ONTO THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR. 1ST TIME IT HAPPENED, I THOUGH IT WAS ME, LEAVING THE WINDOW AJAR, OR A WATER BOTTLE LEAKING, OR ACCIDENTLY LEAVING DOOR UNLOCKED AND SOMEONE DOING SOMETHING. I DRIVE MAYBE ONCE A WEEK, SO BY THE TIME I FOUND THE PROBLEM, THE CAR SMELLED REALLY BAD. IT WAS A FISHY TYPE SMELL. I HAD CHECKED WINDOWS, THEY WERE UP. I HAD TO UNLOCK, SO IT WAS NO ONE GETTING IN. LUCKILY, THE MAT HAD A PLASTIC BOTTOM AND IT HELD MOST OF THE WATER, BUT THE CARPET BELOW DID GET WET AS WELL. I HADN'T USED THE CAR FOR ABOUT 5 DAYS, AND THE FLOOR MAT WAS STILL SOAKED 3-4 DAYS AFTER THE ACTUAL RAIN. IT TOOK 3 DAYS TO REMOVE THE SMELL FROM THE MAT ALONE. LAUNDRY DETERGENT DIDN'T WORK. I FINALLY GOT IT BETTER WITH WHITE VINEGAR. I HAD TO SPRAY IT AFTER THAT WITH LYSOL AND COLOGNE. SO MUCH FOR THE "NEW CAR SMELL". 2ND TIME IT HAPPENED I KNEW IT WASN'T ANYTHING I DID. LUCKILY, I WENT OUT TO CHECK IT THE DAY AFTER A STORM. IT WAS SOAKED AGAIN, AND AGAIN I HAD TO CLEAN IT AND DRY IT UP. THIS IS WHEN I SEARCHED AND FOUND OUT ABOUT THE BULLETIN. IT WAS APPLIED BY A DEALER, BUT IT DID NOT WORK. 2ND ATTEMPT TO REPAIR WAS TO REPLACE THE LOWER TRIM ON WINDSHIELD. THERE IS LESS WATER, BUT IT'S STILL COMING IN. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY HOW I PARK. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MOLD FROM THE WET FILTER & FLOOR PADDING, PREMATURE RUSTING WHEN THE FLOOR GETS WET AND PREMATURE FAILURE IF THE FAN GETS WET. I HEARD SAME ISSUE ON ANOTHER MODEL HAS A SPECIFIC PART FOR THE FIX. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT BETWEEN 55 AND 65 MPH. THE SIDE I WAS ON HAD A LONG, STEADY INCLINE UPWARD. I HAD SET MY CRUISE CONTROL TO ABOUT 63 MPH. AS I WAS GOING UPHILL THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SUPPLYING FUEL TO GET TO AND MAINTAIN MY SPEED AT 63 MPH. I WAS APPROACHING ANOTHER CAR IN MY LANE AND DECIDED RATHER THAN PASS, I WOULD SLOW DOWN. THEY WERE GOING QUITE A BIT SLOWER THAN ME SO CAME UP UPON THEM QUICKLY. I PRESSED THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN BUT THE BRAKE WAS HARD AS A ROCK. IT WOULD NOT BUDGE SO IT DID NOT DISCONNECT THE CRUISE CONTROL AND MY CAR KEPT ACCELERATING. I PANICKED AND TRIED TO USE BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE. IT STILL WOULD NOT BUDGE. I WAS WITHIN 2 CAR LENGTHS OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHEN FINALLY THE CAR REACHED THE SPEED I HAD SET THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR AND THE BRAKES FINALLY DEPRESSED. IN HINDSIGHT, I HAD OPTIONS I.E. PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, TURNING KEY OFF, TURNING TO AVOID A COLLISION, SHUTTING OFF CRUISE CONTROL, BUT THIS CAR WAS NEW TO ME, AND IN THAT MOMENT I FULLY EXPECTED THE BRAKES TO WORK. ONCE I WAS IN CONTROL, I TRIED TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM WITH NO ONE AROUND, KNOWING MY OPTIONS NOW. IT HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. A SERVICE TECH ALSO HAD IT HAPPEN TO THEM. FIRST ATTEMPT AT REPAIR DID NOT FIX IT. SECOND ATTEMPT DID. IT WAS A BAD CHECK VALVE. APPARENTLY THE CHECK VALVE LET AIR OUT OF A BOOSTER, SO I LOST MY BRAKES? THE CHECK VALVE ALSO LET FLUID FILL THE BOOSTER. THE MASTER CYLINDER AND VACUUM WERE REPLACED AS WELL. LOOKING BACK, THERE WERE SIGNS, BUT NO OBVIOUS ONES. A RANDOM HI-PITCHED NOISE (AIR SQUEAKING OUT THE CHECK VALVE). LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. DEALER HAD TO FILL IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND I ADDED SOME AT 6 MONTHS. THIS WAS A DANGEROUS AND SCARY EXPERIENCE. I QUESTION THE DESIGN TO DIS-ENGAGE CRUISE CONTROL AND THE QUALITY OF THE CHECK VALVES THEMSELVES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SMOKE. THE WINDOWS WERE ROLLED DOWN, THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS OFF AND IT IS ABOUT 86 DEGREES OUTSIDE. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST QUIRKY INCIDENT TO HAPPEN IN THIS VEHICLE. I JUST BOUGHT IT ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO. ALL THE STANDARD MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN DONE TO THIS VEHICLE. NOT SURE WHY IT IS SMOKING. AFTER IT BEING IN OUR CARE FOR 4 MONTHS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL ALSO NOT GO OFF, AND THE REMOTE START DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE. THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR HAS BECOME LOOSE AS WELL. NO ONE HAS BEEN HANGING ON IT, JUST SIMPLY OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR. ALSO THE PLASTIC CAP ON THE SHIFT HAS POPPED OFF. I WILL BE GETTING IT CHECKED TOMORROW AND POSSIBLY GETTING RID OF IT SOONER THAN LATER. THIS IS A VERY POOR GM MODEL CAR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK DOING 55 MPH THE CAR JUST SUDDENLY TURNED ITSELF OFF WITH NO WARNING. THE DASHBOARD WENT BLANK. WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER OFF THE ROAD. THE KEY WAS STILL IN THE ON POSITION. THE CAR RESTARTED WITH NO PROBLEM BUT MY GAS GAUGE SHOWED ONLY 1 BAR AND THE MILES PER TANK SHOWED 40. BEFORE THE INCIDENT I HAD 1/2 A TANK OF GAS. AS I STARTED DRIVING AGAIN THE GAS GAUGE LITTLE BY LITTLE STARTED TO MOVE BACK UP TO WHERE IT WAS. VERY SCARY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WAS ONE INJURY REPORTED THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN INTERMITTENT LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEALS AND GASKETS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT INQUIRED IF THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED AND NEITHER THE AUTHORIZED DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM IF THE COMPONENT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.