general problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic - part 1

Reviving the p2138 code for throttle/accelerator sensor. Still getting code after replacing 3 accelerator peddles. Possible manufacture issue with wiring that water gets into connectors shorting out that system.

We have had to deal with severe overheating issues and failing parts our entire ownership of this vehicle, both of which then cause other parts to fail, as the parts are so poorly made and heat sensitive. We have replaced the turbocharger (twice), intake manifold + valve cover (twice), catalytic converter, the radiator (three times), the cooling fan (twice), the maf sensor (twice), and much more. All of this has been done over the course of 18months. This has easily been the most expensive car we have ever owned due to the constant repairs, all of which has been because of failing parts and overheating.

Purchased 2012 chevy Sonic for my son so that he can drive around as he is a student driver. Purchased on July 27th and pickup on the 29th on 30th morning driving the car on the highway the car stopped while in drive mode and luckily no accident. Reached out to the dealer I towed the car to dealership. First they told me is ready nothing wrong and said there is a problem with the key they didn't program it I picked up the car on August 2nd and while driving 5 miles it was doing stalled on the highway near natick mall the natick police came and tried to move the car to safe spot. Since 12 day the car is with them on 10 August they told me that they are taking to chevy dealership on the 11th and received a call from dealership on 14th that they will do diagnosis today and I just got of the phone with the service manager she they the body control module need to be replaced and they spoke with USA motor sport salesman marvin he denied to fix and said he will bring old body control module from used car and will do reprogram I called the owner who is the ruddiest person in the world he started abusing and using false language I am going to reach out to attorney general office and complain. He is saying I cannot call him when the car is ready he will call I need to report this to higher authorities the car is stalled whiile driving.

After original p0011 engine code dealer bought from replaced vvt actuators, oil control solenoid, vcg, timing belt, water pump, antifreeze, idler and tensioner on 10/27 -11/21. Vehicle ran for one week and all thru Dec 2021 intermittently kept running rough and stalling and throwing p0011 code camsgaft position sensor intake and p0301 cylinder 1 misfire. Smelled burning oil too. Replaced all separate throughout month -camshaft position sensor intake, changed oil, spark plugs and now the ignition coil. Each time ran one day and code p0011 kept coming back. Running rough, poor gas mileage and stalls. Have extended warranty going back to dealer bought from.

Vehicle keeps throwing p0011 codes with engine running rough and stalling when moving from stopped or slowing down.

First problem started when radio remained on after key removed from ignition. Radio would turn on and off when car was off and drained newly replaced battery. Advised to remove fuse as temporary fix. Car was also losing power when highway driving (up to 70 mph). I don't speed, but car struggled to go above 70 mph. Thought I smelled something burning, had radiator checked, oil changed, fluids added at beginning of October. Three weeks later on city street, slowing for traffic when car lost power. When traffic started moving, car continued to slow to complete stop in the street despite stepping on gas. Waited 25 minutes for tow, but when tow driver came, car was able to start and move. Less than an hour later, the problem happened again and car was towed. At mechanic, computer codes indicated low/no transmission fluid (even though fluid was added at oil change only three weeks prior). No evidence of leaks. Mechanic added fluid and went for ride on suburban back road, car lost power after 10 minutes. He had to wait approx 20 minutes for car to move again. He drained transmission fluid and found metallic bits, and says transmission would likely need replacing. Car has fairly low mileage �54k miles� and has been properly maintained. Also car was previously serviced because key was stuck in ignition.

Radio is not working. Therefore, I am unable to hear any alarms (door, blinker). I am also unable to use hand free calling or on star. Also, the car will randomly attempt to start if the key is left in the ignition.

Checked car while stationed, when running always needs more cooling maybe electrical burnout of a part that connects to the radiator fan. When put the diagnose code, none is given, and temperature goes up to 225, its a hazard if a person does not know that fan is not working, putting refrigerant all the time. Read that there is a new re-design cooling fan assembly.

The shift lever button will not release when in park, so the vehicle doesnt not read that its firmly in park; the key wont release and I cannot turn off the vehicle until the button unjams itself or I lubricate it to do so. This has been happening frequently. The only fix is replacing the entire shift lever, which is upwards of $300.

While driving my car, the car looses power and began to stall. I've went to two chevy dealerships and two repair and no one is able to tell me what's the problem.

My car keeps shutting completely off even while driving, the radio come on and off by itself and no one can tell me why, this is very dangerous I be driving with my children in the vehicle and the car shuts off while driving in traffic.

Vehicle was parked on christmas eve 2018 and drained battery. Radio would turn off but turn back on it's self. Causes battery replacement. To to gm they took fuse 15 out now have no speakers onstar radio incoming calls crash response.

The light my engine shows and it always smell labor ke oil.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. After the vehicle was driven for approximately ten minutes in the morning, the contact removed the key from the ignition. The contact stated that the vehicle attempted to crank on its own. The contact stated that the failure only occurred in the morning after the key was removed from the ignition. The failure occurred for approximately six months. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (centennial Chevrolet in uniontown, pennsylvania), but was unable to replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 43,642.

The vehicle's electrical system is malfunctioning, causing the speedometer display not to show up when the car turns on. It's also caused the vehicle to rev up and down while the car is idle.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. While the vehicle was stationary with the key in the ignition, the vehicle started up without warning. The vehicle began to shake and the contact stated that the auto-start feature may have malfunctioned. On another occasion, while driving 50 mph, the vehicle began to shake again and seemed as if it would stall. Bell pierre Chevrolet in seattle, washington was made aware of the failures by phone. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 27,500.

When putting my car into park the gear shift button is not releasing therefore the car can not be turned off! the service place is changing me $315 to replace the whole gear shift! also gear shift is sticking not wanting to go into park!!!.

Vehicle started to randomly show check engine light on, smell of gasoline from time to time. Every time I would take it in the light would not be on so they couldn't help. Finally light stayed on and vehicle would shut off while I would drive, especially if I hit a stop light. I had to immediately take vehicle in and I had to rent a rental car so I can get to work that morning. Dealership called and said that it was a vacuum issue causing all the stalling and all the issues with the multiple lights on the dash. It turned out to be the air duct for the air intake box. This vehicle was very dangerous to drive and I have seen several complaints with same issue, vehicle is barely out of warranty and at 36000 miles but vehicle has less than 50k miles. I had to pay $350. 00 for this incident and Chevrolet will not cover it.

My wife and I w'er hit by a person that ran a red light the car was tottled out with major front end damage no air bags deployed at all when the side air bags should have deployed but didnt causing my whole side and head smashing into the side driver door.

Air bag light on dashboard came on, intermittently at first, now permanently. There are three (3) air bag related recalls for 2012 Chevrolet Sonics which detail the same symptoms. Nearest Chevrolet dealer said this Sonic is not part of any of those recalls but the problem seems to be the same. Is there any recourse to have the car checked at no cost to owner? thank you.

Power steering was not working as I was leaving the house, so I had the car towed to the dealer. Mechanic said the voltage from the battery was sporadic and prone to spiking. This spiking caused the power steering to fail, as this vehicle has no surge protector to protect electronic chips. Batter acid had also spilled out of both head mounts causing minor damage to other parts under the hood.

1. Car loses power when accelerating/hesitation - sometimes almost feeling like the car will shut down. It's random but happening more often. Car was repaired once already for this, was better for about 3-4 months and now is doing it again. Extremely dangerous when merging onto highways or making right turns on red or switching lanes. 2. Wiper fluid was not working, recall issue, but not on my car. Repaired once and now not working again! 3. Something's wrong with electrical system, stereo changing stations, turning itself on and off, very loud screeching sounds occasionally, repaired with an update but still happening. 4. Very strange sounds coming from suspension, it started when backing up I was told they could not find a problem 2 times, however, now it's happening while driving, in reverse and it's getting worse! 5. Steering is very difficult on a windy day when on the highway. Very hard to keep the car in the lane. 6. Car feels like it's trying to accelerate when stopped at a light or stop sign with foot on the break. 7. Electrical system/interior lights all dimming when wipers are turned on. Service told me the wiper motor is a big drain on a small engine? now my car is out of warranty and I still have all these issues!! I do not feel that this car is safe or well built. It took me over 10 years to get to a point where I could afford a new hello, went with Chevrolet to keep it "american". I feel like I made a huge mistake purchasing this vehicle.

My radio stays on in my 2012 Sonic even after the car is turned off. The first time it happened I went out to start my car in the morning and it was completely dead. The car was jumped and started up fine. I drove the car for a few days without incident then I noticed the radio was coming on and off as I was driving. Even after it was turned off, it would just start playing. I contacted the dealer where I purchased my car and scheduled an appointment. Two days before my appointment the car battery was completely drained again in the morning. ( an extreme inconvenience and annoyance if you need to be to work on time). Again the car was jumped and started right up. The day before the appointment the radio was coming on and off without me touching it. I was so annoyed I pulled the button off. Luckily the radio stayed off. The next day I took the car to the dealer for the appointment and was told that the radio was damaged because I pulled the knob off. I was told $400 to replace radio and installation fees. Are you kidding me? the car is only 3 years old and I have to pay to replace the radio from no fault of my own? I did not get it replaced by the dealer. I was able to pop the knob back on in a second so I know the mechanic didn't try at all. They just wanted to replace with a new one and charge me. I have pulled the fuse and currently have no radio. This is my very first new car and I have had other issues as well, key getting stuck in ignition etc. I will never by anything chevy again!!!.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked and the keys removed from the ignition, the vehicle attempted to restart independently and the check engine light illuminated. The failure recurred once. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

I am owner of 2012 chevy Sonic, yesterday again - when I shut off my car . . . It started back up again just after I shut the key off car was in park. Plze do h e l p - m e !!!.

Tl- the contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The sensors illuminated for the check engine and from the gear box the gear box lights were flashing when the contact was in drive, reverse or park. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 55 mph on a major highway, there was a sudden loss of power, the vehicle was extremely slow to accelerate, difficult to change gears and stalled on multiple occasions. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who diagnosed that the intake duct and boot needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle was extremely difficult to change gears from the gear box, slow to accelerate and continued to stall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 14v315000 (power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000. Dyd.

1. Took car in to dealership in Aug for check engine light on and coolant is low, car overheats. Car was in shop for almost 2 weeks (p/u sept 5th). They repl. Radiator, thermostat, sept 10 car stalls at major stop light and again at a stop sign. Engine starts making a loud noise and runs rough. Keeps stalling at idle. Take car back to dealer next day sept 11. They have the car for 3 weeks. P/u oct 7th after they repl the engine and some bolts. Sales agent assures me that there will be no more problems its fixed. 5 mins on the fwy at 70mph in fast lane at lunch hour car just turns off almost had a major accident trying to get over four lanes. Stops completely in the middle of slow lane by on-ramp almost was hit twice started the key and it turned on got off fwy and took directly back to dealer who called me three days later and stated that a connector was bad and thats why it turned off and they ordered the part and that should take care of the problem p/u car in three days. Sales agent called back day I was to p/u and said they were still working on it and I told him I want to talk with a supervisor I will not drive the car off lot, come to find out that day on the fwy that it had never been test driven. Contacting business bureau and attorney at this point.

The shifter button/knob always gets stuck. This vehicle has an automatic transmission so it wasn't included in the prior recall regarding the shifter. The car radio turns on by itself after I have removed by car key and locked the doors. This has caused the battery to drain and now it needs to be replaced. Chevy dealer said that replacing the shifter "may" correct the issue with the radio. I would like to know why the shifter needs to be replaced after only 2 years of use. I have had much older cars with far less issues and never needed to have a shifter replaced. It appears to be a defect that they have not recalled yet.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly shut off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the battery connection was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,500.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a chime sounded with the illumination of the engine oil pressure warning indicator. The failure also recurred upon starting the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician informed that the oil pressure indicator switch would need to be replaced. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 44,500.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while making a turn at approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure caused the contact to crash into a telephone pole. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,500.

A bad smell like rotten eggs, keeps coming out of the ac/c vents and the engine of the car. I changed the air filter and everything but nothing happen the smell does not go away.

For about a month now everytime I go to park my car my shifter get stuck and I am unable to put my car in park or take the key out. I went to the dealer ship and I was told I could spend $150 to get it looked at & then spend how every much money it would be to fix it. I dont have that kind of money for that at the moment but now its to the point where I cant even drive my car at all because the shifter always gets stuck and I cant get my key out to park or put it in park drive reverse etc. . . . . . ! ! ! I have seen that a couple people are having this problem so its not just my car. But since it gets suck I can be driving down the road and hit the shifter by accident and it will move the car into another position because it dosnt click witch means I can go from driving to it being thrown into park or reverse in seconds. Thats going to cause a accident! I need this fixed I drive with kids in my car on a daily basis . . . . . . . . . . Their is something wrong in the shifter.

On or around December, 2014, the shift cover would not attach permanently. On or around March 10, 2014, the electrical access plug did not operate. On or around March 6, 2014, my mother was driving around 45mph, and we hit an elk. No airbags deployed.

After manually turning off the radio, turning off the car, removing the key from the ignition, exiting the car, locking and arming the car's alarm, the radio will turn itself back on. In some cases it has done this before we have even walked 20 feet from the car, in other cases it happens up to 2 hours after exiting (and locking) the car. It happens more than 75% of the time. Shortly after the first time we observed the symptom, the check engine light came on and stayed on, but the dealership claimed it was no longer on after I dropped the car off (and it was definitely on when I exited the still running car for them to drive inside) and that there are no error codes in the history. They claim they cannot reproduce the radio issue.