2013 Chevrolet Sonic problems and complaints
Owners have filed 217 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The most-reported areas: Electrical System (56), Engine (55), Unknown Or Other (45).
Key takeaways
- 217 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 24 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 20 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 56 | 26% |
| Engine | 55 | 25% |
| Unknown Or Other | 45 | 21% |
| Power Train | 38 | 18% |
| Air Bags | 25 | 12% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 13 | 6% |
| Steering | 13 | 6% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 12 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 5% |
| Structure | 8 | 4% |
| Suspension | 8 | 4% |
| Visibility/Wiper | 8 | 4% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Chevrolet Sonic 5 DR FWD | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| 2013 Chevrolet Sonic 4 DR FWD | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Engine And Engine Cooling - filed 2026-01-08
The contact owned a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously sustained undercarriage damage while driving at 20 MPH and hitting a pothole. The undercarriage was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. A coolant temperatu...
Engine - filed 2025-06-10
Vehicle enters into catalyst monitor too early. Monitor Fales indicating that the catalyst is below efficiency threshold. A vehicle is run for a significant amount of time before being allowed to enter the driving conditions for the catalyst monitor, monitor will pass. This indicates that there is a programming failure...
Air Bags - filed 2025-04-17
On 7-27-2023 General Motors issued a recall on 2013 models of Sonic, my VIN was not included in this recall. However on 4-16-2025 my sonic was involved in a impact incident in which the air bags should have deployed, and did not. It is my opinion that Chevy, knowing of the issues with the model of car, should have issu...
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More for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.