RecallRepo

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 112,157 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 519 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EQUIPMENT 14V417000 2014-07-02 2,990 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet…

Consequence

Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number…

POWER TRAIN 14V315000 2014-06-12 21,567 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, to June 29, 2012, and equipped with a 6 speed automatic transmission and 1.8L four cylinder engine. In the affected vehicles, the transmission turbine shaft may fracture.

Consequence

If the transmission turbine shaft fracture occurs during vehicle operation in first or second gear, the vehicle will not upshift to the third through sixth gears, limiting the vehicle's speed. If the fracture occurs during operation in third through sixth gear, the vehicle will coast until it slows enough to…

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission turbine shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14234.

AIR BAGS 14V300000 2014-06-06 31,520 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles…

Consequence

If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1-800-222-1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V-522 and 13V-023.

AIR BAGS 13V023000 2013-01-24 4,167 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Consequence

If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

AIR BAGS 12V522000 2012-10-31 2,949 affected
Defect

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Consequence

If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.

Remedy

General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

VISIBILITY 12V408000 2012-08-20 44,668 affected
Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 5, 2011, through February 24, 2012. These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems." The windshield wiper washer hose on these vehicles…

Consequence

A lack of washer fluid could impede the driver's view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will secure the windshield washer hose to prevent separation, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 11V599000 2011-12-28 4,296 affected
Defect

GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET SONIC VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 2, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 21, 2011. ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE FRONT BRAKE INNER OR OUTER PAD MAY BE MISSING.

Consequence

A MISSING PAD COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FRONT BRAKES FOR A MISSING INNER OR OUTER PAD. IF A BRAKE PAD IS MISSING, DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW INNER AND OUTER PADS, A NEW BRAKE CALIPER, AND A NEW ROTOR. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE…

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN
151
3crashes2injuries
ENGINE
82
2crashes3fires2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
56
3crashes1fires3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
46
1fires
AIR BAGS
34
18crashes13injuries1deaths
SUSPENSION
19
1crashes1injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
16
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
15
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
14
5crashes2injuries
STEERING
13
2crashes1injuries1deaths
Total complaints519

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated that on several occasions, while coming to a stop, the vehicle unexpectedly remained in second gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that several attempts were needed for the vehicle to shift into another…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-02-25

“Transmission shaft malfunction. Doesn't shift out of 1st gear. Transmission does not engage into gear.”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-02-01

“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”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2025-07-05

“The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated that when the vehicle was turned on, the brakes, abs, traction control, and braking system warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the…”

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC · reported 2025-04-23

“The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the vehicle lost power. The check engine obd reader had lost communication with the transmission. The contact merged to the side of the road. The contact then went to auto parts store and attempted to change the…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2025-04-10

“I purchased this car 2 years ago and it has caused me absolutely nothing but trouble. We have replaced the fan 4 times (twice due to the resistor thats part of the fan failed), headgasket job, intercooler punctures (once inward, once outward), failed valve cover, intake maniford, turbo seals…”

ENGINE · reported 2024-11-05

“The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated that while a friend was driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly veered to the right and struck the curb. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front passenger’s side suspension had failed. The vehicle was later towed to…”

SUSPENSION · reported 2024-06-01

“Water pump is leaking in front of motor”

ENGINE · reported 2024-01-16

Defect investigations

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Investigation EA21002 Opened 2021-09-17 · open

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Investigation RQ13002 Opened 2013-05-31 · closed 2014-07-09

Air Bag Non-deployment

General Motors (GM) has initiated a safety recall of 31,520 model year (MY) 2012 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic vehicles to address a defect condition that could result in the primary or secondary stage air bag not deploying.These vehicles are a small percentage of all MY 2012 vehicles and were…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.