NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalls
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic has 7 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on July 2, 2014.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 7
- Owner complaints
- 354
- Crashes reported
- 27
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
5 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
7 recalls on the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Equipment: electrical
- Campaign
- 14V417000
- Reported
- July 2, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 2,990
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2014 Sonic, 3 other models
Power train: automatic transmission
- Campaign
- 14V315000
- Reported
- June 12, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 21,567
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- only the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Air bags
- Campaign
- 14V300000
- Reported
- June 6, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 31,520
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 3 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 13V023000
- Reported
- January 24, 2013
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,167
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 3 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 12V522000
- Reported
- October 31, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 2,949
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer
- Campaign
- 12V408000
- Reported
- August 20, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 44,668
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 104, windshield wiping and washing
- Same campaign
- only the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: pads
- Campaign
- 11V599000
- Reported
- December 28, 2011
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,296
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- only the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic
2012 Chevrolet Sonic complaints by year
NHTSA has received 354 owner complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the newest on August 20, 2026. Of these, 27 describe a crash (8%) and 5 a fire; owners reported 18 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, the component group named most often is the power train (44%), followed by the engine (23%) and the electrical system (17%).
1 of the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic's 7 recalls also concerns the power train.
Where 2012 Chevrolet Sonic owners gave the mileage (282 complaints), the median was 46,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train154
- Engine83
- Electrical System59
- Unknown Or Other46
- Air Bags34
- Suspension19
Complaints received, by year
| 2012 | 26 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 22 | |
| 2014 | 58 | |
| 2015 | 60 | |
| 2016 | 48 | |
| 2017 | 31 | |
| 2018 | 28 | |
| 2019 | 28 | |
| 2020 | 19 | |
| 2021 | 7 | |
| 2022 | 8 | |
| 2023 | 7 | |
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 4 | |
| 2026 | 3 |
Complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic peaked in 2015, when NHTSA received 60. 47% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic drew 3.7× the complaints of the median Chevrolet Sonic year in the same window: 1st highest of the 6 ranked years.
That makes 2012 one of the Chevrolet Sonic years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 354 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Chevrolet Sonic by model year
Other 2012 Chevrolet models
Newest record on this page: August 20, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted