2016 Chevrolet Sonic
The Verdict
The 2016 Chevrolet Sonic has 48 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (17 complaints) and electrical (15 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 88/100, it earns a "Smooth Ride" rating. If you're shopping for a Chevrolet Sonic, consider the 2019 model year which has 83% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2019 has 83% fewer complaints
View the 2019 Chevrolet Sonic dashboard →
Klunk Score: Smooth Ride
This vehicle year has significantly fewer complaints than average. A reliable choice.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
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Worst Problems
Complaints
This car overheated and a head gasket blew. I am on a Facebook forum, and it seems like all of these cars have these problems. The Chevy Sonic ltz turbo 1.4 2016 is known for coolant issues and head gasket failures. My car only had 104,000 miles on it. It should last a lot longer than that, but this is a common issue. For some reason there was a recall but they stopped fixing cars with 1.4 engines that came out after 2014. There cars don't have temperature gauges and when they overheat they don't tell you until a light comes on the dash and by then it's too late and your engine is blown. This should be illegal. Chevrolet needs to fix this.
Radio malfunctions. Channels automatically change and touch screen doesn't work all the time. I believe 2015 Sonic has a recall for this issue , but not 2016. It appears to be the same issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the driver's side door was stuck, and extra force was needed to open the door. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power locks functioned as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel would unlock from the normal position and almost fell into the driver’s lap. The contact stated that failure of the steering wheel was frequent and occurred while driving at various speeds. The failure with the door was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The ESC and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the Intake Plenum Gasket and other unknown parts needed to be sealed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,299.
My car lock and unlocks when I did not hit any buttons. The remote start does not work sometimes. The battery loses connection from time to time with a brand new battery. I own 2 of these cars and the same exact thing is happening. There needs to be a recall on this
My car lock and unlocks when I did not hit any buttons. The remote start does not work sometimes. The battery loses connection from time to time with a brand new battery.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact indicated that the RPMs increased but the vehicle would not accelerate as needed. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the cruise control would erroneously activate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle began to stall inadvertently. The engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact's friend came on the scene and provided her with engine coolant, and she added the coolant to the vehicle. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the thermostat housing had melted and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic several times and the thermostat housing was replaced three times due to its plastic-based material. The contact stated that she was unable to drive the vehicle for more than an hour and a half without a reoccurrence of the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic who diagnosed that the head gasket had melted. The independent mechanic advised the contact to purchase a new vehicle like the engine compartment of the vehicle was poorly made. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to assist the contact with scheduling an appointment with the dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle's approximate failure mileage was 38,000.
My vehicle malfunctioned Driving on my way to work entering a large parking area connected stores. I saw a available parking spot in between 2 cars I drove in the spot lined up car and put my car in park completely stopped.I looked to my right then to my left to be sure I wasn't to close to the other two vehicles then I opened my drivers door to check if I was within the line.I was just on the line.As soon as I shut the door the doors locked the engine roared so loud I thought it was going to explode then the safety belt latched on so tight pulled me back at same time the car plummeted forward extreme acceleration into a brick building. Instantly the bags deployed as I halted forward I put up my arms up panic knowing I was going into the bldg once impacted hit bldg I heard a loud screech sound.once hit the car instantly reversed backwards at this same extreme speed I then was going backwards. I managed to step my foot on the break it stopped the car. I was about 65 feet when it completely stopped in reverse. I opened the door and fled got got my belt off.The impact with bags was pain was excruciating did save my life. I don't know how I survived this accident. My car was in park gear ignition still on. This car completely malfunctioned.Previous engine light on for 3 to 4 day. I need this investigated with the box It will show reading I was in park .The insurance company will not provide this box data to me and Dealership is unreachable.
Hello, I need you guys help. I got into a car wrecked which wasn’t my fault. The airbags they deployed and my child car seat was damage. I got a police report stating that the car accident wasn’t my fault and it’s the fault of a 16 year old. He merge straight into my Car and I have all these expeensives that I cannot pay for.
THE HEAT DOESNT WORK. KEEPS BLOWING OUT COOL AIR. THIS PAST SUMMER THE AC WOULDN'T WORK. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BUT THEY FIXED IT. I BELIEVE THE TWO ISSUES ARE RELATED.
TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS DO NOT MAKE SOUND WHEN ACTIVE
MY DRIVERS SIDE SEAT HEATER STOPPED WORKING. I CLICK THE BUTTON, THE LIGHT COMES ON, AND THEN SHUTS RIGHT BACK OFF. I'VE TRIED TURNING THE CAR ON AND BACK OFF AND IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING.
THE CAR STARTED SPUTTERING EVERY TIME I HAD TO PUT GAS IN IT THEN IT WOULDN'T CRANK AT ALL AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETREMINE THAT THIS FUEL SYSTEM ISSUE HAS CREATED AN INABILITY TO KEEP THE CAR RUNNING AND EVERY TIME WE GET IT RUNNING IT REPEATEDLY CUTS OFF TILL WE REV IT UP MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEN IT TRIES TO CUT OFF EVERY TIME WE STOP AT A LIGHT.
THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT KEEPS GOING ON AND OFF. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR APPROX 2 MONTHS.
I BOUGHT A 2016 CHEVY SONIC LT IN JANUARY OF 2020. IT HAS ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. INITIALLY, I BELIEVED THAT THE COMPUTER WAS JUST SLOW. IN MARCH, 2020 I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD TURN THE CAR ON THE RADIO/COMPUTER WOULD SOMETIMES TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES TO BOOT UP. THEN ONCE BOOTED, THE BACK-UP CAMERA LINES WOULD NOT SHOW UP. ONLY OCCASIONALLY WOULD THE GUIDING LINES APPEAR ON THE SCREEN. THEN, A PROBLEM DEVELOPED WHERE AFTER I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND LOCKED THE DOORS, THE RADIO WOULD CONTINUE PLAYING UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED OR THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. THIS FIRST OCCURRED IN MAY 2020 AND WOULD OCCUR PERIODICALLY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. IN JUNE 2020, THE RADIO WOULD RANDOMLY NOT BOOT WHEN STARTED OR BOOT EVEN MORE SLOWLY THAN USUAL. SOMETIMES I COULD DRIVE TEN OR TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE COMPUTER WOULD FINALLY TURN ON. OTHER TIMES THE COMPUTER WOULD NEVER TURN ON. YET AGAIN, THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO RESTART THE CAR OR DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. ON AUGUST 1, 2020, THE RADIO WILL NOT TURN ON AT ALL, EVEN AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR OR RECONNECTING THE BATTERY. NOW THAT THE RADIO IS COMPLETELY NONOPERATIONAL, OTHER SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN EFFECTED, TOO. FOR EXAMPLE, THE BLINKERS DO NOT SIGNAL PROPERLY. ALTHOUGH THEY BLINK, I DO NOT RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION THAT THEY ARE ENGAGED (NO BLINKING SOUND). THE SEAT BELT, DOOR AJAR, AND KEY IN IGNITION WARNING DO NOT SOUND ANYMORE EITHER. ADDITIONALLY, THE COLLISION NOTIFICATION AND LANE RECOGNITION NO LONGER PRODUCE AN AUDIBLE WARNING. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER THE CAR IS STATIONARY OR IN MOTION, THE RADIO AND ALL RELATED SOUND COMPONENTS DO NOT WORK AT ALL. I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY SOLUTION YET. THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS FOR PROBLEMS SUCH AS THESE FOR THIS VEHICLE, BUT NONE OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY OPEN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET SONIC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE NEEDED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
RAZOR SHARP PEELING CHROME FROM INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES CUTS FINGERS AND HANDS, SAFETY HAZARD TO A DRIVER AWAY FROM HOME OR NOT NEAR BANDAGES. COMMON GM PROBLEM FROM SONIC, CRUZE, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, EQUINOX, SILVERADOS. ALL GM MODELS
CAR SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY DURING STOP LIGHTS. I'VE RESEARCHED IT AND HAVE FOUND IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MY MODEL. WHEN IDLING IT WILL RANDOMLY SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AND WON'T TURN BACK ON FOR A FEW SECONDS TO MINUTES. IT WILL DO IT AT STOP SIGNS STOP LIGHTS. EVEN IN IM JUST PARKED.
EMISSIONS (EVAP) CODE. LOSING POWER, FEELS AS IF ENGINE IS SLIPPING/DRAGGING WHEN ACCELERATING. ENGINE LIGHT BLINKS & TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ONLY WHEN REACHING HIGH RPMS. *TR
48 total