2013 Chevrolet Sonic: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 322 complaints
322
Total Complaints
50,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
39
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

21,500 25th Percentile
50,000 Median Mileage
86,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
55
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
55
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
45
POWER TRAIN
38
AIR BAGS
25
STEERING
13
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
13
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
12
SERVICE BRAKES
11
VISIBILITY/WIPER
8

Severity Assessment

39
Crashes
4
Fires
32
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THIS CONDITION HAPPENS DURING FIRST DRIVE OF THE DAY OR AFTER THE VEHICLE SITS FOR A WHILE. WHILE ACCELERATING THROUGH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THE CAR SURGES/JOLTS AT OR NEAR THE SHIFT POINTS. IT ALMOST FEELS AS IF I STARTED MOVING THE VEHICLE IN THE WRONG GEAR, IF IT WERE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ..."
"THIS CONDITION HAPPENS DURING FIRST DRIVE OF THE DAY OR AFTER THE VEHICLE SITS FOR A WHILE. WHILE ACCELERATING THROUGH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THE CAR SURGES/JOLTS AT OR NEAR THE SHIFT POINTS. IT ALMOST FEELS AS IF I STARTED MOVING THE VEHICLE IN THE WRONG GEAR, IF IT WERE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ..."
"I HAVE FOUND THE SWITCH BLADE KEY USED BY MANY CHEVROLET PRODUCTS HAS A TENDENCY TO OPERATE WHEN THE KEY IS PUT IN YOUR PANTS POCKET. ON MANY OCCASIONS I HAVE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED THE DOORS OR RELEASED THE TRUNK LATCH SIMPLY BY SITTING DOWN OR WALKING DOWN THE STEPS.THIS IS A MINOR PROBLEM UNTIL YOU ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

ENGINE 55 complaints
25th: 26,698 mi Median: 74,000 mi 75th: 94,500 mi
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 55 complaints
25th: 38,000 mi Median: 62,500 mi 75th: 88,250 mi
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 complaints
25th: 34,232 mi Median: 58,503 mi 75th: 103,000 mi
POWER TRAIN 38 complaints
25th: 28,700 mi Median: 52,500 mi 75th: 76,788 mi
AIR BAGS 25 complaints
25th: 15,636 mi Median: 33,000 mi 75th: 59,425 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 34 FL: 31 TX: 26 PA: 20 IL: 17 MA: 17 VA: 14 OH: 14 MI: 12 GA: 11

Who Files Complaints?

0.3%
Original Owners
99.7%
Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Sonic — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
201251948
201422918
201517018
20166911
20175710
2018230

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28