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NHTSA model-year recall report

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Recalls

7 campaigns in our verified NHTSA snapshot, with source consequences, remedies, and VIN-specific next steps.

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7

NHTSA campaigns

5

Affected systems

0

Urgent advisories

Jul 2, 2014

Latest campaign date

At a glance

What the record says

This model year's count is above the Chevrolet Sonic average of 3.8 campaigns per listed year. That is context only—not proof that this year is safer or less safe.

The most frequent affected category is Air Bags, appearing in 3 campaigns.

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  2. 2

    Verify

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  3. 3

    Repair

    Contact an authorized dealer if a campaign applies.

Source campaign records

All 2012 Chevrolet Sonic recall campaigns

Shown newest first. NHTSA summary, consequence, and remedy text is preserved without truncation.

NHTSA campaign 14V417000

Equipment › Electrical

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Jul 2, 2014

What is recalled

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 Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer 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 for this recall is 14257.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 14V315000

Power Train › Automatic Transmission

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Jun 12, 2014

What is recalled

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.

Safety 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 downshift to first or second gear, increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 14V300000

Air Bags

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Jun 6, 2014

What is recalled

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 manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 13V023000

Air Bags

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Jan 24, 2013

What is recalled

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 12V522000

Air Bags

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Oct 31, 2012

What is recalled

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 12V408000

Visibility › Windshield Wiper / Washer

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

Reported Aug 20, 2012

What is recalled

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 may separate from the washer fluid reservoir. If this occurs, washer fluid will not be available to the windshield.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer 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.

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

NHTSA campaign 11V599000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Pads

Manufacturer: GENERAL MOTORS LLC

Reported Dec 28, 2011

What is recalled

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.

Safety consequence

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

Manufacturer 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 JANUARY 14, 2012

Campaign history does not confirm applicability or repair status for one VIN.

Campaign details

Other Chevrolet Sonic model years

Compare campaign histories within the same model. Counts are descriptive, not a safety grade.

20181 campaign20162 campaigns20153 campaigns20144 campaigns20136 campaigns20127 campaigns
View all model years

Other 2012 Chevrolet recall reports

2012 Chevrolet Cruze7 campaigns2012 Chevrolet Camaro5 campaigns2012 Chevrolet Traverse5 campaigns2012 Chevrolet Silverado 35004 campaigns2012 Chevrolet Avalanche3 campaigns2012 Chevrolet Equinox3 campaigns

2012 Chevrolet Sonic recall questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic have?

This verified dataset contains 7 NHTSA campaigns associated with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. A campaign can apply to some, not all, vehicles of the same model year.

Does this confirm an open recall for my 2012 Chevrolet Sonic?

No. This page is a model-year campaign history. Use NHTSA's official lookup or an authorized dealer to confirm whether a campaign applies to your exact VIN and whether the repair remains open.

Are vehicle recall repairs free?

When a safety recall campaign applies to your VIN, the manufacturer remedy is generally provided at no charge through an authorized dealer. Confirm eligibility and scheduling with the manufacturer or dealer.

Source: NHTSA. Dataset includes campaigns through Jul 30, 2026. Last processed Aug 8, 2026. Methodology