2013 Chevrolet Sonic Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 56 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 65,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “key ignition” (11% of reports).
- 56electrical system complaints
- 65,000median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 39%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Key ignition: mentioned in 6 of 56 complaints (11%)
- Air conditioner: mentioned in 5 of 56 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 43 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 56 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Chevrolet Sonic electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Sonic | 6 | 60% | 1,800 |
| 2019 Sonic | 1 | 13% | — |
| 2018 Sonic | 6 | 40% | 26,950 |
| 2017 Sonic | 5 | 14% | 6,840 |
| 2016 Sonic | 11 | 23% | 50,500 |
| 2015 Sonic | 34 | 30% | 50,000 |
| 2014 Sonic | 49 | 33% | 50,150 |
| 2013 Sonic | 56 | 26% | 65,000 |
| 2012 Sonic | 59 | 17% | 40,060 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Electrical system:software; equipment:electrical:radio/tape deck/cd etc.
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
Risk: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
Exterior lighting:brake lights; electrical system
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. In October 2013, GM informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Risk: If the brake lamps flash when the vehicle is not slowing, a following driver may not adjust vehicle speed when the vehicle is in fact braking, and the brake lamps are illuminating as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on June 13, 2013. Owner's may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. GM's recall number is 13158.
Exterior lighting:turn signal; electrical system
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured from May 29, 2012, through August 29, 2012. When a turn signal lamp fails to operate, the Body Control Module (BCM) in these vehicles does not detect this condition and will not indicate the condition to the driver. Thus, These vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the driver is not aware that the turn signal is not functioning and does not have the light repaired, other drivers may not be alerted that the vehicle is turning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the BCM and the vehicle's key fobs, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 3, 2012. Owners may contact the Chevrolet owner center at 1-866-694-6546.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Was driving in heavy rain when car suddenly cut power and decelerated showed code 84 and the CEL came back with P2138. It is a known issue that rain gets up into the connector and causes a malfunction.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the rear windshield suddenly imploded, causing glass shards to be propelled inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that it sounded as if a shotgun had been fired. As a result of the…
My Odometer miles was erased about 9 months ago and I cannot retrieve it. A Chevy dealership associate looked at it this week (October 31, 2022) and manually could not recover the miles. A GM parts online website suggested it could be a speed sensor (blown fuse) or dash cluster. To diagnose the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Chevrolet Sonics have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 56 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic (26% of the 217 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic electrical system?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 65,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic?
The most frequent phrase is “key ignition”, in 6 of 56 complaints, followed by “air conditioner” (5).
Other 2013 Chevrolet Sonic problems
- Engine problems (55)
See all 2013 Chevrolet Sonic problems or electrical system problems across all Sonic years.