Chevrolet Sonic Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 126 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Sonic across 8 model years. The 2012 model year has the most (34). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (32% of reports).
- 126air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 63mention a crash
- 43mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 25%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.
- Air bag: mentioned in 40 of 126 complaints (32%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 22 of 126 complaints (17%)
- Medical attention: mentioned in 16 of 126 complaints (13%)
- Failed deploy: mentioned in 16 of 126 complaints (13%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 97 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 126 complaints, 63 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 43 an injury.
Chevrolet Sonic air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Sonic | 1 | 10% | 5,000 |
| 2018 Sonic | 1 | 7% | 15,000 |
| 2017 Sonic | 6 | 16% | 55,000 |
| 2016 Sonic | 8 | 17% | 53,000 |
| 2015 Sonic | 27 | 24% | 28,700 |
| 2014 Sonic | 24 | 16% | 59,957 |
| 2013 Sonic | 25 | 12% | 33,000 |
| 2012 Sonic | 34 | 10% | 53,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2013
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
Air bags
Model years: 2014
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured July 28, 2014, to August 1, 2014. Due to a loss of electrical connection in the steering column, in the event of a severe crash, the driver's frontal air bag deployment may be limited to the first-stage deployment only instead of the intended first-stage and second-stage deployments.
Risk: If only the first-stage of the driver's frontal air bag deploys without the additional second-stage, the driver has an increased risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will test the terminals in the IP harness clock spring coil connector and replace any loose terminals, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14537.
Air bags
Model years: 2012
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags
Model years: 2012
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags
Model years: 2012
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Passenger seat airbag shows that it is still off even when there is someone in the Passenger seat
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that, while driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle failed to yield at a stop sign. As a result, the contact was unable to stop in time and collided with the driver's side B Pillar center region of the other vehicle. The air bags did deploy…
On 7-27-2023 General Motors issued a recall on 2013 models of Sonic, my VIN was not included in this recall. However on 4-16-2025 my sonic was involved in a impact incident in which the air bags should have deployed, and did not. It is my opinion that Chevy, knowing of the issues with the model of…
The Sonic rear ended a stationary vehicle going close to 50mph. No airbags deployed.
The air bags deployed while the vehicle was in motion. No Collision or impact occurred.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Sonics have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 126 owner complaints about air bags for the Chevrolet Sonic. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Sonic air bags?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Sonic?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 40 of 126 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (22).
Other Chevrolet Sonic problems
- Engine problems (239)
- Power Train problems (231)
- Electrical System problems (227)
See all Chevrolet Sonic problems.