CHEVROLET SONIC · model year

2015 CHEVROLET SONIC

170 NHTSA complaints, 18 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2015CHEVROLETSONIC carries 170 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 18 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries, and 1 fatality. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2015 SONIC is electrical system with 32 filings, followed by air bags (26) and engine (23). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2015 SONIC, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

170
Complaints
18
Crashes
4
Fires
19
Injuries
1
Deaths
2015 CHEVROLET SONIC — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

170 filings

Crashes Reported

18 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM32
AIR BAGS26
ENGINE23
UNKNOWN OR OTHER22
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM12
POWER TRAIN12
STEERING6
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)4
SERVICE BRAKES3
WHEELS3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
STRUCTURE:BODY2
SEATS2
SEAT BELTS2
EQUIPMENT2

Recalls (3)

15V41600030/06/2015

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 20, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured June 18, 2014, to June 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, equipped with the base radio and OnStar, the radio may l

16V25700028/04/2016

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

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

16V42200010/06/2016

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leave

Recent Complaints

20250929ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact purchased the vehicle from a dealer in March 2024. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the odometer at 60,000, and the advertisement stated 60,000. The contact recently acquired the Carfax report, which indicated that in April 2015, the odometer reading was 15,073 miles. The Carfax report indicated that the odometer reading was reported in April 2024 at 60,700 miles. The dealer was made aware of the discrepancy but provided no assistance.

Mileage: 60,700

20250710UNKNOWN OR OTHER

my recall is already completed, why on the your website still showing incompleted?

20250710LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

my recall is already completed, why on the your website still showing incompleted?

20250710WHEELS

my recall is already completed, why on the your website still showing incompleted?

20250203ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 115,000.

Mileage: 115,000

20241027ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have had this vehicle for three years now and no matter of the repairs I had done to it by machanics the check engind light continue to turn on and the vehicle has shut down on the road and I can't find out what the solution is. I am afraid to drive it.Also the mylink radio which has all the vehicle settings in it has malfunctioned. I cannot get to reset veichle settings. Vehicle will not turn over on the first key turn. The engine turns over on the third or forth turn and when it dose there is a loud ratteling noise.

20241027FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I have had this vehicle for three years now and no matter of the repairs I had done to it by machanics the check engind light continue to turn on and the vehicle has shut down on the road and I can't find out what the solution is. I am afraid to drive it.Also the mylink radio which has all the vehicle settings in it has malfunctioned. I cannot get to reset veichle settings. Vehicle will not turn over on the first key turn. The engine turns over on the third or forth turn and when it dose there is a loud ratteling noise.

20241027UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have had this vehicle for three years now and no matter of the repairs I had done to it by machanics the check engind light continue to turn on and the vehicle has shut down on the road and I can't find out what the solution is. I am afraid to drive it.Also the mylink radio which has all the vehicle settings in it has malfunctioned. I cannot get to reset veichle settings. Vehicle will not turn over on the first key turn. The engine turns over on the third or forth turn and when it dose there is a loud ratteling noise.

20241016ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Right Hand Steering Wheel Controls Inoperative, Outside Ambient Temperature Reading on Radio Display Inoperative, inoperative rear vision camera gridlines, and Onstar Menu Screen is Not Showing When Pressing Onstar Button. Inoperable radio steering wheel control buttons increase driver distraction risk in reaching for the radio display. Absence of rear camera gridlines reduce driver guidance in reverse. Onstar menu not starting in case of need. Reported in existing GM Technical Service Bulletin 16-NA-347. [XXX] ) Related to completed Key Chime recall completed prior to October 10, 2016. Current vehicle codes were reviewed by Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint, and no existing error codes related to the issue were presented. No warning lamps on, messages on radio display, or other symptoms. Errors all presented simultaneously with no warning. Appeared first June 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20240926POWER TRAIN

Code U0101 is set. Unable to communicate with TCM. Troubleshooted and found TCM is bad. Removed necessary components for tcm replacement. Removed the tcm/valve body assembly and replaced. Replaced necessary gaskets and reinstalled necessary components. Set transmission fluid level to specifications per procedure. Dealer advised they stock 3 TCM at all times due to many failures and demands of TCM.

20240821FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Stalls when reduced speed. CEL constant. Codes indicate Emission promlem. Cleared by replacing intake valve. CEL came back on.

20240821ENGINE

Stalls when reduced speed. CEL constant. Codes indicate Emission promlem. Cleared by replacing intake valve. CEL came back on.

20240703AIR BAGS

The air bags deployed while the vehicle was in motion. No Collision or impact occurred.

20240319ENGINE

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The traction control and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 117,000.

Mileage: 117,000

20240103ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated the audible indicators for the driver's seat belt and the "Key Left in Ignition' was inoperable. The contactor also stated that the radio powered on independently, causing the driver to be startled due to the loud volume. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer, but not repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V422000 (Electrical System, Equipment), 16V257000 (Equipment, Electrical System) or 15V416000 (Equipment). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

20240103EQUIPMENT

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated the audible indicators for the driver's seat belt and the "Key Left in Ignition' was inoperable. The contactor also stated that the radio powered on independently, causing the driver to be startled due to the loud volume. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer, but not repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V422000 (Electrical System, Equipment), 16V257000 (Equipment, Electrical System) or 15V416000 (Equipment). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

20230921ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

First sign of problem - Sept. 2021. Driving on highway at about 35 mph. Simultaneously, engine quit running, door locks unlocked and all dash lights came. In a matter of less than a second the doors relocked, forward momentum of vehicle caused transmission to kick start the engine and jolt forward rather violently. Then the dash lights went off and the vehicle resumed normal operation. This continued to happen with increasing frequency. I took the vehicle to the local Chevy dealer to set up an appointment for service. When I explained the problem to the representative, he told me that the battery was the likely cause. I went to an auto parts store and had the battery checked. It did, indeed, have a bad cell. I replaced the battery and the car operated fine for several months but the problem began to recur, infrequently at first but continued to worsen. I discovered later that the same problem also happened when when the car was sitting idling. The difference was that without

20230625AIR BAGS

Air bag light on. There are 4 codes in the SDM, due to an internal fault in the sensing diagnostic module. The dealership states that it has to be replaced and will cost close to $1100 to have repaired and to clear all of the codes.

20230607POWER TRAIN

We have a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic Lt that we bought from car country in Aurora Indiana the transmission has gone the dealer told that the had been serviced but it never was so now we can't drive the car and its just sitting in the our driveway we reported it to car country about the transmission and they totally ignored us about it and refusing to help

20230605ENGINE

My cars coolant is leaking and the source is unknown. My car has overheated twice and my mechanic has been unable to find what needs to be repaired. The coolant has need to to be filled twice within a 6 month period. Now my car is having other issues with the catalyst system that lead me to believe the coolant leak might be affecting these other parts. My catalytic converter was already replaced and the same code has popped up 4 months later.

Compare 2015CHEVROLETSONIC to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC have?
The 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC has 170 NHTSA complaints, 18 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC?
The 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC?
Yes, the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC?
The most-complained component for the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 32 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and ENGINE.
Is the 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2015 CHEVROLET SONIC has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.