Selling a broken or junk Chevrolet Sonic

First, run the VIN. Several Sonic recalls are tied to short build windows, so two cars of the same year can have different open repairs.

What you're selling: one generation, two engines

The Sonic is the second-generation Aveo under the name GM used in the Americas. Orion Assembly in Michigan built it from August 2, 2011 until October 20, 2020, for model years 2012 through 2020, as a sedan or a five-door hatchback. A refreshed version was shown in 2016.

• 1.8-liter four, 135 hp: cast-iron block, timing belt, five-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Gone by 2019.
• 1.4-liter turbo four, 138 hp: timing chain. It launched with a six-speed manual; fueleconomy.gov lists a six-speed automatic with it on the 2013 RS. For 2020, the turbo and automatic were the only choice.

NHTSA's files hold 952 complaints on 2012-2020 Sonics, plus one filed under 2011, a year before the first model year. They report 91 crashes, 18 fires and 2 deaths, and list 16 recall campaigns.

2012: the automatic's turbine shaft

The 2012 has 354 complaints, the most of any year, and 128 are filed under power train. Recall 14V315 (June 2014) covers 21,567 Sonics built March 1 to June 29, 2012 with the 1.8 and the six-speed automatic, where the turbine shaft can fracture. If it breaks in first or second gear, the car won't upshift past second and can't reach normal speed. In a higher gear, it coasts until it slows. Dealers replace the shaft free.

One 2012 owner wrote: "Doesn't shift out of 1st gear." For a 2012 automatic built outside that window, we found no GM coverage.

Five air bag recall numbers

• 12V522, 13V023 and 14V300: the driver air bag's shorting bar can touch its terminals now and then, so the bag may not deploy. Dealers replace the steering wheel air bag coil. The last expansion reached Sonics built December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012. The three counts, 2,949, 4,167 and 31,520, include Cruze, Verano and Camaro.
• 14V543: 304 Sonics built July 28 to August 1, 2014, where a loose steering column connection can hold the driver bag to its first stage.
• 23V516 (July 2023): 2013 driver inflators that may explode during deployment, throwing metal fragments. The 767 vehicles include the Verano, Camaro and Volt.

Engine programs, nearly all expired

GM wrote several special coverages for Sonic engines, every one measured from the car's original in-service date:

Only a 2015 sold late could still be inside N192210230. Everything else has run out.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Source: NHTSA's flat files, pulled October 10, 2026. Each Sonic recall is listed under every model year it reaches, so this column totals more than 16. The last three Sonic years share one row; together they drew 32 complaints.

The 2018's one campaign, 18V342, covered 71 cars whose driver seat-back frame may not have been welded right.

Fix or sell?

1. Check recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls, since 14V315 and the air bag campaigns depend on build dates.
2. Automatic stuck in low gear on a 2012? If the VIN isn't in 14V315, we found no GM program that pays for it, though a dealer can check. Price it in writing, then look up what a working 2012 Sonic brings. Our bad transmission page covers the signs.
3. Coolant loss on a 1.4? The water pump coverage has ended, and GM's own bulletin warns the leak can end in overheating.
4. Thinking of selling parts one by one? Part it out or sell it whole lays out the trade-off.

Getting your Sonic sold

1. Note which engine it has, the 1.8 or the 1.4 turbo, along with the VIN, odometer reading and the fault.
2. Request an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say where it is: curbside, an apartment garage, a mechanic's bay. Tell us if it rolls and if all four tires hold air.
4. Leave everything on it, catalytic converter and wheels included. If something's been pulled, say so.
5. When the truck comes, the driver checks your ID and leaves with the Sonic's signed title and its keys. After you sell covers plates and insurance by state.

No title? Start with the no-title guide. Other small Chevys: the Cruze, Trax and Spark, or see every Chevrolet.