AutoUtility currently tracks 48 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 12 complaints (25% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 5 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 48 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (12 reports • 25% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (11), Air Bags & Restraints (9)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 8 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 5 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Chevrolet Sonic
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #16V257000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
- Campaign #16V422000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Air Bags & Restraints
Brakes & Traction Control
Fuel & Propulsion System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Chevrolet Sonic
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"This car overheated and a head gasket blew. I am on a Facebook forum, and it seems like all of these cars have these problems. The Chevy Sonic ltz turbo 1.4 2016 is known for coolant issues and head gasket failures. My car only had 104,000 miles on it. It should last a lot longer than that, but..."
"Radio malfunctions. Channels automatically change and touch screen doesn't work all the time. I believe 2015 Sonic has a recall for this issue , but not 2016. It appears to be the same issue."
"The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the driver's side door was stuck, and extra force was needed to open the door. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power locks functioned as..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The ESC and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was..."
"My car lock and unlocks when I did not hit any buttons. The remote start does not work sometimes. The battery loses connection from time to time with a brand new battery. I own 2 of these cars and the same exact thing is happening. There needs to be a recall on this"
Complaint History for Chevrolet Sonic
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2020)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Chevrolet Sonic | 114 | 15 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Chevrolet Sonic Current Page | 48 | 8 | 2 | Current |
| 2017 Chevrolet Sonic | 37 | 6 | 0 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Chevrolet Sonic | 14 | 0 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Chevrolet Sonic | 8 | 0 | 0 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Chevrolet Sonic | 10 | 0 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Chevrolet Sonic
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 25 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.