AutoUtility currently tracks 37 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 17 complaints (45.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 37 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (17 reports • 45.9% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Air Bags & Restraints (6), Electrical System (5)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 Chevrolet Sonic
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Air Bags & Restraints
Electrical System
Brakes & Traction Control
Steering System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Chevrolet Sonic
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Oil cooling system has been replaced. Major leak in AC line needs replacement. Purge solenoid stop functioning and was replaced, now there is an additional major coolant leak"
"The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine made an abnormally rough sound, the transmission failed to shift as intended, and..."
"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,..."
"Multiple attempts to fix camshaft/ camshaft position sensor. Causes car to decelerate at high speeds. Shaking while at high speeds"
"I have replaced the same part now 4 times. I have multiple receipts. Cause the car the shut off or slow down while on the highway."
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 | 48 | 8 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Chevrolet Sonic Current Page | 37 | 6 | 0 | Current |
| 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 2017 Chevrolet Sonic
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 24 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 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.