Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
This warns others that you are
having trouble. Press and
momentarily hold again to turn the
flashers off.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. The turn signal flashes
three times.The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out. Replace any
burned out bulbs. If the bulb is not
burned out, check the fuse. See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑34
orBulb Replacement on
page 10‑29 for more information.
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with front fog lamps,
the button is located on the
outboard side of the instrument
panel. The ignition must be on to turn on
the fog lamps.
#(Fog Lamps):
Press to turn the
fog lamps on or off. An indicator
light on the instrument panel cluster
comes on when the fog lamps
are on.
The fog lamps come on together
with the parking lamps.
If the high‐beam headlamps are
turned on, the fog lamps will turn off.
If the high‐beam headlamps are
turned off, the fog lamps will turn
back on again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
6-6 Lighting
Lighting Features
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver.
Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature is
designed to protect the vehicle's
battery.
If some interior lamps are left on
and the ignition is turned off, the
battery rundown protection system
automatically turns the lamp off after
some time.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
8-2 Climate Controls
Temperature Control:Turn
clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the
temperature.
A(Fan Control): Turn clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the fan speed. Turning the
fan control to 0 turns the fan off. The
fan must be turned on to run the air
conditioning compressor.
Air Delivery Mode Control: Turn
clockwise or counterclockwise to
change the current airflow mode.
Select from the following air delivery
modes:
Y(Vent): Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level): Air is divided
between the instrument panel and
floor outlets.
[(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets, with some air directed
to the rear outlets.
W(Defog): This mode clears the
windows of fog or moisture. Air is
directed to the floor, windshield, and
side window outlets.
1(Defrost): This mode clears
the windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield and side window outlets.
Do not drive the vehicle until all
windows are clear.
#(Air Conditioning): For
vehicles with air conditioning, follow
these steps to use the system. Turn
Ato the desired speed. The air
conditioning does not operate when
the fan control knob is in the off
position. Press
#to turn the air
conditioning on and off. When
#is
pressed, an indicator light comes on
to show that the air conditioning
is on. For quick cool down on hot days, do
the following:
1. Open the windows to let hot air
escape.
2. Press
M.
3. Press
#.
4. Select the coolest temperature.
5. Select the highest
Aspeed.
Using these settings together for
long periods of time may cause the
air inside the vehicle to become too
dry. To prevent this from happening,
after the air in the vehicle has
cooled, turn the recirculation
mode off.
M(Recirculation): This mode
recirculates and helps to quickly
cool the air inside the vehicle. It can
be used to prevent outside air and
odors from entering the vehicle.
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-3
Press the button to turn the
recirculation mode on. An indicator
light comes on to show that the
recirculation is on. Press the button
again to return to outside air mode.
Using the recirculation mode for
extended periods may cause the
windows to fog. If this happens,
select the defrost mode.
M/LHeated Seats (If
Equipped): Press to heat the driver
or passenger seat. See Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑7.
Rear Window and Outside
Mirror Defogger
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window and
outside mirror defogger on or off.
An indicator light comes on to show
that the feature is on. The rear window defogger turns off
after about 10 minutes. It can also
be turned off by pressing
1again
or by turning the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF.
If turned on again it runs for about
five minutes before turning off.
For vehicles with heated outside
rearview mirrors, they turn on with
the rear window defogger and help
to clear fog or frost from the surface
of the mirror. See Heated Mirrors on
page 2‑13.
Notice: Do not use anything
sharp on the inside of the rear
window. If you do, you could cut
or damage the warming grid, and
the repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Do not
attach a temporary vehicle
license, tape, a decal, or anything
similar to the defogger grid.
Air Vents
Use the air vents located in the
center and on the side of the
instrument panel to direct the
airflow. Move the slats on the center
air vents to direct airflow.
Turn the knobs on the side air vents
counterclockwise or clockwise to
open or close off the airflow.
Operation Tips
.Clear away any ice, snow or
leaves from the air inlets at the
base of the windshield that may
block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
.Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors may adversely affect
the performance of the system.
.Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside the
vehicle more effectively.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-27
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-19, 7-21, 7-24
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-16
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-31
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Central Locking System . . . . . . . . 2-7
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-12
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-26
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
i-4 INDEX
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16
Diagnostics, OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Ajar Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Central Locking System . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-3
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Driving Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-20
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Emergency, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Engine (cont'd)
Reduced Power Light . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-23
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3, 9-17
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-14
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-13
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-5
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Front Fog LampLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Economy, Driving for Better . . . . 9-2
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-36
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-35
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-20
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-35
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20 Fuses
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
G
Gasoline
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Gauges Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7 General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light . . . . . . . . 5-21
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont'd)Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning . . . . . . . 5-18
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Reduced Engine Power . . . . . . 5-21
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-10
Service Vehicle Soon . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Speed Sensitive Power
Steering (SSPS) Warning . . . 5-17
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Load Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Central Locking System . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8 Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-20
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-13
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-13
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Messages
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Mirrors (cont'd)
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46N
Navigation, OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-33
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-4