2012 CHEVROLET SONIC instrument panel

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-7
To lock or unlock the doors from
inside the vehicle:
.PressQorKon the central
locking switch.
.Pull the door handle. Pulling the
door handle again unlatches
the door.
.Use the lock knob on the top of
the door panel.
Central Locking System
This system allows for the doors
and liftgate/trunk to be locked and
unlocked from the RKE transmitter
or the central locking switch located
on the center stack.
The system can be programed, see
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑27.
Door Ajar Reminder
If one of the doors, the trunk, or the
liftgate is not closed properly while
the ignition is on, the door ajar light
on the instrument panel comes on
and stays on until the doors are
closed.
Delayed Locking
PressingQon the central locking
switch or on the RKE transmitter
when this feature is on will delay
the locking of the doors until
five seconds after the last door is
closed. Three chimes will signal
that delayed locking is in use. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑27 for more information.
Automatic Door Locks
The vehicle is programmed so that
when the doors are closed, the
ignition is on, and the shift lever is
moved out of P (Park) for automatic
transmissions, or when the vehicle
speed is above 13 km/h (8 mph) for
manual transmissions, the doors
and the trunk/tailgate will lock.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
2-8 Keys, Doors, and Windows
To unlock the doors and the trunk/
tailgate:
.PressKon the center stack.
.For vehicles with an automatic
transmission, shift the
transmission into P (Park).
.For vehicle with a manual
transmission, remove the key
from the ignition.
This feature can be programmed,
see Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑27 for more information.
Safety Locks
The rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear
doors from inside the vehicle.
Press{to activate the safety locks
on the rear doors. A LED indicator
comes on when activated.
Press
{again to deactivate the
safety locks.
Doors
Trunk (Sedan)
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate, or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
(Continued)

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Liftgate (Hatchback)
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate, or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the Climate Control
System to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
highest setting. See “Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑22.
To lock or unlock the liftgate from
outside the vehicle, press
QorK
on the RKE transmitter. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
To lock or unlock the liftgate from
the inside, press
QorKon the
central locking switch located on the
center stack.
To open the liftgate from outside of
the vehicle:
.PressKon the RKE transmitter,
then use the touch pad.
.PressVon the
RKE transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
When closing the liftgate, close from
the center to ensure that it fully
latches.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-11
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not
make it impossible to steal.
Anti-theft Alarm System
This vehicle has an anti-theft alarm
system.
Arming the System
To arm the system, close all of the
windows and doors and then either:
.PressQon the RKE transmitter.
.Lock the vehicle using the key in
the driver door.
The alarm arms after about
30 seconds.
The security light, located in the
center of the instrument panel, will
flash slowly.
Press
Qagain and the system arms
immediately.
Disarming the System
To disarm the system pressKon
the RKE transmitter.
Turning off the System Alarm
If there is an attempt to open the
doors, trunk, liftgate, or hood
without first pressing
Kon the
transmitter or unlocking the driver
door with the key, the system alarm
will be activated. The exterior lamps
will flash and the horn will sound for
about 30 seconds.
To turn off the system alarm press
QorKon the RKE transmitter.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑15 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system does not have to be
manually armed or disarmed.
The vehicle is automatically
immobilized when the key is
removed from the ignition.
The system is automatically
disarmed when the vehicle is
started with the correct key. The key
uses a transponder that matches an
immobilizer control unit in the
vehicle and automatically disarms
the system. Only an authorized key
starts the vehicle. The vehicle may
not start if the key is damaged.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
2-12 Keys, Doors, and Windows
The security light, located in the
instrument panel cluster, comes on
if there is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent
system.
When trying to start the vehicle, the
security light comes on briefly when
the ignition is turned on.
If the engine does not start and the
security light stays on, there is a
problem with the system. Turn the
ignition off and try again.If the engine still does not start, and
the key appears to be undamaged
or the light continues to stay on, try
another ignition key. If the engine
does not start with the other key, the
vehicle needs service. If the vehicle
does start, the first key may be
damaged. See your dealer who can
service the theft-deterrent system
and have a new key made.
Do not leave the key or device that
disarms or deactivates the
theft-deterrent system in the vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{WARNING
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
3-10 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belts
This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{WARNING
Do not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑10 for additional information.
Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-19
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags except where noted below:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A knee airbag for the driver.
.A knee airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger.
.Seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the second row
outboard passengers.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the front
outboard passenger and the
passenger seated directly
behind the front outboard
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags on models sold in Canada:
.A knee airbag for the driver.
.A knee airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.Seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the second row
outboard passengers.
All vehicle airbags have the word
AIRBAG on the trim or on a label
near the deployment opening. For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For knee airbags, the word AIRBAG
is on the lower part of the
instrument panel.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on
the side of the seatback closest to
the door.
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-21
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol. The
system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑11 for more
information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
The driver knee airbag, if equipped,
is below the steering column. The
front outboard passenger knee
airbag, if equipped, is below the
glove box.