Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
3-22 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and front
outboard passenger are in the side
of the seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
If the vehicle has second row seat‐
mounted side impact airbags, they
are in the sides of the rear seatback
closest to the door.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-25
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn
off the interior lamps, and turn off
the hazard warning flashers by
using the controls for those
features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑14 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑14.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-10
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-11
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Service Vehicle Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . 5-15
Code Set Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Speed Sensitive Power Steering (SSPS) Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-18
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-18 Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-19
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-20
Immobilizer Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Reduced Engine Power Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-21
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-27
Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Vehicle
Personalization
The audio system controls are used
to access the personalization
menus for customizing vehicle
features.
CONFIG (Configuration):Press to
access the Configuration
Settings menu.
MENU/TUNE: Turn to scroll
through the menus. Press to enter
the menus and select the menu
items.
/BACK: Press to exit or move
backward in a menu.
Entering the Personalization
Menus
1. Press CONFIG to access the
Configuration Settings menu.
2. Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to highlight Vehicle Settings.
3. Press MENU/TUNE to select the Vehicle Settings menu. The following list of menu items may
be available:
.Comfort and Convenience
.Climate and Air Quality
.Language
.Lighting
.Power Door Locks
.Remote Lock, Unlock, Start
.Return to Factory Settings
Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to
highlight the menu. Press MENU/
TUNE to select it. Each of the
menus is detailed in the following
information.
Comfort and Convenience
Select the Comfort and
Convenience menu and the
following will be displayed:
.Chime Volume
.Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear Chime Volume
This allows selection of the chime
volume level.
Press MENU/TUNE when Chime
Volume is highlighted. Turn the
MENU/TUNE knob to select Normal
or High. Press MENU/TUNE to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
When on and the vehicle on, this
feature will turn the rear wipers on
when the vehicle is placed in
R (Reverse) when the front wipers
are on.
Press MENU/TUNE when Auto
Wipe in Reverse Gear is
highlighted. Turn the MENU/TUNE
knob to select On or Off. Press
MENU/TUNE to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
5-28 Instruments and Controls
Language
Select the Language menu and the
following will be displayed:
.English
.French
.Spanish
Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to
select the language. Press MENU/
TUNE to confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Exterior Lighting
Select the Lighting menu and the
following will be displayed:
.Exterior Vehicle Locator Lights
.Exit Lighting
Exterior Vehicle Locator Lights
This allows selection of whether the
exterior lamps will turn on when
unlocking the vehicle.
Press MENU/TUNE when Exterior
Vehicle Locator Lights is
highlighted. Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to select On or Off. Press
MENU/TUNE to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Exit Lighting
Press MENU/TUNE when Exit
Lighting is highlighted. Turn the
MENU/TUNE knob to select Off,
30 Seconds, 1 Minute, or 2 Minutes.
Press MENU/TUNE to confirm and
go back to the last menu.
Power Door Locks
Select Power Door Locks and the
following will be displayed:
.Auto Door Unlock
.Unlock Door Anti Lock Out
.Delayed Door Lock
Auto Door Unlock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically unlock when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park) or
the key is removed. Press MENU/TUNE when Auto
Door Unlock is highlighted. Turn the
MENU/TUNE knob to select All
Doors, Driver Door, or Off. Press
MENU/TUNE to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Unlock Door Anti Lock Out
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking when the
door is open. If off is selected, the
Unlock Door Anti Lock Out menu
will be available and the door will
lock as programmed through
this menu.
Press MENU/TUNE when Unlock
Door Anti Lock Out is highlighted.
Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to
select On or Off. Press MENU/
TUNE to confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-29
Delayed Door Lock
When on, this feature 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. Pressing
either
QorKon the RKE
transmitter twice will override the
delayed locking feature and
immediately lock all of the doors.
Press MENU/TUNE when Delayed
Door Lock is highlighted. Turn the
MENU/TUNE knob to select On or
Off. Press MENU/TUNE to confirm
and go back to the last menu.
Remote Lock, Unlock, Start
Select Remote Lock, Unlock, Start
and the following will be displayed:
.Remote Unlock Feedback
.Remote Lock Feedback
.Remote Door Unlock Remote Unlock Feedback
When on, the exterior lamps will
flash when unlocking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter.
Press MENU/TUNE when Remote
Unlock Feedback is highlighted.
Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to
select On or Off. Press MENU/
TUNE to confirm and go back to
the last menu.
Remote Lock Feedback
This allows selection of what type of
feedback is given when locking the
vehicle with the RKE transmitter.
Press MENU/TUNE when Remote
Lock Feedback is highlighted. Turn
the MENU/TUNE knob to select
Lights and Horn, Lights Only, Horn
Only, or Off. Press MENU/TUNE to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Remote Door Unlock
This allows selection of which doors
will unlock when pressing
Kon the
RKE transmitter.
Press MENU/TUNE when Remote
Door Unlock is highlighted. Turn the
MENU/TUNE knob to select All
Doors or Driver Door Only. When
set to Driver Door Only, the driver
door will unlock the first time
Kis
pressed and all doors will unlock
when
Kis pressed a second time.
When set to All Doors, all of the
doors will unlock at the first press of
K. Press MENU/TUNE to confirm
and go back to the last menu.
Return to Factory Settings
Select Return to Factory Settings
to return all of the vehicle
personalization to the default
settings. Turn the MENU/TUNE
knob to select Yes or No. Press
MENU/TUNE to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-17
If you leave the key in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to
start the vehicle if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
D (START):This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/
OFF, and the key is in the ignition.Key Lock Release
Vehicles with an automatic
transmission are equipped with an
electronic key lock release system.
This system is to prevent ignition
key removal unless the shift lever is
in P (Park).
The key lock release will not work
if the battery is charged less than
9‐volts, or uncharged. Try charging
or jump starting the battery. See
Jump Starting on page 10‑74. If charging or jump starting the
battery does not work, there is a
manual key lock release. Locate the
hole below the ignition lock. Insert a
tool or key into the opening. Locate
the lever, and press it toward the
driver while removing the key from
the ignition.
Starting the Engine
Automatic Transmission
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Notice:
Do not try to shift to
P (Park) if the vehicle is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-19
Engine Heater
The engine heater can provide
easier starting and better fuel
economy during engine warm-up in
cold weather conditions at or below
−18°C (0°F). Vehicles with an
engine heater should be plugged in
at least four hours before starting.
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap theelectrical cord. The cord is
located in the driver side of the
engine compartment, near the
battery. It is shipped from the factory with a tie holding it in
place. Use care in removing the
tie so that the cord is not
damaged.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING
Plugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause an
electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could
overheat and cause a fire. You
could be seriously injured. Plug
the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet.
If the cord will not reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension
cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts.
If you do not it could be
damaged. The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories may be
used for up to 10 minutes after the
engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Power Windows
.Sunroof
The power windows and sunroof will
continue to work for up to
10 minutes or until any door is
opened. The radio will work when
the key is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY. Once the key is
turned from ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF,
the radio will continue to work for
10 minutes, or until the driver door is
opened or the key is removed from
the ignition.