2012 CHEVROLET SONIC warning light

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
5-12 Instruments and Controls
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑26 for
important safety information. The
instrument panel has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
United States
Canada
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds as a system check. If you use
remote start, if equipped, to start the
vehicle, you may not see the system
check. Then, after several seconds,
the status indicator will light either
ON or OFF, or the on or off symbol
to let you know the status of the
front outboard passenger frontal
airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag is
allowed to inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑11 for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
This light will come on briefly when
the ignition is turned on, and the
engine is not running, as a check to
show it is working.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
5-16 Instruments and Controls
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working
If the warning light comes on, there
is a brake problem. Have the brake
system inspected right away.
{WARNING
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the ignition is turned to ON.
If it does not come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light will stay on if the parking
brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means there is a
brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
carefully pull off the road and stop.
The pedal may be harder to push or
may go closer to the floor. It may
take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the vehicle towed for
service. See
Towing the Vehicle on
page 10‑77.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF or if the light comes
on, stop as soon as possible and
turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle
needs service. See your dealer.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the brakes will still
work, but the antilock brakes will not

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-17
work. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, the antilock
brakes will not work and there is a
problem with the regular brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 5‑16.
The ABS warning light will come on
briefly when the ignition is turned to
ON/RUN. This is normal. If the light
does not come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn if there is
a problem.
Up-Shift Light
For manual transmission vehicles,
there is an up-shift light that comes
on in the lower DIC area. It shows
when to shift to the next higher gear
for best fuel economy. See
Manual Transmission on
page 9‑26 for more information.
Speed Sensitive Power
Steering (SSPS) Warning
Light
If this warning light comes on after
the vehicle ignition is started or
while driving, the speed sensitive
power steering may not be working.
See your dealer for service.
Traction Off Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally, the indicator light then
turns off.
The traction off light comes on when
the Traction Control System (TCS)
has been turned off by pressing and
releasing the TCS/StabiliTrak
button.
This light and the StabiliTrak OFF
light come on when StabiliTrak is
turned off.
If the TCS is off, wheel spin is not
limited. Adjust driving accordingly.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
5-18 Instruments and Controls
SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑29 andStabiliTrak®
System on page 9‑31 for more
information.
StabiliTrak®OFF Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
This light comes on when the
StabiliTrak system is turned off.
If StabiliTrak is off, the Traction
Control System (TCS) is also off.
If the TCS is off, the system does
not assist in controlling the vehicle.
Turn on the TCS and the StabiliTrak
systems and the warning light
turns off. See
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑29 andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 9‑31 for more
information
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light
The StabiliTrak system or the
Traction Control System (TCS)
indicator/warning light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have
the vehicle serviced by the dealer.
If the system is working normally,
the indicator light turns off.
If the light is on and not flashing, the
TCS, and potentially the StabiliTrak
system have been disabled. A DIC
message may display. Check the
DIC messages to determine which feature(s) is no longer functioning
and whether the vehicle requires
service.
If the indicator/warning light is on
and flashing, the TCS and/or the
StabiliTrak system is actively
working.
See
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑31 andTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑29 for
more information.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning
Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the vehicle.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-19
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by the dealer. If the system
is working normally the indicator
light goes off.
Notice:Driving with the engine
coolant temperature warning light
on could cause the vehicle to
overheat. See Engine Overheating
on page 10‑20. The vehicle's
engine could be damaged, and it
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Never drive with
the engine coolant temperature
warning light on.
The engine coolant temperature
warning light comes on when the
engine has overheated.
If this happens pull over and turn off
the engine as soon as possible. See
Engine Overheating on page 10‑20
for more information.Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine is
started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS.
When the Light Is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A Driver Information Center (DIC)
tire pressure message may also
display. See Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑26 for more information.
Stop as soon as possible, and
inflate the tires to the pressure value
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Tire Pressure
on page 10‑45 for more information. When the Light Flashes First and
Then Is On Steady
If the light flashes for about a minute
and then stays on, there may be a
problem with the TPMS. If the
problem is not corrected, the light
will come on at every ignition cycle.
See
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑47 for more
information.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
If the vehicle has low engine oil
pressure, this light will stay on after
the engine is started, or come on
while driving.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
5-20 Instruments and Controls
This indicates that the engine is not
receiving enough oil. The engine
could be low on oil, or could have
some other oil problem. Have it
fixed immediately by your dealer.
The oil light could also come on in
other situations:
.When the ignition is on but the
engine is not running, the light
will come on as a test to show it
is working. The light will go out
when the ignition is turned on.
If it does not come on with the
ignition on, there may be a
problem with the fuse or bulb.
Have it fixed right away.
.If the vehicle comes to a hard
stop, the light may come on for a
moment. This is normal.
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light comes on when the
vehicle is low on fuel. The low fuel warning light comes on
when there are approximately 6.0 L
(1.7 gal) of fuel remaining in
the tank.
To turn the light off, add fuel to the
fuel tank. See
Filling the Tank on
page 9‑37.
Immobilizer Light
The immobilizer light should come
on briefly as the engine is started.
If it does not come on, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the system is working normally,
the indicator light turns off.
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system. See Vehicle Security on
page 2‑11 for more information.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-3
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-6
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the
outboard side of the steering
column.
It controls the following systems:
.Headlamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Fog Lamps The exterior lamps control has four
positions:
O(Off):
Briefly turn to this position
to turn the automatic light control off
or on again.
AUTO (Automatic): Turns the
headlamps on automatically at
normal brightness, together with the
following:
.Parking Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Sidemarker Lamps
;(Parking Lamps): Turns the
parking lamps on together with the
following:
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Sidemarker Lamps

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
6-2 Lighting
5(Headlamps):Turns the
headlamps on together with the
lamps listed below. A warning chime
sounds if the driver door is opened
when the ignition switch is off and
the headlamps are on.
.Parking Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Sidemarker Lamps
#(Front Fog Lamps): For
vehicles with fog lamps, press to
turn the lamps on or off.
See Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.
When the lights are on,
;will be
lit. See Lamps On Reminder on
page 5‑22.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
3(Headlamp High/Low‐Beam
Changer): Push the turn signal/
lane change lever away from you to
turn the high beams on.
Push the lever again or pull the
lever toward you to return to low
beams.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
high‐beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal/lane change lever all the
way toward you. Then release it.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
DRL are on.
A light sensor on top of the
instrument panel makes the DRL
work, so be sure it is not covered.