2012 CHEVROLET SONIC change time

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-19
Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS warning light alerts you
to a significant loss in pressure of
one of the vehicle's tires. If the
warning light comes on, stop as
soon as possible and inflate the
tires to the recommended pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. SeeVehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑11. The warning
light will remain on until the tire
pressure is corrected.
During cooler conditions, the low tire
pressure warning light may appear
when the vehicle is first started and
then turn off. This may be an early indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver
’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑46.Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit
This vehicle may come with a spare
tire and tire changing equipment or
a tire sealant and compressor kit.
The kit can be used to temporarily
seal small punctures in the tread
area of the tire.
See Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit on page 10‑60 for complete
operating information.
If the vehicle came with a spare tire
and tire changing equipment, see If
a Tire Goes Flat on page 10‑58.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the Code 82 DIC
message when it is necessary to
change the engine oil and filter.
Remember, the oil life display must
be reset after each oil change. It will
not reset itself. Also, be careful not
to reset the oil life display
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system press the
SET/CLR button while the oil life
display is active.
Resetting the Oil Life System
1. Using the DIC MENU button and thumbwheel, scroll until you
reach Remaining Oil Life on
the DIC.
2. Press the SET/CLR button to reset the oil life at 100%. When
prompted, use the thumbwheel

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
1-20 In Brief
to highlight YES or NO. Press
the SET/CLEAR button to
confirm.
Be careful not to reset the oil life
display accidentally at any time
other than after the oil is changed.
It cannot be reset accurately.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑12.
Hood Release
To open the hood:
1. Pull the hood release handle
inside the vehicle. It is located
on the lower left side of the
instrument panel.
2. Go the front of the vehicle, move the secondary hood release
lever to the right, located under
the front center of the vehicle.
3. Lift the hood and securely place the hood prop into the slot on
the underside of the hood.
See Hood on page 10‑4.
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving
tips to get the best fuel economy
possible.
.Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
.Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops.
.Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
.When road and weather
conditions are appropriate,
use cruise control.
.Always follow posted speed
limits or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
.Keep vehicle tires properly
inflated.
.Combine several trips into a
single trip.
.Replace the vehicle's tires with
the same TPC Spec number
molded into the tire's sidewall
near the size.
.Follow recommended scheduled
maintenance.
Roadside Assistance
Program
U.S.: 1-800-243-8872
TTY Users: 1-888-889-2438
Canada: 1-800-268-6800
As the owner of a new Chevrolet,
you are automatically enrolled in the
Roadside Assistance program.
See Roadside Assistance Program
on page 13‑5 for more information.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-7
Heated Front Seats
{WARNING
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns
even at low temperatures. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
On vehicles with heated front seats,
the controls are on the climate
control system. To operate, the
engine must be running.
Press
MorLto heat the driver or
passenger seat. The indicator light
on the control turns on when this
feature is on. Press the control
again to turn this feature off.
The passenger seat may take
longer to heat up.
Remote Start Heated Seats
When it is cold outside, the
heated seats can be turned on
automatically during a remote
vehicle start. The heated seats will
be canceled when the ignition is
turned on. Press the control to use
the heated seats after the vehicle is
started.
The heated seat indicator lights do
not turn on during a remote start.
The temperature performance of an
unoccupied seat may be reduced.
This is normal.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑4 for more information.

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-35
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants
and all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never
allow children to play with the
safety belts.Airbags plus lap‐shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children
and infants. Neither the vehicle's
safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Every
time infants and young children ride
in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's
arms. An infant should be
secured in an appropriate
restraint.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-21
Reduced Engine Power
Light
The reduced engine power light
should come on briefly as the
engine is started. If it does not come
on have the vehicle serviced by
your dealer.
This light, along with the service
engine soon light, displays when a
noticeable reduction in the vehicle's
performance occurs. Stop the
vehicle and turn off the ignition.
Wait for 10 seconds and restart the
vehicle. This might correct the
condition.The vehicle can be driven at a
reduced speed when the reduced
engine power light is on but
acceleration and speed might be
reduced. The performance could be
reduced until the next time the
vehicle is driven. If this light stays
on, see your dealer as soon as
possible for diagnosis and repair.High-Beam On Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See
Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑2 for more
information.
Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL) Indicator Light
This light turns on whenever the
Daytime Running Lamps are in use.
See Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑2 for more information.
Front Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles with fog lamps, this
light comes on when the fog lamps
are on.

Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-25
the average fuel economy, press
and hold the SET/CLR button while
the average fuel economy is
displayed.
Timer
This display can be used as a timer.
To start the timer, press SET/CLR
while the timer is displayed. The
display will show the amount of time
that has passed since the timer was
last reset, not including time the
ignition is off. The timer will record
up to 99:59 hours, after which the
display will return to zero. To stop
the timer, press SET/CLR briefly
while the timer is displayed. To reset
the timer to zero, press and hold
SET/CLR.Remaining Oil Life
Press MENU to show the remaining
oil life display. This display shows
an estimate of the oil's remaining
useful life. If 99
:% is displayed,
that means 99% of the current oil
life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the Code 82 message will appear
on the display. The oil should be
changed as soon as possible. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑9. In addition
to the engine oil life system
monitoring the oil life, additional
maintenance is recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule in this
manual. See Maintenance Schedule
on page 11‑3 for more information.
Remember, the oil life display
must be reset after each oil change.
It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the oil life
display accidentally at any time
other than when the oil has just
been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change. To reset the engine oil life system,
press the SET/CLR button while the
oil life display is active. See
Engine
Oil Life System on page 10‑12.
Units
Press MENU to show the unit
display. Press SET/CLR and move
w xto change units when UNIT
SET is displayed. Press SET/CLR to
confirm the setting. You will have to
select 1, 2, or 3 for the unit display.
1 is Imperial units, 2 is US units,
and 3 is metric units. This will
change the displays on the cluster
and DIC to the type of
measurements you select.
Language
Press MENU to show the language
display. Press SET/CLR and move
w xto change the language of
the displays when LANG SET is
displayed. You will have to select 1
or 2 for the language display. 1 is
Alphabet and 2 is Arabic Numeral.
Press SET/CLR to confirm the
setting.

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.