Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17 Seats and Restraints
. . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Luggage/Load Locations . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-27 Lighting
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-15
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-19
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-19
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Interior Mirror
Hold the inside rearview mirror in
the center to move it for a clearer
view behind your vehicle. Adjust the
mirror to avoid glare from the
headlamps behind you. Push the
tab forward for daytime use and pull
it for nighttime use.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on
page 2‑14.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up, down, forward, and backward.
3. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamps
The dome lamp controls are located
in the headliner above the rear
seats.
9: Press to turn the lamps off,
even when a door is open.
H: Press to turn the lamps on
automatically when a door is
opened.
R: Press to turn on the dome lamps.
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 (6,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
HeaterEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . 8-1
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Indicator Code Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Owner Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35 Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Panel
Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
K
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-40
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Lamps (cont'd)
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-13
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
LATCH System Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
LATCH, Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Liftgate Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Light StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Lighting Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-16
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22