2013 CHEVROLET SONIC check engine light

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Vehicle Care 10-9
1.Engine Air Cleaner/Filter on
page 10‑13.
2. Engine Oil Dipstick. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑9.
3. Engine Cooling Fan (Out of View). See Cooling System on
page 10‑15.
4. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See Engine
Oil on page 10‑9.
5. Engine Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Cooling
System on page 10‑15.
6. Brake/Clutch Fluid Reservoir. See Brakes on page 10‑21 and
Hydraulic Clutch on page 10‑13.
7. Battery on page 10‑23.
8. Engine Compartment Fuse
Block on page 10‑33.
9. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑20.Engine Oil
To ensure proper engine
performance and long life, careful
attention must be paid to engine oil.
Following these simple, but
important steps will help protect
your investment:
.Always use engine oil approved
to the proper specification and of
the proper viscosity grade. See
“Selecting the Right Engine Oil”
in this section.
.Check the engine oil level
regularly and maintain the
proper oil level. See “Checking
Engine Oil” and“When to Add
Engine Oil” in this section.
.Change the engine oil at the
appropriate time. See Engine Oil
Life System on page 10‑11.
.Always dispose of engine oil
properly. See “What to Do with
Used Oil” in this section.
If the engine oil pressure light
comes on, check the engine oil level
right away. The oil pressure light is
on the instrument cluster. See
Engine Oil Pressure Light on
page 5‑19. Check the engine oil
level regularly; this is an added
reminder.
Checking Engine Oil
It is a good idea to check the engine
oil level at each fuel fill. In order to
get an accurate reading, the oil
must be warm and the vehicle must
be on level ground. The engine oil
dipstick handle is a loop. See
Engine Compartment Overview on
page 10‑6 for the location of the
engine oil dipstick.
1. If the engine has been running recently, turn off the engine and
allow several minutes for the oil

Black plate (75,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Vehicle Care 10-75
The jump start negative post and
positive post are on the discharged
battery on the driver side of the
vehicle.
The jump start positive post and
negative post are on the battery of
the vehicle providing the jump start.
The positive jump start connection
for the discharged battery is under a
trim cover. Open the cover to
expose the terminal.
1. Check the other vehicle. It musthave a 12-volt battery with a
negative ground system.
Notice: Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump
starting. If the other vehicle does
not have a 12-volt system with a
negative ground, both vehicles
can be damaged.
2. Position the two vehicles so that they are not touching.
3. Set the parking brake firmly and put the shift lever in P (Park)
with an automatic transmission, or Neutral with a manual
transmission. See
Shifting Into
Park (Automatic Transmission)
on page 9‑18 with an automatic
transmission, or Parking on
page 9‑20 with a manual
transmission.
Notice: If any accessories are left
on or plugged in during the jump
starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Whenever possible,
turn off or unplug all accessories
on either vehicle when jump
starting the vehicle.
4. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
Turn off all lights and
accessories in both vehicles,
except the hazard warning
flashers if needed.{WARNING
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{WARNING
Using a match near a battery can
cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if you need more
light.
Be sure the battery has enough
water. You do not need to add
water to the battery installed in
your new vehicle. But if a battery
has filler caps, be sure the right
amount of fluid is there. If it is low,
(Continued)

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Service and Maintenance 11-9
Additional
Maintenance and Care
Your vehicle is an important
investment and caring for it properly
may help to avoid future costly
repairs. To maintain vehicle
performance, additional
maintenance services may be
required. It is recommended
that your dealer perform these
services—their trained dealer
technicians know your vehicle best.
Your dealer can also perform a
thorough assessment with a
multi-point inspection to recommend
when your vehicle may need
attention. The following list is
intended to explain the services and
conditions to look for that may
indicate services are required. Battery
The battery supplies power to start
the engine and operate any
additional electrical accessories.
.To avoid break-down or failure to
start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
.Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion-free.
Belts
.Belts may need replacing if they
squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
.Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the belts and
recommend adjustment or
replacement when necessary. Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
.Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping.
.Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s systems
and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑12 for GM
approved fluids.
.Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
.Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Additional Information
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-13
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Air Intake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22 Airbag System (cont'd)
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-19
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-11
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Alarm Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Antenna Multi-band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83 Armrest
Front Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Audio Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-26
Blind Spot Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-26, 7-28, 7-37
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29, 6-4
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-31
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Cargo
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Central Locking System . . . . . . . . 2-7
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-12
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-25
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43, 3-45
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
i-4 INDEX
E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Emergency OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 Engine (cont'd)
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Reduced Power Light . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-21
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4, 9-16
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-14
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-13
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 10-29, 6-4
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Front Fog Lamp
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-34
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-19
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-34
Fuses Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
INDEX i-5
G
GasolineSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Gauges Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Hands-Free Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Headlamps
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL) Indicator Light . . . . . . . . 5-21
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . 8-1
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4 Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
INDEX i-7
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-12
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-24 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Messages Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Mirrors Blind Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50, 7-55, 7-56
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
N
Navigation
OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Off-Road
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . .10-11
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-30
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
OnStar
®
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
OnStar®Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar
®Connections . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
OnStar®Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
OnStar®Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar®Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2 Operation, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . .13-11
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Overview,
Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3, 7-5, 7-7
P
ParkShifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20 Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-25
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-20
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Passenger Compartment Air
Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-24