
Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Driving and Operating 9-37
malfunction indicator lamp to
light, and could damage the fuel
tank and emissions system. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑12.
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container
{WARNING
Filling a portable fuel container
while it is in the vehicle can cause
fuel vapors that can ignite either
by static electricity or other
means. You or others could be
badly burned and the vehicle
could be damaged. Always:
.Use approved fuel
containers.
.Remove the container from
the vehicle, trunk, or pickup
bed before filling.
.Place the container on the
ground.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Place the nozzle inside the fill
opening of the container
before dispensing fuel, and
keep it in contact with the fill
opening until filling is
complete.
.Fill the container no more
than 95% full to allow for
expansion.
.Do not smoke, light matches,
or use lighters while
pumping fuel.
.Avoid using cell phones or
other electronic devices.
Towing
General Towing
Information
The vehicle is neither designed nor
intended to tow a trailer.

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
10-30 Vehicle Care
5. Install the new bulb by turning itclockwise into the assembly.
6. Reconnect the electrical connector.
7. Replace the cap on the back of the fog lamp assembly.
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps
Sedan Taillamp Shown, Hatchback
Taillamp Similar
1. Back-up Lamp 2. Turn Signal Lamp
3. Stop Lamp/Taillamp
4. Sidemarker Lamp
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the trunk.
2. Remove the two screws, which
secure the taillamp assembly.
3. Remove the taillamp assembly by pulling it straight back until
the two posts disengage from
the grommets. 4. Remove the bulb socket from
the taillamp assembly by turning
it counterclockwise.
5. Remove the bulb by pulling it straight out.
6. Install a new bulb into the bulb socket.
7. Install the bulb socket into the taillamp assembly by turning it
clockwise.
8. Install the taillamp assembly and tighten the two screws.

Black plate (69,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Vehicle Care 10-69
To access the spare tire and tools:
1. Open the trunk or liftgate. SeeTrunk (Sedan) on page 2‑8 or
Liftgate (Hatchback) on
page 2‑9.
2. Lift the trim cover.
3. Turn the retainer counterclockwise and remove it
from the compact spare.
4. Remove the compact spare tire. See Compact Spare Tire on
page 10‑73 for more information. 5. Remove the jack and tools from
their container and place them
near the tire being changed.
Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire
1. Do a safety check before
proceeding. See If a Tire Goes
Flat on page 10‑59.
2. Remove the wheel cover, if the vehicle has one, to reach the
wheel bolts.
3. Turn the wheel nutscounterclockwise to loosen
them. Do not remove them yet.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
10-72 Vehicle Care
14. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly ina crisscross sequence, as
shown.
Notice: Wheel covers will not fit
on the vehicle's compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on
the compact spare, the cover or
the spare could be damaged.
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire
and Tools
{WARNING
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
1. Return the jack and tools to their original storage location.
2. Replace the trim cover.
3. Place the flat tire, lying flat, in the rear storage compartment.
If the vehicle is a sedan the flat
tire should be against the back
of the rear seats.
If the vehicle is a hatchback the
flat tire should be against the
back of the trunk.
4. Attach one end of the strap to acargo tie-down in the rear of the
vehicle.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Technical Data 12-1
Technical Data
Vehicle Identification
Vehicle IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Service Parts Identification Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data
Capacities andSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Engine Drive Belt Routing . . . 12-3
Vehicle Identification
Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN)
This legal identifier is in the front
corner of the instrument panel, on
the left side of the vehicle. It can be
seen through the windshield from
outside. The VIN also appears on
the Vehicle Certification and Service
Parts labels and certificates of title
and registration.
Engine Identification
The eighth character in the VIN is
the engine code. This code
identifies the vehicle's engine,
specifications, and replacement
parts. See “Engine Specifications”
under Capacities and Specifications
on page 12‑2 for the vehicle's
engine code.
Service Parts
Identification Label
This label, in the spare tire well in
the trunk, has the following
information:
.Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN).
.Model designation.
.Paint information.
.Production options and special
equipment.
Do not remove this label from the
vehicle.

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 (11,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
INDEX i-11
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Turn and Lane-ChangeSignals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
U
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 Vehicle (cont'd)
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Service Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Vehicle Care Storing the Tire Sealantand Compressor Kit . . . . . . . 10-68
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
W
Warning
Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20 Wheels
Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-36
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15 Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-26
Wipers
Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4