
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
2-6 Keys, Doors, and Windows
.Two remote vehicle starts, or a
single remote start with an
extension, have already
been used.
.The vehicle is not in P (Park).
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the doors
can help prevent this from
happening.
To lock or unlock the doors from
outside the vehicle:
.Use the key in the driver door to
lock all doors or unlock the
driver door only.
.PressQorKon the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on
page 2‑3.
To lock or unlock the doors from
inside the vehicle:
.PressQorKon the central
locking switch.
.Pull the door handle. Pulling the
door handle again unlatches
the door.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-7
.Use the lock knob on the top of
the door panel.
Central Locking System
This system allows for the doors
and liftgate/trunk to be locked and
unlocked from the RKE transmitter
or the central locking switch on the
center stack.
The system can be programed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑26.
Door Ajar Reminder
If one of the doors, the trunk, or the
liftgate is not closed properly while
the ignition is on, the door ajar light
on the instrument panel comes on
and stays on until the doors are
closed.
Delayed Locking
PressingQon the central locking
switch or on the RKE transmitter
when this feature is on will delay the
locking of the doors until
five seconds after the last door is
closed. Three chimes will signal that
delayed locking is in use. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑26.
Automatic Door Locks
The vehicle is programmed so that
when the doors are closed, the
ignition is on, and the shift lever is
moved out of P (Park) for automatic
transmissions, or when the vehicle
speed is above 13 km/h (8 mph) for
manual transmissions, the doors
and the trunk/liftgate will lock.
To unlock the doors and the trunk/
liftgate:
.PressKon the center stack.
.For vehicles with an automatic
transmission, shift the
transmission into P (Park).
.For vehicle with a manual
transmission, remove the key
from the ignition.
This feature can be programmed.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑26.
Safety Locks
The rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear
doors from inside the vehicle.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
2-8 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Press{to activate the safety locks
on the rear doors. An indicator light
comes on when activated.
Press
{again to deactivate the
safety locks.
Doors
Trunk (Sedan)
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See “Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑20.
To lock or unlock the trunk from the
outside, press
QorKon the RKE
transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2‑3.
To lock or unlock the trunk from the
inside, press
QorKon the central
locking switch located on the center
stack.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows
WARNING (Continued)
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See“Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑20.
To lock or unlock the liftgate from
the inside, press
QorKon the
central locking switch located on the
center stack.
To open the liftgate from the
outside, press
Kon the
RKE transmitter, then use the
touch pad.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
When closing the liftgate, close from
the center to ensure that it fully
latches.
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
the vehicle impossible to steal.
Vehicle Alarm System
This vehicle has an anti-theft alarm
system.
The indicator light on the instrument
panel near the windshield, indicates
the status of the system.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-11
Arming the System
1. Close all doors, liftgate,and hood.
2. Lock the vehicle using the transmitter or the power door
lock button. The indicator on the
instrument panel should come
on and stay on for about
30 seconds.
3. After 30 seconds, the alarm system will arm, and the
indicator will begin to slowly
flash indicating the alarm is
operating.
If a door, the hood, or the liftgate is
opened without first unlocking with
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter, the turn signals will flash
and the horn will sound for about
30 seconds. The alarm system will
then re-arm to monitor for the next
unauthorized event.
The theft-deterrent alarm system will
not activate if the doors are locked
with the key.
Disarming the System
To disarm the system, either unlock
the doors using the RKE transmitter,
or start the vehicle with a
recognized transmitter in the
vehicle.
To avoid setting off the alarm by
accident:
.Lock the vehicle with the
transmitter after all occupants
have left the vehicle and all
doors are closed.
.Always unlock a door with the
RKE transmitter. Unlocking a
door any other way will not
disarm the alarm.
If you set off the alarm by accident,
turn off the alarm by pressing
Kon
the RKE transmitter or start the
vehicle with a recognized transmitter
in the vehicle. The alarm will not
stop if you unlock the driver door
with the key.
How to Detect a Tamper
Condition
IfKis pressed and the horn chirps
three times, an attempted break-in
occurred while the system was
armed.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑15 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system does not have to be
manually armed or disarmed.
The vehicle is automatically
immobilized when the key is
removed from the ignition.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
2-16 Keys, Doors, and Windows
WARNING (Continued)
windows will function and they
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave keys in a
vehicle with children.
When there are children in the
rear seat use the window lockout
button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
If equipped, push the switch down
to open the window. Pull the front of
the switch up to close it.
The switches work when the vehicle
is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY, or when Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) is active.
SeeRetained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑18.
Express Window Operation
Windows with an express-down or
express-up feature allow the window
to be lowered or raised without
holding the switch. The driver
window has express-down and
express-up. Pull a window switch up
or push it down all the way, release
it, and the window goes up or down
automatically. Stop the window by
pushing or pulling the switch in the
same direction a second time or
briefly operating the switch to the
first detent in either direction.
Safety Function
If any object is in the path of the
window when the express-up
feature is active, the window will
stop and auto-reverse to a preset
position. Weather conditions may
cause the window to auto-reverse.
The window switch may be held up
to the second position to close the
window. The window will return to
normal operation once the
obstruction or condition is removed.
Safety Function Override
If the battery on the vehicle has
been recharged or disconnected,
or is not working, the windows will
need to be reprogrammed for the
express-up feature to work. Before
reprogramming, replace or recharge
the vehicle's battery.
To program the driver window:
1. With the ignition in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
or when RAP is active, close all
doors.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-17
2. Press and hold the powerwindow switch until the window
is fully open.
3. Pull the power window switch up until the window is fully closed.
4. Continue holding the switch up for approximately two seconds
after the window is completely
closed.
The window is now reprogrammed.
Window Lockout
This feature prevents the rear
passenger windows from operating,
except from the driver position.
Press
oto disable the rear window
switches.
Press
oagain to return to normal
window operation.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, swing down the
sun visors. You can also remove
them from the center mount and
swing them to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Vanity mirrors are on the back of the
sun visors. Swing down the sun
visor and open the cover.
Roof
Sunroof
On vehicles with this feature, the
sunroof only operates when the
ignition is turned to ON/RUN or
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is
active.
Open/Close: To open the sunroof,
press and hold the rear of the
switch. To close the sunroof, press
and hold the front of the switch.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
{WARNING
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/
spinal injury in a crash. Do not
drive until the head restraints for
all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
Front Seats
The front seats have adjustable
head restraints in the outboard
seating positions.
Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chances of a neck injury in a crash.The height of the head restraint can
be adjusted. Pull the head restraint
up to raise it. Try to move the head
restraint to make sure that it is
locked in place.
To lower the head restraint, press
the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the head
restraint down. Try to move the
head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is
locked in place.
The front seat outboard head
restraints are not designed to be
removed.