Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
iv Introduction
{WARNING
These mean there is something
that could hurt you or other
people.
Notice: This means there is
something that could result in
property or vehicle damage. This
would not be covered by the
vehicle's warranty.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means “Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: This symbol is shown when
you need to see your owner manual
for additional instructions or
information.
*: This symbol is shown when
you need to see a service manual
for additional instructions or
information.
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9: Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/18/12
In Brief 1-15
Storing Stations
To store the station to a position in
the list, press the corresponding
button 1−5 until a beep is heard.
1. Select the desired station.
2. Press
SorTto select the
desired page of saved favorites.
3. Hold down any of the preset buttons to save the current radio
station to that button of the
selected favorites page.
To change a preset button, tune to
the new desired radio station and
hold the button.
See “Storing a Favorite Station”
under AM-FM Radio on page 7‑12.
Setting the Clock
SeeClock on page 5‑4.
Satellite Radio
SiriusXM®is a satellite radio service
based in the 48 contiguous United
States and 10 Canadian provinces.
SiriusXM satellite radio has a wide
variety of programming and
commercial-free music, coast to
coast, and in digital-quality sound.
A fee is required to receive the
SiriusXM service.
Refer to:
.www.siriusxm.com or call
1-866-635-2349 (U.S.).
.www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-209-0079 (Canada)
See Satellite Radio on page 7‑16.
Portable Audio Devices
Some vehicles have a 3.5 mm
(1/8 in) auxiliary input and a USB
port in the storage area to the right
of the infotainment system. A second AUX input is on the front
of the infotainment system,
if equipped. External devices such
as iPods
®, laptop computers, MP3
players, CD changers, and USB
storage devices may be connected,
depending on the audio system.
See Auxiliary Devices on page 7‑24.
Bluetooth®
The Bluetooth®system allows users
with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile
phone to make and receive
hands-free calls using the vehicle
audio system and controls.
The Bluetooth-enabled mobile
phone must be paired with the
in-vehicle Bluetooth system before it
can be used in the vehicle. Not all
phones will support all functions.
See Bluetooth (Voice Recognition)
on page 7‑37 orBluetooth
(Overview) on page 7‑26 or
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls) on
page 7‑28 andHands-Free Phone
on page 7‑42.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
5-20 Instruments and Controls
Immobilizer Light
The immobilizer light should come
on briefly as the engine is started.
If it does not come on, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the system is working normally,
the indicator light turns off.
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the immobilizer
system. SeeImmobilizer Operation
on page 2‑11.
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 malfunction
indicator lamp, displays when a
noticeable reduction in the vehicle's
performance occurs. Stop the
vehicle and turn off the ignition. Wait
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.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
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 lamp control is on the
instrument panel to the outboard
side of the steering column.
There are 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
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
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
6-2 Lighting
#(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 5‑21.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
3(Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer): Push the turn signal
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 cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal 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 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.
The DRL system makes the
low-beam headlamps come on at a
reduced brightness when the
following conditions are met:
.The ignition is in the ON/
RUN mode.
.The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.
.The engine is running.
When the DRL are on, only the
low-beam headlamps, at a reduced
level of brightness, will be on. The
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 (6,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
i-6 INDEX
K
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-41
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-12
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
LATCH System Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-37 Liftgate
Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Lighting Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-15
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . 5-18
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Lights (cont'd)
Reduced Engine Power . . . . . . 5-20
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-10
Service Vehicle Soon . . . . . . . . . 5-15
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Warning, Power Steering . . . . . 5-16
Link Smartphone . . . . . . 7-45, 7-47, 7-48
Load Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Locks
Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Central Locking System . . . . . . . 2-7
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-19
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37