2015 CHEVROLET SONIC power steering

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-6
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-13
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18 Shifting out of Park (Automatic
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-21
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-24
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Driver Assistance Systems
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-39
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Driving and Operating 9-3
.Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious—or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic. If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power
steering. It does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort. See your dealer if
there is a problem.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
9-4 Driving and Operating
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is
held against that position for an
extended period of time, power
steering assist may be reduced.
If the steering assist is used for an
extended period of time, power
assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the
system cools down.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator andthen, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
9-14 Driving and Operating
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be in ON/RUN and the regular
brake pedal applied.
1 (STOPPING THE ENGINE/LOCK/
OFF):When the vehicle is stopped,
turn the ignition switch to LOCK/
OFF to turn the engine off.
This position locks the steering
wheel, ignition, and transmission.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady
pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9-26.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
{Caution
Using a tool to force the key to
turn in the ignition could cause
damage to the switch or break the
key. Use the correct key, make
sure it is all the way in, and turn it
only with your hand. If the key
cannot be turned by hand, see
your dealer.
2 (ACC/ACCESSORY): This is the
position in which things like the
radio and the windshield wipers can
be operated when the engine is off.
3 (ON/RUN): This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument cluster warning and
indicator lights. This position can
also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running.

Black plate (85,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Vehicle Care 10-85
{Caution
Chrome wheels and other chrome
trim may be damaged if the
vehicle is not washed after driving
on roads that have been sprayed
with magnesium, calcium,
or sodium chloride. These
chlorides are used on roads for
conditions such as ice and dust.
Always wash the chrome with
soap and water after exposure.
{Caution
To avoid surface damage, do not
use strong soaps, chemicals,
abrasive polishes, cleaners,
brushes, or cleaners that contain
acid on aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels. Use only
approved cleaners. Also, never
drive a vehicle with aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels through an(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
automatic car wash that uses
silicone carbide tire cleaning
brushes. Damage could occur
and the repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Brake System
Visually inspect brake lines and
hoses for proper hook-up, binding,
leaks, cracks, chafing, etc. Inspect
disc brake pads for wear and rotors
for surface condition. Inspect drum
brake linings/shoes for wear or
cracks. Inspect other brake parts,
including drums, wheel cylinders,
calipers, parking brake, master
cylinder, brake fluid reservoir,
vacuum pipes, electric vacuum
pump including bracket and vent
hose, if equipped.
Steering, Suspension, and
Chassis Components
Visually inspect steering,
suspension, and chassis
components for damaged, loose,
or missing parts or signs of wear at
least once a year.
Inspect power steering for proper
hook-up, binding, leaks, cracks,
chafing, etc.
Visually check constant velocity joint
boots and axle seals for leaks.
Body Component Lubrication
Lubricate all key lock cylinders,
hood hinges, liftgate hinges, steel
fuel door hinge, unless the
components are plastic. Applying
silicone grease on weatherstrips
with a clean cloth will make them
last longer, seal better, and not stick
or squeak.
Underbody Maintenance
At least twice a year, spring and fall
use plain water to flush any
corrosive materials from the

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont'd)Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning . . . . . . . 5-20
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Lane Departure Warning . . . . . . 5-18
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Reduced Engine Power . . . . . . 5-22
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-11
Service Vehicle Soon . . . . . . . . . 5-16
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Up-Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Warning, Power Steering . . . . . 5-18 Link
Smartphone . . . . . . 7-45, 7-47, 7-49
Load Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Central Locking System . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-21
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . 11-2 Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-13
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15 Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Messages Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50, 7-55, 7-56
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
N
Navigation OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-13

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
i-8 INDEX
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-30
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-4
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
OnStar
®
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
OnStar®Additional
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-6
OnStar
®Connections . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
OnStar®Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar®Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
OnStar®Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar®Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
OnStar®Vehicle
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-6
Operation, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 Ordering
Service Publications . . . . . . . . .13-11
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Overview, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3, 7-5, 7-7
Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . . . 5-16
P
Park Shifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19 Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-26
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-20
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-24
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3 Personalization
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . 7-26, 7-28, 7-37
Hands-Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
Pictures and Movies . . . . . . . . . . . 7-50, 7-55, 7-56
Port USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Reduced Engine Light . . . . . . . . 5-22
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-17
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Power Steering Warning Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Privacy
Vehicle Data Recording . . . . . 13-14
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . . . 13-7
Proposition 65 Warning,
California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
i-10 INDEX
SeatsAdjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Securing Child
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45, 3-47
Security OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-3
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance, General
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13-11
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-7
Vehicle Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16 Services
Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Shifting
Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Smartphone Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45, 7-47, 7-49
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Special Application Services . . . 11-8
Specifications and
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . 1-4, 9-15 Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Power, Warning Lights . . . . . . . . 5-18
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Storage
Load Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage Areas Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System
Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1