Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-11
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-16
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-19
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-20
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
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 (6,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
9-6 Driving and Operating
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
.Have good tires with proper
tread depth. SeeTires on
page 10-40.
.Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
9-34 Driving and Operating
Selecting the Alert Timing
The Collision Alert control is on the
steering wheel. Press COLLISION
ALERT to set the alert timing to far,
medium, near or off. The first button
press shows the current control
setting on the DIC. Additional button
presses will change this setting. The
chosen setting will remain until it is
changed and will affect both the
Collision Alert and the Tailgating
Alert features. The timing of both
alerts will vary based on vehicle
speed. The faster the vehicle speed,
the farther away the alert will occur.Consider traffic and weather
conditions when selecting the alert
timing. The range of selectable alert
timing may not be appropriate for all
drivers and driving conditions.
Unnecessary Alerts
FCA may sometimes set
unnecessary alerts to turning
vehicles, vehicles in other lanes,
objects that are not vehicles,
or shadows. These alerts are
normal operation and the vehicle
does not need service.
Cleaning the System
If the FCA system does not seem to
operate properly, cleaning the
outside of the windshield in front of
the rearview mirror may correct the
issue.
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
This vehicle may have the RVC
system. Read this entire section
before using it.
The RVC system can assist the
driver when backing up by
displaying a view of the area behind
the vehicle.
{Warning
The RVC system does not display
children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
crossing traffic, animals, or any
other object located outside the
camera's field of view, below the
bumper, or under the vehicle.
Perceived distances may be
different from actual distances.
Do not back the vehicle using
only the RVC screen. Failure to
use proper care before backing
may result in injury, death,
or vehicle damage. Always check
behind and around the vehicle
before backing.
An image appears on the
infotainment screen when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse).
The infotainment screen goes to the
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