
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 6/2/15
2 Introduction
Introduction
The names, logos, emblems,
slogans, vehicle model names, and
vehicle body designs appearing in
this manual including, but not limited
to, GM, the GM logo, CHEVROLET,
the CHEVROLET Emblem, and
SONIC are trademarks and/or
service marks of General Motors
LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates,
or licensors.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for
Chevrolet Motor Division wherever it
appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that
may or may not be on the vehicle
because of optional equipment that was not purchased on the vehicle,
model variants, country
specifications, features/applications
that may not be available in your
region, or changes subsequent to
the printing of this owner manual.
Refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm the
features.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for
quick reference.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language manual can be
obtained from your dealer, at
www.helminc.com, or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
savant:
Helm, Incorporated
Attention: Customer Service
47911 Halyard Drive
Plymouth, MI 48170
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about
the vehicle, use the Index in the
back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the
manual and the page number where
it can be found.
Danger, Warning, and
Caution
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 23426672 A First Printing©2015 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Introduction 3
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage.
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:
Shown when the owner
manual has additional instructions
or information.
*: Shown when the service
manual has additional instructions
or information.
0: Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“see page.”
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
`:Do Not Puncture
^:Do Not Service
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
_: Flame/Fire Prohibited
#: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
>: Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
a:Under Pressure
M: Windshield Washer Fluid

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 5
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 12
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Passenger Sensing System . . . 12
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 13
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 15
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . 19
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 20
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 21
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . 23
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . 23
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 7
1.Air Vents 0178.
2. Exterior Lamp Controls 0120.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0124.
3. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change Signals
0 123.
4. Instrument Cluster 096.
5. Horn 090.
6. Windshield Wiper/Washer 091.
7. Infotainment 0127.
8. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System 0122.
9. Instrument Panel Storage 086.
USB Port 0142 (Inside IP
Storage) (If Equipped).
Auxiliary Devices 0144 (Inside
IP Storage) (If Equipped).
10. Passenger Sensing System
062.
11. Hazard Warning Flashers
0122. 12. Shift Lever. See
Automatic
Transmission 0198 (If
Equipped) or Manual
Transmission 0200 (If
Equipped).
13. Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0204.
14. Trunk Release (Sedan). See Trunk (Sedan) 033.
15. Power Outlets 094.
16. Climate Control Systems
0176.
17. Central Locking Switch. See Door Locks 030.
18. Ignition Switch. See Ignition
Positions 0191.
19. Steering Wheel Controls 090.
20. Steering Wheel Adjustment
090.
21. Cruise Control 0206.
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0210 (If Equipped.
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) 0212 (If Equipped). 22. Data Link Connector (DLC)
(Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0100.
23. Hood Release. See Hood
0 222.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 9
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start, do one of
the following:
.Press and hold
/until the
parking lamps turn off.
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Turn the vehicle on and then off.
See Remote Vehicle Start 029.
Door Locks
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.
. Press
QorKon the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation 027.
To lock the doors from inside the
vehicle:
. Press
Qon the central locking
switch or on the driver door
switch. .
Press the lock knob on the driver
door to lock all doors and,
if equipped, the liftgate.
To unlock the doors from inside the
vehicle:
. Press
Kon the central locking
switch or on the driver door
switch.
. Pull the door handle. Pulling the
door handle again unlatches
the door.
. Lift the lock knob on the driver
door to unlock the driver door.
See Door Locks 030.
Liftgate
To lock or unlock the liftgate from
the inside, press
QorKon the
central locking switch or on the
driver door switch.
The vehicle must be in P (Park) for
automatic transmissions. For
manual transmissions the parking
brake must be engaged.
To open the liftgate from the
outside, press
Ktwice on the RKE
transmitter to unlock all doors, then
use the touch pad.
See Liftgate (Hatchback) 035.
Trunk Release
To lock or unlock the trunk from the
inside, press
QorKon the central
locking switch or on the driver door
switch.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 15
;:Turns on the parking lamps
including all lamps except the
headlamps.
5: Turns the headlamps on
together with the parking lamps and
instrument panel lights. A warning
chime sounds if the driver door is
opened when the ignition switch is
off and the headlamps are on.
#: For vehicles with fog lamps,
press to turn the lamps on or off.
See:
. Exterior Lamp Controls 0120
. Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
0121
. Fog Lamps 0123
Windshield Wiper/Washer
Sedan
Hatchback
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is on the right side of the steering
column.
Move the lever to one of the
following positions:
HI : Use for fast wipes.
LO : Use for slow wipes.
Hatchback Shown, Sedan Similar
INT : Move the lever up to INT for
intermittent wipes, then turn the
x
INT band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes. OFF :
Use to turn the wipers off.
1X : For a single wipe, briefly move
the wiper lever down. For several
wipes, hold the wiper lever down.
n L: Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
See Windshield Wiper/Washer 091.
For vehicles with a rear window
wiper/washer, see Rear Window
Wiper/Washer 092.
Climate Controls
If equipped with these climate
control systems, the heating,
cooling, and ventilation can be
controlled for the vehicle.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 21
SET/−:Move the thumbwheel down
briefly to set the speed and activate
cruise control. If cruise control is
already active, use to decrease
speed.
n: Press to disengage cruise
control without erasing the set
speed from memory.
See Cruise Control 0206.
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is in the instrument
cluster. It shows the status of many
vehicle systems. The controls for
the DIC are on the turn signal lever.
1. SET/CLR: Press to set or clear
the menu item displayed. 2.
w x:
Turn the band to scroll
through the menu items.
3. MENU: Press to display the
DIC menus. This button is also
used to return to or exit the last
screen displayed on the DIC.
See Driver Information Center (DIC)
0 109.
Forward Collision Alert
(FCA) System
If equipped, FCA may help avoid or
reduce the harm caused by
front-end crashes. FCA provides a
green indicator,
V, when a vehicle
is detected ahead. When
approaching a vehicle ahead too
quickly, FCA provides a red flashing
alert and rapidly beeps. This alert
stays lit if you follow a vehicle much
too closely.
See Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0210.
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW)
If equipped, LDW may help avoid
unintentional lane departures at
speeds of 56 km/h (35 mph) or
greater. LDW uses a camera sensor
to detect the lane markings. The
LDW light,
@, is green if a lane
marking is detected. If the vehicle
departs the lane without using a turn
signal in that direction, the light will
change to amber and flash. In
addition, beeps will sound.
See Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
0 212.
Rear Vision
Camera (RVC)
If equipped, RVC displays a view of
the area behind the vehicle, on the
center stack display, when the
vehicle is shifted into R (Reverse).
See Rear Vision Camera (RVC)
0 208.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
In Brief 23
Performance and
Maintenance
Traction Control/
Electronic Stability
Control
The Traction Control System (TCS)
limits wheel spin. The system is on
when the vehicle is started.
The StabiliTrak system assists with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions. The
system is on when the vehicle is
started.
.To turn off traction control, press
and release the TCS/StabiliTrak
button
gon the center console.
The traction off light
i
illuminates.
. Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button
gagain to
turn traction control back on.
. To turn off both traction control
and StabiliTrak, press and hold
the TCS/StabiliTrak button
g
until the traction off lightiand
the StabiliTrak OFF light
g
illuminate.
. Press the TCS/StabiliTrak button
gagain to turn on both systems.
See Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0204.
Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The low tire pressure warning light
alerts to a significant loss in
pressure of one of the vehicle's
tires. If the warning light comes on,
stop as soon as possible and inflate
the tires to the recommended
pressure shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Vehicle Load Limits
0187. The
warning light will remain on until the
tire pressure is corrected.
The low tire pressure warning light
may come on in cool weather when
the vehicle is first started, and then
turn off as the vehicle is driven. This
may be an early indicator that the
tire pressures are getting low and
the tires need to be inflated to the
proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. Maintain
the correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
0 262.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the
:% CHANGE
message on the DIC when it is
necessary to change the engine oil
and filter.
Remember, the oil life display must
be reset after each oil change. It will
not reset itself.