
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
56 Seats and Restraints
Do not have a seatback reclined ifthe vehicle is moving.
Front Seat Armrest
There is an armrest on the inboardside of the driver seat. To raise orlower the armrest, push up or pulldown on the armrest.
Heated Front Seats
{Warning
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
If equipped, the controls are on theclimate control system. To operate,the engine must be running.
PressMorLto heat the driver or
passenger seat. The indicator lighton the control turns on when thisfeature is on. Press the controlagain to turn this feature off.
The passenger seat may takelonger to heat up.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Seats and Restraints 71
The feature may also activate,without airbag inflation, after anevent that exceeds a predeterminedthreshold. You can lock the doors,turn off the interior lamps, and turnoff the hazard warning flashers byusing the controls for thosefeatures.
{Warning
Acrashsevereenoughtoinflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough toinflate the airbag, windshields arebroken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage mayalso occur from the front outboardpassenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflateonly once. After an airbaginflates, you will need some newparts for the airbag system.If you do not get them, theairbag system will not be thereto help protect you in anothercrash. A new system will includeairbag modules and possiblyother parts. The service manualfor the vehicle covers the needto replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensingand diagnostic module whichrecords information after acrash. SeeVehicle DataRecording and Privacy0318andEvent DataRecorders0319.
.Let only qualified technicianswork on the airbag systems.Improper service can mean thatan airbag system will not workproperly. See your dealer forservice.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passengersensing system for the frontoutboard passenger position. Thepassenger airbag status indicatorwill light on the instrument panelwhen the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or thesymbols for on and off, will bevisible during the system check.When the system check iscomplete, either the word ON or

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
100 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 101Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 101Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 102Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 102Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Ta c h o m e t e r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 9Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 110Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 110Passenger Airbag StatusIndicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 112Malfunction Indicator Lamp(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 112Service Vehicle Soon Light . . . 114Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . . 114Brake System WarningLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Antilock Brake System (ABS)Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Operate Pedal Light . . . . . . . . . . 115Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Power Steering WarningLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Lane Departure Warning(LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Forward Collision Alert (FCA)Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 116Ultrasonic Parking SensorLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117StabiliTrak®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 117Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Engine Coolant TemperatureWarning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 118Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 118Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 119Immobilizer Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Reduced Engine PowerLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 120Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 120Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 120Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 120Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Trunk Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Information Displays
Driver InformationCenter (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 127Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 127

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
106 Instruments and Controls
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges cansignal that something is wrongbefore it becomes serious enoughto cause an expensive repair orreplacement. Paying attention to thewarning lights and gauges couldprevent injury.
Some warning lights come on brieflywhen the engine is started toindicate they are working. Whenone of the warning lights comes onand stays on while driving, or whenone of the gauges shows there maybe a problem, check the section thatexplains what to do. Waiting to dorepairs can be costly and evendangerous.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Instruments and Controls 109
Speedometer
The speedometer shows thevehicle's speed in either kilometersper hour (km/h) or miles perhour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far thevehicle has been driven, in eitherkilometers or miles.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer shows how farthe vehicle has been driven sincethe trip odometer was last reset.
The trip odometer is accessed andreset through the Driver InformationCenter (DIC). SeeDriverInformation Center (DIC)0121.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the enginespeed in revolutions perminute (rpm).
Caution
If the engine is operated with the
rpm’sinthewarningareaatthe
high end of the tachometer, the
vehicle could be damaged, and
the damage would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Do not
operate the engine with the rpm’s
in the warning area.
Fuel Gauge
When the ignition is on, the fuelgauge shows how much fuel is leftin the fuel tank. When the indicator
nears empty, a fuel warning light willcome on. SeeLow Fuel WarningLight011 9.Thevehiclestillhasalittle fuel left, but the vehicle shouldbe fueled soon. An arrow on the fuelgauge indicates the side of thevehicle the fuel door is on.
Here are four things that someowners ask about. These arenormal and do not indicate aproblem with the fuel gauge:
.At the service station, the gaspump shuts off before the gaugereads full.
.It takes a little more or less fuelto fill up than the gaugeindicated. For example, thegauge may have indicated thefuel tank was half full, but itactually took a little more or lessthan half the fuel tank's capacityto fill it.
.The indicator moves a little whileturning a corner or speeding up.
.The gauge goes back to emptywhen the ignition is turned off.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
112 Instruments and Controls
Charging System Light
This light will come on briefly whenthe ignition is turned on, and theengine is not running, as a check toshow it is working.
It should go out when the engine isstarted. If it stays on, or comes onwhile driving, there may be aproblem with the electrical chargingsystem. Have it checked by yourdealer. Driving while this light is oncould drain the battery. If a shortdistance must be driven with thelight on, turn off all accessories,such as the radio and airconditioner, to help reduce the drainon the battery.
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (Check Engine
Light)
This light is part of the vehicle’semission control on-boarddiagnostic system. If this light is onwhile the engine is running, amalfunction has been detected andthe vehicle may require service. Thelight should come on to show that itis working when the ignition is inON/RUN with the engine notrunning. SeeIgnition Positions (KeyAccess)0182orIgnition Positions(Keyless Access)0183.
Malfunctions are often indicated bythe system before any problem isnoticeable. Being aware of the lightand seeking service promptly whenit comes on may prevent damage.
Caution
If the vehicle is driven continually
with this light on, the emission
control system may not work as
well, the fuel economy may be
lower, and the vehicle may not
run smoothly. This could lead to
costly repairs that might not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Caution
Modifications to the engine,
transmission, exhaust, intake,
or fuel system, or the use of
replacement tires that do not
meet the original tire
specifications, can cause this light
to come on. This could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also
affect the vehicle’sabilitytopass
an Emissions Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and
Modifications0214.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Instruments and Controls 113
If the light is flashing :Amalfunction has been detected thatcould damage the emission controlsystem and increase vehicleemissions. Diagnosis and servicemay be required.
To h e l p p r e v e n t d a m a g e , r e d u c evehicle speed and avoid hardaccelerations and uphill grades.
If the light continues to flash, find asafe place to park. Turn the vehicleoff and wait at least 10 secondsbefore restarting the engine. If thelight is still flashing, follow theprevious guidelines and see yourdealer for service as soon aspossible.
If the light is on steady :Amalfunction has been detected.Diagnosis and service may berequired.
Check the following:
.Alooseormissingfuelcapmaycause the light to come on. SeeFilling the Tank0209.Afewdriving trips with the capproperly installed may turn thelight off.
.Poor fuel quality can causeinefficient engine operation andpoor driveability, which may goaway once the engine is warmedup. If this occurs, change thefuel brand. It may require atleast one full tank of the properfuel to turn the light off. SeeFuel0207.
If the light remains on, see yourdealer.
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
If the vehicle requires an EmissionsInspection/Maintenance test, thetest equipment will likely connect tothe vehicle's Data LinkConnector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrumentpanel to the left of the steeringwheel. Connecting devices that are
not used to perform an EmissionsInspection/Maintenance test or toservice the vehicle may affectvehicle operation. SeeAdd-OnElectrical Equipment0211.Seeyour dealer if assistance is needed.
The vehicle may not passinspection if:
.The light is on when the engineis running.
.The light does not come onwhen the ignition is in ON/RUNwith the engine not running.
.Critical emission control systemshave not been completelydiagnosed. If this happens, thevehicle would not be ready forinspection and might requireseveral days of routine drivingbefore the system is ready forinspection. This can happen ifthe 12-volt battery has recentlybeen replaced or run down, or ifthe vehicle has been recentlyserviced.
See your dealer if the vehicle willnot pass or cannot be made readyfor the test.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
114 Instruments and Controls
Service Vehicle Soon
Light
For vehicles with this light, it comeson if a condition exists that mayrequire the vehicle to be taken in forservice.
If the light comes on, take thevehicle to your dealer for service assoon as possible.
Owner Manual Indicator
This symbol is shown when youneed to see the owner manual foradditional instructions orinformation.
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consistsof two hydraulic circuits. If onecircuit is not working, the remainingcircuit can still work to stop thevehicle. For normal brakingperformance, both circuits need tobe working
If the warning light comes on, thereis a brake problem. Have the brakesystem inspected right away.
{Warning
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on brieflywhen the engine is started. If it doesnot come on then, have it fixed so itwill be ready to warn you if there isaproblem.
When the ignition is on, the brakesystem warning light will also comeon when the parking brake is set.The light will stay on if the parkingbrake does not fully release. If itstays on after the parking brake isfully released, it means there is abrake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,carefully pull off the road and stop.The pedal may be harder to push ormay go closer to the floor. It maytake longer to stop. If the light is stillon, have the vehicle towed forservice. SeeTo w i n g t h eVehicle0277.