Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
232 Vehicle Care
If the decision is made to lift the
hood, make sure the vehicle is
parked on a level surface.
Then check to see if the engine
cooling fan is running. If the engine
is overheating, the fan should be
running. If it is not, do not continue
to run the engine. Have the vehicle
serviced.
Caution
Do not run the engine if there is a
leak in the engine cooling system.
This can cause a loss of all
coolant and can damage the
system and vehicle. Have any
leaks fixed right away.
If Steam Is Coming from the
Engine Compartment
{Warning
Steam and scalding liquids from a
hot cooling system are under
pressure. Turning the pressure(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
cap, even a little, can cause them
to come out at high speed and
you could be burned. Never turn
the cap when the cooling system,
including the pressure cap, is hot.
Wait for the cooling system and
pressure cap to cool.
If No Steam Is Coming from
the Engine Compartment
If an engine overheat warning is
displayed but no steam can be seen
or heard, the problem may not be
too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when the
vehicle:
.Climbs a long hill on a hot day.
. Stops after high-speed driving.
. Idles for long periods in traffic.
If the overheat warning is displayed
with no sign of steam: 1. Turn the air conditioning off. 2. Turn the heater on to the
highest temperature and to the
highest fan speed. Open the
windows as necessary.
3. When it is safe to do so, pull off the road, shift to P (Park) or
N (Neutral) for an automatic
transmission or Neutral for a
manual transmission, and let
the engine idle.
If the overheat warning no longer
displays, the vehicle can be driven.
Continue to drive the vehicle slowly
for about 10 minutes. Keep a safe
vehicle distance from the vehicle in
front. If the warning does not come
back on, continue to drive normally
and have the cooling system
checked for proper fill and function.
If the warning continues, pull over,
stop, and park the vehicle
right away.
If there is no sign of steam, idle the
engine for three minutes while
parked. If the warning is still
displayed, turn off the engine until it
cools down.
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
250 Vehicle Care
FusesUsage
BCM1 Body control module 1
IPC Instrument panel cluster
TELEMATICS Telematics
PAS/SBSA Parking assist system/Side blind
spot alert system
RAIN SNSR Rain sensing wiper
AUDIO Audio
TRAILER1 Trailer 1 LDW/FCA Lane departure warning/Front
collision alert
CGM Central gateway module
HVAC1 Heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning 1
HLLD SW Automatic headlamp leveling
switch Fuses
Usage
IPC/AOS Instrument panel cluster/Automatic
occupant sensing
display
SPARE –
TRAILER2 Trailer hitch 2 CLOCK
SPRING Clock spring
HVAC2 Heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning 2
HTD
STR WHL Heated steering
wheel
SPARE –
S/ROOF SW Sunroof switch CIGAR APO Cigar auxiliary power outlet
ESCL Electric steering column lock
PWR WNDW FRONT Front power
windows
IRAP ACCY IRAP accessory
BATT CONN Battery connector Relays
Usage
RUN RELAY Run relay L/GATERELAY Liftgate relay
IRAP RELAY IRAP relay RAP/ACCY RELAY Retained
accessory power/
Accessory relay
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Vehicle Care 251
Wheels and Tires
Tires
Every new GM vehicle has
high-quality tires made by a
leading tire manufacturer. See
the warranty manual for
information regarding the tire
warranty and where to get
service. For additional
information refer to the tire
manufacturer.
{Warning
.Poorly maintained and
improperly used tires are
dangerous.
.Overloading the tires can
cause overheating as a
result of too much
flexing. There could be a
blowout and a serious
crash. SeeVehicle Load
Limits 0177.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Underinflated tires pose
the same danger as
overloaded tires. The
resulting crash could
cause serious injury.
Check all tires frequently
to maintain the
recommended pressure.
Tire pressure should be
checked when the tires
are cold.
.Overinflated tires are
more likely to be cut,
punctured, or broken by
a sudden impact —such
as when hitting a pothole.
Keep tires at the
recommended pressure.
.Worn or old tires can
cause a crash. If the
tread is badly worn,
replace them.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.
All-Season Tires
This vehicle may come with
all-season tires. These tires are
designed to provide good overall
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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258 Vehicle Care
Treadwear Indicators:Narrow
bands, sometimes called wear
bars, that show across the tread
of a tire when only 1.6 mm
(1/16 in) of tread remains. See
When It Is Time for New Tires
0 265.
UTQGS (Uniform Tire Quality
Grading Standards)
:A tire
information system that provides
consumers with ratings for a
tire's traction, temperature, and
treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire
manufacturers using
government testing procedures.
The ratings are molded into the
sidewall of the tire. See Uniform
Tire Quality Grading 0267.
Vehicle Capacity Weight
:The
number of designated seating
positions multiplied by
68 kg (150 lb) plus the rated
cargo load. See Vehicle Load
Limits 0177. Vehicle Maximum Load on the
Tire
:Load on an individual tire
due to curb weight, accessory
weight, occupant weight, and
cargo weight.
Vehicle Placard
:A label
permanently attached to a
vehicle showing the vehicle
capacity weight and the original
equipment tire size and
recommended inflation pressure.
See “Tire and Loading
Information Label” underVehicle
Load Limits 0177.
Tire Pressure
Tires need the correct amount of
air pressure to operate
effectively. Caution
Neither tire underinflation nor
overinflation is good.
Underinflated tires, or tires
that do not have enough air,
can result in:
.Tire overloading and
overheating which could
lead to a blowout.
.Premature or
irregular wear.
.Poor handling.
.Reduced fuel economy.
Overinflated tires, or tires that
have too much air, can
result in:
.Unusual wear.
.Poor handling.
.Rough ride.
.Needless damage from
road hazards.
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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Index 339
Child Restraints (cont'd)Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93, 95
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 165 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 318
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Connections
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Control Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Coolant
Engine TemperatureWarning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Cover
Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . . . 320
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 318
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3 Data Collection
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 323
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Diagnostics OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 310
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Driving Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 25
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 175
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 176
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
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340 Index
Driving (cont'd)Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
E
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 244
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Emergency
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Check Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 219
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Engine (cont'd)
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Reduced Power Light . . . . . . . . . 121
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 191
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 323
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 132
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 134
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 225
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Forward Collision Alert
(FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 120
Requirements, California . . . . . 209
Fuses Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 244
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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Index 341
Fuses (cont'd)Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
G
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
GaugesFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Warning Lights andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 293
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 134
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Headlamps (cont'd)
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . 240, 241
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 121
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 133
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 122
Heated
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 175
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 197
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Hood Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . 181, 183
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Indicator Owner Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 139
J
Jack Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Jump Starting - North
America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
K
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . 29, 31
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
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Index 343
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . 295 Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 113
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Media
Avoiding Untrusted Devices . . 147
Messages Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Mirrors Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Monitor System, Tire
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
N
Navigation OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . 181
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Off-Road
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 224
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . . . 79
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . . 314
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
OnStar Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
OnStar Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
OnStar Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
OnStar Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
OnStar Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Operate Pedal Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Operation
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . . . 320
Outlets
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . . . . 115
P
Park Shifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 237
Extended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 189
Ultrasonic Sensor Light . . . . . . . .118
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168