2018 CHEVROLET SONIC climate control

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Climate Controls 169
Service
All vehicles have a label underhood
that identifies the refrigerant used in
the vehicle. The refrigerant system
should only be serviced by trained
and certified technicians. The air
conditioning evaporator should
never be repaired or replaced by
one from a salvage vehicle.
It should only be replaced by a new
evaporator to ensure proper and
safe operation.
During service, all refrigerants
should be reclaimed with proper
equipment. Venting refrigerants
directly to the atmosphere is harmful
to the environment and may also
create unsafe conditions based on
inhalation, combustion, frostbite,
or other health-based concerns.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Driving and Operating 171
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, keep
your eyes on the road, keep your
hands on the steering wheel, and
focus your attention on driving.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
. Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices. .
Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
. Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
. Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
. Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
. Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
. Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for
more information on using that
system and the navigation system,
if equipped, including pairing and
using a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
the seat belt. See Seat Belts061.
. Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and
other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes.
Anticipate what they might do
and be ready.
. Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
176 Driving and Operating
than when on dry pavement.
SeeAntilock Brake System
(ABS) 0196.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0315. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0190.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
268 Vehicle Care
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from thenorm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade
C corresponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law. Warning: The
temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
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

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Index 345
S
Safety Defects ReportingCanadian Government . . . . . . . . 322
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . 317
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
How to Wear Seat BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . 67
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . 65
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 56
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . 56
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Securing Child Restraints . . . . 93, 95 Security
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Climate Control System . . . . . . . 165
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 216
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 306
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 307
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 317
Vehicle Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Services Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Shifting
Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Signals, Turn and
Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Special Application Services . . . . 300
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Start Assist, Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Power, Warning Lights . . . . . . . . .117
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Storage Load Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Storage Areas Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . . . 99