2016 Chevrolet Sonic: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
48 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The Chevrolet Sonic's years to avoid are 2012 (AVOID at 32 on 354 complaints) and 2013 (40 on 217); the years to buy are 2016 to 2019, which score 88, 94, 95 and 95 on 48, 37, 14 and 8 complaints. The 2014 car is a CAUTION at 60 and the 2015 car the first BUY at 70. Read the full note on the model page. 2016 specifically: a year the record favours — 48 complaints, score 88/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Sonic, Trax and Blazer: the years to avoid, including 2016 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 48 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 4.8
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
This car overheated and a head gasket blew. I am on a Facebook forum, and it seems like all of these cars have these problems. The Chevy Sonic ltz turbo 1.4 2016 is known for coolant issues and head gasket failures. My car only had 104,000 miles on it. It should last a lot longer than that, but this is a common issue. For some reason there was a recall but they stopped fixing cars with 1.4 engines that came out after…
Radio malfunctions. Channels automatically change and touch screen doesn't work all the time. I believe 2015 Sonic has a recall for this issue , but not 2016. It appears to be the same issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that the driver's side door was stuck, and extra force was needed to open the door. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the power locks functioned as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel would unlock from the normal position and almost fell into …
Recalls: 2 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V422000 | Electrical System:Software | General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. |
| 16V257000 | Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc. | General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 30 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,050
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine13 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System11 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other8 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Air Bags8 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Fuel/Propulsion System5 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc)3 complaints · typical job: Yaw sensor or ESC module replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$660–$1,560
Other Chevrolet Sonic years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (13 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 88/100, computed from 48 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic's most common problem?
13 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic cost to run per year?
About $4,210 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $21,052 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Chevrolet Sonic, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/06/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other compacts of about the same age.
What will a 2016 Chevrolet Sonic really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 48 complaints, 2 recalls on record
- 48 NHTSA complaints on record (4.8/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (7.6/yr)
- 2 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality