Three Chevrolets, three different records. The Chevrolet Sonic has a bad start and a clean finish: avoid the 2012 (score 32, 354 complaints) and 2013 (40, 217 complaints), buy 2016 to 2019 (88, 94, 95, 95). The Chevrolet Trax is the reverse: its 2015 to 2022 first generation is a BUY in every year, and the 2024 (44, 169 complaints) and 2025 (47, 80 complaints) cars of the new generation are both AVOID. The Chevrolet Blazer has never had a year below 70, and its 2022 and 2023 cars score 92 and 90.
The Sonic's first two years
The 2012 Sonic is the worst year in this guide and the reason is Power Train: 154 complaints in that category, from a total of 354, with Engine second at 83 and Electrical System third at 59. The recall record supports it. Campaign 14V315000, issued 12/06/2014, covers 2012 Sonics built between March and June 2012 with the 1.8-litre engine and six-speed automatic for a transmission defect, and it is one of 7 campaigns on the 2012 car, 5 of them safety-critical. The others include 11V599000, for cars that may have left the factory with a front brake pad missing; 13V023000 and 12V522000, both for a shorting bar in the driver's frontal air bag; and 12V408000 for the windscreen wipers.
The 2013 car is better, 217 complaints, but its 6 campaigns are all safety-critical: 12V454000 for a body control module that does not detect a failed turn signal, 13V220000 for the electrical system, 13V464000 for a fuel tank strap bracket with insufficient welds, 23V516000 for a driver's air bag inflator that may explode, the radio chime campaign 16V257000 and 14V417000, shared with the 2012 to 2014 cars. Electrical System (56) and Engine (55) are level at the top of the 2013 complaints, with Power Train down to 38.
The Sonic from 2014
The 2014 car is a CAUTION at 60 on 149 complaints, with Electrical System (48) and Engine (38) still leading and Air Bags at 24; its 4 campaigns include 14V543000, for a loss of electrical connection in the steering column that could stop the driver's air bag deploying, and 13V464000 for the fuel tank strap. From 2015 the Sonic is a BUY: 114 complaints and a score of 70 in 2015, then 48, 37, 14 and 8 complaints in 2016 to 2019 with scores of 88, 94, 95 and 95. Those four years have low evidence, and the only campaign among them after 2016 is 18V342000, for a driver's seat-back weld on the 2018 car. The 2020 Sonic has no record.
Chevrolet Sonic: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 95 | BUY | 8 | 0 |
| 2018 | 95 | BUY | 14 | 1 |
| 2017 | 94 | BUY | 37 | 0 |
| 2016 | 88 | BUY | 48 | 2 |
| 2015 | 70 | BUY | 114 | 3 |
| 2014 | 60 | CAUTION | 149 | 4 |
| 2013 | 40 | AVOID | 217 | 6 |
| 2012 | 32 | AVOID | 354 | 7 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Chevrolet Sonic model page.
The first-generation Trax
The Trax's 2015 to 2022 record is even. Complaints run 95, 117, 111, 100, 133, 94, 24 and 9, scores 76, 74, 81, 84, 70, 80, 94 and 94, and Engine is first or second in every year from 2015 to 2020 (22, 43, 41, 28, 34, 21). The dip is 2019, at 70 on 133 complaints, the highest count of the generation. Suspension is in the top five on the 2018 (34, first) and 2019 (19) cars, and two campaigns explain it: 19V652000 (12/09/2019, 2015 to 2018 cars) and 19V312000 (18/04/2019, 2017 to 2019 cars), both for a front lower control arm joint that may have been improperly welded and may break. The 2015 car has 7 campaigns, 5 safety-critical, including 15V146000 for the steering column and the two radio campaigns; the 2019 car carries 18V774000, for an air bag sensing module that may have been left in manufacturing mode and would not deploy the air bags. The 2020 to 2022 cars have no campaigns at all, and the 2021 and 2022 cars, on 24 and 9 complaints, are marked low evidence.
The 2024 and 2025 Trax
There is no 2023 Trax on the record, and the 2024 car is a new vehicle. It arrived with 169 complaints in its first year, 84.5 per year on the road, a score of 44 and an AVOID; the 2025 car has 80 complaints at 80.0 per year and a score of 47. Electrical System is first on both, 64 and 30, with Engine second on the 2024 car at 48 and Exterior Lighting at 17. The one campaign on the 2024 car, 23V744000, is safety-critical and covers software in the instrument display unit that may cause the panel to go blank at start-up or while driving, which is the kind of fault that lands in the Electrical System category. The 2025 car has no campaign yet. On a rate basis the 2024 Trax is worse than any first-generation year by a factor of four or more, and the record is not yet old enough to say whether it is a launch problem or a lasting one.
Chevrolet Trax: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47 | AVOID | 80 | 0 |
| 2024 | 44 | AVOID | 169 | 1 |
| 2022 | 94 | BUY | 9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 94 | BUY | 24 | 0 |
| 2020 | 80 | BUY | 94 | 0 |
| 2019 | 70 | BUY | 133 | 2 |
| 2018 | 84 | BUY | 100 | 2 |
| 2017 | 81 | BUY | 111 | 3 |
| 2016 | 74 | BUY | 117 | 5 |
| 2015 | 76 | BUY | 95 | 7 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Chevrolet Trax model page.
The Blazer
The Blazer's record is the steadiest here. Its two highest complaint years are its first two, 186 in 2019 and 213 in 2020, and even the 2020 car, the lowest score at 70, is a BUY. The 2020 complaints are spread across Electrical System (73), Power Train (72) and Engine (68), and the campaigns on the 2019 and 2020 cars are 20V668000 (automatic transmission), 21V115000 (tyres) and, on the 2020 car, 20V446000 for the roof-rail air bag diffuser. From 2021 the counts fall: 129, 49, 42, 43 and 28, with scores of 81, 92, 90, 86 and 82. The 2023 car has 23V042000 (left half-shafts that may be missing a retaining ring) and 23V172000 (a transmission built with an incorrect sun gear); the 2024 and 2025 cars each have a door striker campaign, 23V869000 and 24V737000. Forward Collision Avoidance appears in the top five from 2023 (7, 11, 4), which is a category worth watching but not yet a pattern.
Chevrolet Blazer: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | BUY | 28 | 1 |
| 2024 | 86 | BUY | 43 | 1 |
| 2023 | 90 | BUY | 42 | 2 |
| 2022 | 92 | BUY | 49 | 1 |
| 2021 | 81 | BUY | 129 | 1 |
| 2020 | 70 | BUY | 213 | 3 |
| 2019 | 81 | BUY | 186 | 2 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Chevrolet Blazer model page.
How they rank
Blazer first: no AVOID or CAUTION year, and a total of 690 complaints across seven years. Trax second for its first generation, which is a BUY throughout, and last for its second, which is not. Sonic third for its first three years and equal first for 2016 to 2019, when its 2018 and 2019 counts, 14 and 8, are the lowest of any year in this guide. In practice: a 2021 or 2022 Trax, a 2022 or 2023 Blazer, or a 2016 to 2019 Sonic are the cars the record likes; a 2012 or 2013 Sonic and a 2024 or 2025 Trax are the ones it does not.
What to check before you buy
- On a 2012 Sonic with the 1.8-litre automatic, confirm 14V315000 and drive it through every gear; on any 2012 to 2013 Sonic, confirm the air bag campaigns and 13V464000.
- On a 2015 to 2019 Trax, confirm 19V652000 or 19V312000 for the control arm welds and inspect the front lower arms for cracks at the joints.
- On a 2019 Trax, confirm 18V774000; an air bag module left in manufacturing mode shows nothing on the dashboard.
- On a 2024 Trax, confirm 23V744000 and start the car several times to see whether the instrument display stays lit.
- On a 2023 Blazer, confirm 23V042000 and 23V172000, and on any 2019 to 2020 Blazer, 20V668000.
Summary
Avoid the 2012 and 2013 Sonic and the 2024 and 2025 Trax. Buy a 2016 to 2019 Sonic, a 2015 to 2022 Trax with the control arm campaign done, or any Blazer, preferring 2022 or 2023. The Blazer's worst year is better than the Sonic's or the Trax's, and its record has nothing in it yet that the recalls have not addressed.