Used 2014 Chevrolet Sonic Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used Sonic for sale
7 major repairs under 50,000 miles
JHammer, 10/25/2019
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
This has the turbo engine, I was not given that selection under “model”.I loved this car for the first 24,000 miles. It looks great, perfect for inner city parking. Gas mileage sucks, around 22mph at best, but so much fun driving the turbo engine. The gear shift lever broke at 24,000 miles. At 24,500 the windshield washer tune came loose in the hood and ruined the under hood liner. No liner replacement but they plugged in the hose to fix it. I have fixed it myself at least 3 more times. I kept smelling coolant at 29,000 miles, but they kept telling me they could find nothing ( 2 days without a car and no rental offered ) At 38,000 my car suddenly overheated, I towed it to the dealer, it was a cracked thermostat housing. Under warranty, no car for 2 days and no rental offered. At 39,500 the air conditioning died and it was out of warranty for that. $400 from my own mechanic. He was very surprised it died to soon. I was too! At just over 44,000 miles, I smelled coolant again. It was time for a new radiator!! Not covered, the dealer wanted $1300. They were surprised it went to quickly, and got me a “deal” from GM to “only” pay $500. The water pump also was bad and replaced under warranty. At 47,000 miles the gear shift lever broke again, I replaced it myself with the help of eBay and YouTube for under $20. Now, at just over 49,000 miles I smell coolant again, take it back to the dealer where they replaced the radiator 6 months before believing it was under warranty from their previous repair, but now it is the coolant recovery tank that is broken and they want another $400 to fix a $47.00 part. They asked GM if they wanted to help me out again, since all this is happening under 50,000 miles, but I got a big NO. I paid $150 for the diagnosis and am taking it to my mechanic and having it done for under $200, so I save at least $50 and have the pleasure of never giving Chevy any more of my money.
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2014 sonic Only have had the car for 8 months
AL, 04/16/2016
updated 10/18/2018
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
13 of 16 people found this review helpful
I bought this car with 20,000 miles under warrenty thank god! This car jerks really bad while it shifts and when you are trying to slow down in rush hour traffic in Atlanta. It has been to the dealership many many times. They tried fixing the problem by changing out the clutches, then a week later the transaxle fell out of place at a stop light, I was an hour away from home near my work. The car could not go anywhere. It just kept rolling backwards. I had to keep my foot on the brake. It wouldn't even work in park, it would still roll backwards. I had to put my emergency brake on and wait for a cop to push my car out of the highway. I had to let my car coast all the way to a restaurant. Then get it towed to my dealer. They fixed my transaxle but it still jerks and feels like it's going to stall. I am in the middle of a legal settlement with GM. Please don't buy this car Update- I traded the car in because it was very unreliable.
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2014 Chevrolet Sonic for sale near you
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OK for what it is
Coinneach, 02/10/2016
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LS 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
I have some pretty serious gripes about the Sonic, and I don't understand all the glowing reviews of it. The brakes are completely numb for the first inch of pedal travel, then grab all at once. Lift my foot off the accelerator and it maintains speed/revs for four seconds before returning to idle (yes, exactly four seconds - I count every time). The MyLink system sounds terrible, the BringGo nav app is useless, and it forgets what song it was playing on my thumb drive on the next startup. Rear visibility with the gigantic headrests is nonexistent. It gets worse mileage than the 2012 Cruze I traded it for, despite being smaller and lighter, and the average economy readout is 10% optimistic, telling me I'm getting 34 combined when miles divided by gallons comes out to 29. On the other claw - I haven't had to bring it in to the dealer for endless recalls and TSBs like the Cruze, and the trunk is decently sized. I'd say the Sonic is a decent car for someone who didn't grow up driving Detroit iron, and whose expectations are low. Not me, IOW.
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Subpar.
lvcas, 11/25/2014
updated 11/27/2017
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 6A)
20 of 26 people found this review helpful
The 2014 Chevy Sonic is a good car. It's good on gas, relatively stylish, very dependable. However, it lacks the over 'luster' of a sub-compact car. The transmission is a joke. I'm sure it is set up for economy, but come on Chevy; you can do better than that. The engine lacks power...majorly. The overall interior quality is poor. The seats are awkwardly placed and hard to adjust; especially if you've never been in the car. The interior is covered in flimsy plastic and hardly any soft touch material. But the worst thing about the entire car is how loud it is. Every bit of road and wind noise enters the cabin. Even on smooth pavement, you would think that you are driving on gravel. Update: 11/25/2017 I have since gotten rid of the car. 72,000 miles from December 2013 to June of 2017 and never left me stranded or threw a check engine light. The only fault is the USB Port failed around 65K miles and would no longer work.
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sporty fun car-STILL
kathrynelam, 04/17/2015
updated 05/02/2024
2014 Chevrolet Sonic LT 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
11 of 14 people found this review helpful
Very well put together subcompact sedan. Great gas mileage, handles well- some say "jerky" I say responsive. Sporty fun to drive car. *UPDATE* After 3 years of driving the vehicle I still love it! My only real complaint is the lack of spare tire- in Alaska I need a spare not a fix-a-flat kit. The heater works great at -40F and the air conditioner works great at 90! The Sonic is an all around great economy vehicle with good looks. It can take on some big hills without losing a lot of speed (I drive a manual so not sure about the automatic). It can also corner well at high speeds. Well worth the purchase after 3 years. **UPDATE**5 years later I am still driving and loving my Sonic. It has 105,500 miles and I have had it in the shop once for a minor repair- plastic valve cover. Still runs like new! The little car has been all over the State of Alaska- including a trip to Deadhorse on the Dalton highway! *UPDATE* 117,800 miles-6 years and it runs like it did when I bought it. Just routine maintenance and tires so far! *UPDATE* 145,000 miles and still running like new. No big repairs yet, have had to replace a couple of plastic parts that have cracked but not surprised with that since it has to endure big temperature swings from 90+ in the summers to -40 in the winters. The common complaint with this car has been about the acceleration but having a manual transmission has made it a very responsive car that can pass at high speeds without any problems! Still love my little car! Very reliable! **UPDATE**149,700 miles. Still a great car without any huge mechanical issues. The one repetitive issue is with the brakes during the cold winter here in Fairbanks, Alaska. Apparently there is a rubber ring that freezes and therefore can't expand to prevent air in the lines- a couple of pumps and they work just fine. But for the inexperienced driver it could be a very frightening experience. It generally "fixes" itself in late spring when the temps are warming. **UPDATE**160,000 miles and still going strong. No big mechanical issues so far. Replaced shocks/struts/bearings and a transmission mount. Still having an air leak in the right front brake but will be replacing the master cylinder to see if this fixes the issue. The car is still running strong!
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