steering CHEVROLET SONIC 2013 2.G Owner's Manual

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
7-8 Infotainment System
7telephone:Press to activate
the phone features (if equipped).
See Bluetooth (Voice Recognition)
on page 7‑37 orBluetooth
(Overview) on page 7‑26 or
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls) on
page 7‑28.
^smartphone link: Press to listen
to Pandora or Stitcher. See
Smartphone Link (Overview) on
page 7‑45 orSmartphone Link
(Pandora) on page 7‑47 or
Smartphone Link (Stitcher) on
page 7‑48.
8settings: Press to access the
Personalization menu. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 5‑26.
Operation
Radio Controls Without
Touchscreen
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons,
multifunction knobs, menus shown
on the display, and steering wheel
controls, if equipped.
Turning the System On or Off
O/VOL (Power/Volume): Press to
turn the system on and off.
Automatic Switch-Off
If the infotainment system is on after
the ignition is turned off, the system
will turn off automatically after
10 minutes.
Volume Control
O/VOL (Power/Volume): Turn to
adjust the volume.
5/>(Phone/Mute): For vehicles
with OnStar, press and hold
5/>
to mute the infotainment system.
Press and hold
5/>again, or turn
the
O/VOL knob to cancel mute.
For vehicles without OnStar, press
5/>to mute the infotainment
system. Press
5/>again, or turn
the
O/VOL knob to cancel mute.
Menu System
Controls
The MENU/TUNE knob, MENU/
TUNE button, and
/BACK button
are used to navigate the menu
system.
MENU/TUNE Knob:
Turn to:
.Enter the menu system.
.Highlight a menu option.
.Select a value.
MENU/TUNE Button:
Press to:
.Select or activate the highlighted
menu option.
.Confirm a set value.
.Turn a system setting on or off.
/BACK:
Press to:
.Exit a menu.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
7-10 Infotainment System
1. Press the TONE button.
2. Select Treble, Midrange,or Bass.
3. Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to select the value between
-12 and +12.
Press the
/BACK button to go
back to the Tone Settings menu.
Adjusting the Fader and Balance
1. Press the TONE button.
2. Select Fader or Balance.
3. Turn the MENU/TUNE knob to select the value between
-15 and +15.
Press the
/BACK button to go
back to the Tone Settings menu.
Adjusting the EQ (Equalizer)
For vehicles with an equalizer:
1. Press the TONE button.
2. Select EQ.
3. Select the setting for Pop, Rock, Classical, Talk, or Country. Press the
/BACK button to go
back to the Tone Settings menu.
System Settings
Configuring the Number of
Favorite Pages
To configure the number of available
favorite pages:
1. Press the MENU/TUNE button.
2. Select FM menu.
3. Select Favorites list.
4. Select the number of available favorite pages.
5. Press the
/BACK button to go
back to the System
Configuration menu. Auto Volume
The auto volume feature
automatically adjusts the radio
volume to compensate for road and
wind noise as the vehicle speeds up
or slows down, so that the volume
level is consistent.
The level of volume compensation
can be selected, or the auto volume
feature can be turned off.
1. Press the MENU/TUNE button.
2. Select Radio Settings.
3. Select Auto volume control.
4. Select the setting.
5. Press the
/BACK button to go
back to the System
Configuration menu.
Radio Controls With
Touchscreen
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons, menus
shown on the display, and steering
wheel controls.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
7-16 Infotainment System
Satellite Radio
SiriusXM®Satelite Radio
Service
SiriusXM is a satellite radio service
based in the 48 contiguous United
States and 10 Canadian provinces.
SiriusXM Satellite Radio has a wide
variety of programming and
commercial-free music, coast to
coast, and in digital-quality sound.
A service fee is required to receive
the SiriusXM service. For more
information, contact SiriusXM at
www.siriusxm.com or
1-866-635-2349 (U.S.), and
www.xmradio.ca or 1-877-209-0079
(Canada).
Finding a Channel
RADIO/BAND: Press to choose
XM. The display will show the
selection.
SEEK
¨: Press to seek the next
XM channel.
©SEEK: Press to seek the
previous XM channel. MENU/TUNE:
Turn to go to the
next XM channel.
Storing an SiriusXM Channel
Drivers are encouraged to set up
XM channel favorites while the
vehicle is not moving. Tune to
favorite stations using the
pushbuttons, favorites button, and
steering wheel controls. See
Defensive Driving on page 9‑2.
A maximum of 36 stations can be
programmed as favorites using the
six pushbuttons positioned below
the radio station frequency labels
and by using the radio favorites
page button (FAV 1-2-3 button).
Press the FAV 1-2-3 button to go
through up to six pages of favorites,
each having six favorite stations
available per page. Each page of
favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or XM
channels. To store an XM channel
as a favorite:
1. Tune in the desired channel. 2. Press and release the FAV 1-2-3
button to display the page where
the channel is to be stored.
3. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until a
beep sounds. When the
pushbutton is pressed and
released, the channel that was
set will return.
4. Repeat Steps 1−3 for each XM channel to be stored as a
favorite.
To set up the number of favorites
pages:
1. Press and hold FAV 1-2-3 until the radio setup menu displays.
2. Select the desired number of favorites pages by pressing the
pushbutton located below the
displayed page numbers.
3. Press FAV 1-2-3 to return to the original main radio screen
showing the radio frequency
tabs and to begin the process of

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Infotainment System 7-27
.Pair cell phone(s) to the vehicle.
The system may not work with
all cell phones. See“Pairing”in
this section.
.If the cell phone has voice
dialing capability, learn to use
that feature to access the
address book or contact list. See
“Voice Pass-Thru” in this
section.
.See “Storing and Deleting Phone
Numbers” in this section.
{WARNING
When using a cell phone, it can
be distracting to look too long or
too often at the screen of the
phone or the infotainment
(navigation) system. 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. Vehicles with a Bluetooth system
can use a Bluetooth-capable cell
phone with a Hands-Free Profile to
make and receive phone calls. The
infotainment system and voice
recognition are used to control the
system. The system can be used
while in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY. The range of the
Bluetooth system can be up to 9.1 m
(30 ft). Not all phones support all
functions and not all phones work
with the Bluetooth system. See
www.gm.com/bluetooth for more
information about compatible
phones.Bluetooth Controls
Use the buttons located on the
infotainment system and the
steering wheel to operate the
Bluetooth system.
Steering Wheel Controls
b/g(Push to Talk):
Press to
answer incoming calls, confirm
system information, and start voice
recognition.
$/i(Mute/End Call): Press to
end a call, reject a call, or cancel an
operation.
Infotainment System Controls
If equipped, the infotainment system
allows certain controls to be
selected on the infotainment display.
For information about how to
navigate the menu system using the
infotainment controls, see Operation
on page 7‑8.
5/>(Phone): Press to enter the
Phone main menu.
Voice Recognition
The voice recognition system uses
commands to control the system
and dial phone numbers.
Noise: The system may not
recognize voice commands if there
is too much background noise. Do
not point the center air vents directly
upward.

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Infotainment System 7-37
.Sounds may be cut off during
the Bluetooth music playback.
.The infotainment system outputs
the audio from the cell phone or
Bluetooth device as it is
transmitted.
Bluetooth (Voice
Recognition)
Using Voice Recognition
To use voice recognition, press theb/gbutton located on the steering
wheel. Use the commands below for
the various voice features. For
additional information, say "Help"
while you are in a voice
recognition menu.
Pairing
A Bluetooth-enabled cell phone
must be paired to the Bluetooth
system and then connected to the
vehicle before it can be used. See
your cell phone manufacturer's user
guide for Bluetooth functions before
pairing the cell phone. If a Bluetooth
phone is not connected, calls will be made using OnStar Hands-Free
Calling, if available. See
OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Pairing Information
.A Bluetooth phone with MP3
capability can be paired to the
vehicle as a phone and an MP3
player at the same time.
.Up to five cell phones can be
paired to the Bluetooth system.
.The pairing process is disabled
when the vehicle is moving.
.Pairing only needs to be
completed once, unless the
pairing information on the cell
phone changes or the cell phone
is deleted from the system.
.Only one paired cell phone can
be connected to the Bluetooth
system at a time.
.If multiple paired cell phones are
within range of the system, the
system connects to the first
available paired cell phone in the
order that they were first paired to the system. To link to a
different paired phone, see
“Connecting to a Different
Phone”
later in this section.
Pairing a Phone
1. Press
b/g. The system
responds “Ready,”followed by
a tone.
2. Say “Bluetooth.” This command
can be skipped.
3. Say “Pair.”The system responds
with instructions and a four-digit
Personal Identification Number
(PIN). The PIN is used in Step 5.
4. Start the pairing process on the cell phone that you want to pair.
For help with this process, see
your cell phone manufacturer's
user guide.
5. Locate the device named “Your
Vehicle” in the list on the cell
phone. Follow the instructions
on the cell phone to enter the
PIN provided in Step 3. After the
PIN is successfully entered, the
system prompts you to provide a

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Infotainment System 7-43
system. Not all phones support all
functions and not all phones work
with the Hands-Free Phone system.
Hands-Free Phone Controls
Use the buttons on the infotainment
system and the steering wheel to
operate the Hands-Free Phone
system.
Steering Wheel Controls
Steering wheel controls can be
used to:
.Answer incoming calls.
.Confirm system information.
.End a call.
.Decline a call.
.Cancel an operation.
.Make outgoing calls using the
call list.
b/g(Push to Talk):Press to
answer incoming calls and to
confirm system information. Press
and hold for two to three seconds to
access the call list.
$/i(Mute/End Call): Press to
end a call, decline a call, or cancel
an operation.
Making a Call by Entering a Phone
Number
1. Enter the phone number using the keypad on the telephone
screen.
2. Press
5on the screen orb/g
on the steering wheel controls.
If a wrong number is entered, press
}to delete the number one digit at
a time, or press and hold
}to
delete all digits of the number. Switching a Call to the Cell Phone
(Private Mode)
To switch the call from the cell
phone to hands-free:
1. Press
0.
2. Press
0again to switch back to
hands-free.
Turning the Microphone On
and Off
Press
3to turn the microphone on
or off.
Calling by Redial
To call by using redial:
.Pressb/gon the steering
wheel controls to display the
redial guidance screen.
.Press and hold5on the
telephone screen.
Redialing is not possible when there
is no call history.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
7-44 Infotainment System
Taking calls
When a phone call comes through
the connected Bluetooth cell phone,
the playing track will be cut off and
the phone will ring with the relevant
information displayed.
Press
b/gon the steering wheel
controls or press Accept on the
screen.
To decline the call, press
$/ion
the steering wheel controls or press
Reject on the screen.
Using the Phone Book Menu
1. Press Phone Book on the telephone screen.
2. Press
QorRto scroll through
the list.
3. Select the phone book entry to call.
4. Press the number to dial.
Searching for Phone Book Entries
1. Press Phone Book on the telephone screen. 2. Press
9on the phone book
screen.
3. Use the keypad to input the name to search. For details,
refer to the “Searching for a
Name” later in this section.
4. Select the phone book entry to call.
5. Press the number to dial.
When the Bluetooth device and
infotainment system are
successfully paired, the phone book
will download. Some phones may
not download automatically. If this
happens, connect it again or
proceed with the phone book
download on the phone.
Searching for a Name
Select characters by using the
keypad on the phone book screen.
As characters are selected, the
names that include those characters
will display on the phone book
screen. As more characters of the
name are entered, the list of
possible names is shortened. To search for the name Alex:
1. Press (abc) to select the first
character.
2. Press (jkl) to select the second character.
3. Press (def) to select the third character.
4. Press (wxy) to select the fourth character.
Making a Call from Call History
1. Press Call History on the telephone screen.
2. Press one of the following for:
.2Dialed calls.
.4Missed calls.
.9Received calls.
3. Select the phone book entry to call.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-6
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-13
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18 Shifting Into Park (Automatic
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-21
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-24
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-34
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-34
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
Driving and Operating 9-3
.Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{WARNING
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious—or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic. If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power
steering. It does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort. See your dealer if
there is a problem.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2013 - 2nd PrintReady - 10/11/12
9-4 Driving and Operating
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is
held against that position for an
extended period of time, power
steering assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the
system cools down.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator andthen, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.