winter tires CHEVROLET SONIC 2014 2.G Owners Manual

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
Driving and Operating 9-7
Warning (Continued)
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.
Try not to break the fragile traction.
If you accelerate too fast, the drive
wheels will spin and polish the
surface under the tires even more.
Traction Control should be turned
on. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control on page 9-28.
The Antilock Brake System (ABS)
improves vehicle stability during
hard stops on slippery roads, but
apply the brakes sooner than when
on dry pavement. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) on page 9-25. Allow greater following distance on
any slippery road 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 on slippery
surfaces.
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be a
serious situation. Stay with the
vehicle unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See
Roadside
Assistance Program on page 13-5.
To get help and keep everyone in
the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-20 Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-25
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-26
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Fog Lamps (LS, LT, and LTZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Fog Lamps (RS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30 Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-31
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
Vehicle Care 10-41
Warning (Continued)
.Worn or old tires can
cause a crash. If the tread
is badly worn,
replace them.
.Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.
All-Season Tires
This vehicle may come with
all-season tires. These tires are
designed to provide good overall
performance on most road surfaces
and weather conditions. Original
equipment tires designed to GM's
specific tire performance criteria
have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. Original
equipment all-season tires can be
identified by the last two characters
of this TPC code, which will
be“MS.”
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice-covered roads is
expected. All-season tires provide
adequate performance for most
winter driving conditions, but they
may not offer the same level of
traction or performance as winter
tires on snow or ice-covered roads.
See Winter Tires on page 10-41.
Winter Tires
This vehicle was not originally
equipped with winter tires. Winter
tires are designed for increased
traction on snow and ice-covered
roads. Consider installing winter
tires on the vehicle if frequent
driving on ice or snow covered
roads is expected. See your dealer
for details regarding winter tire
availability and proper tire selection.
Also, see Buying New Tires on
page 10-55.
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking.
If using winter tires:
.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
10-42 Vehicle Care
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Summer Tires
This vehicle may come with high
performance summer tires. These
tires have a special tread and
compound that are optimized for
maximum dry and wet road
performance. This special tread and
compound will decrease
performance in cold climates, and
on ice and snow. We recommend
installing winter tires on the vehicle
if frequent driving in cold
temperatures or on snow or ice
covered roads is expected. See
Winter Tires on page 10-41.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
(1) Tire Size:The tire size is a
combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type, and service description. See the
“Tire Size”
illustration later in this
section.
(2) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet or
exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
(3) DOT (Department of
Transportation)
:The
Department of Transportation
(DOT) code indicates that the
tire is in compliance with the
U.S. Department of
Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.
DOT Tire Date of
Manufacture
:The last four
digits of the TIN indicate the tire
manufactured date. The first two

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
10-56 Vehicle Care
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment
tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated
tires. Never exceed the winter
tires’maximum speed capability
when using winter tires with a
lower speed rating.
{Warning
Tires could explode during
improper service. Attempting
to mount or dismount a tire
could cause injury or death.
Only your dealer or authorized
tire service center should
mount or dismount the tires.
{Warning
Mixing tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may cause
loss of control of the vehicle,
resulting in a crash or other
vehicle damage. Use the
correct size, brand, and type
of tires on all wheels.
{Warning
Using bias-ply tires on the
vehicle may cause the wheel
rim flanges to develop cracks
after many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If the vehicle tires must be
replaced with a tire that does not
have a TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low-pressure warning if non-TPC
Spec rated tires are installed.
See
Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 10-49.
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. See Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9-9.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
Vehicle Care 10-57
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability control,
or All-Wheel Drive, the performance
of these systems can also be
affected.
{Warning
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10-55 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10-3.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
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
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
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

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
i-2 INDEX
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
BrakeSystem Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4, 10-30
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-31
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera Rear Vision (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Central Locking System . . . . . . . . 2-8
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-12 Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Ignition
Transmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-26
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44, 3-46
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Clutch, Hydraulic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . 13-9
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2 Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
INDEX i-11
Tires (cont'd)Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-59
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Towing General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-78
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Transmission
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13 Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Trip Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
U
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Identification
Number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24 Vehicle (cont'd)
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Service Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Vehicle Care Storing the Tire Sealantand Compressor Kit . . . . . . . 10-69
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Lane Departure (LDW) . . . . . . . 9-36
Warning Light Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-6081473) -
2014 - 2nd Edition - 8/19/13
i-12 INDEX
WheelsAlignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-36
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17 Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-26
Wipers
Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4