winter tires CHEVROLET SONIC 2016 2.G Owners Manual

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Driving and Operating 185
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
. Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
. Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0204.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0202.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Vehicle Care 219
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 220
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 220
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 228
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . 230
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 230
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 236
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Battery - North America . . . . . . 240
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 240
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 241
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 242
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . 244
Fog Lamps (LS, LT, and LTZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Fog Lamps (RS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 246
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . 248
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 248 Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 256
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 272

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Vehicle Care 255
Warning (Continued)
.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 surfacesand 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 0255.
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 0268.
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.
. 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.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
256 Vehicle Care
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 have decreased
performance in cold climates, and
on ice and snow. It is recommended
that winter tires be installed on the
vehicle if frequent driving at
temperatures below approximately
5 °C (40 °F) or on ice or snow
covered roads is expected. See
Winter Tires0255.
Caution
High performance summer tires
have rubber compounds that lose
flexibility and may develop
surface cracks in the tread area
at temperatures below −7 °C (20 °
F). Always store high
performance summer tires
indoors and at temperatures
above −7 °C (20 °F) when not in
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
use. If the tires have been
subjected to−7 °C (20 °F) or less,
let them warm up in a heated
space to at least 5 °C (40 °F) for
24 hours or more before being
installed or driving a vehicle on
which they are installed. Do not
apply heat or blow heated air
directly on the tires. Always
inspect tires before use. See Tire
Inspection 0266.
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.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Vehicle Care 269
will be followed by MS for mud
and snow. SeeTire Sidewall
Labeling 0256.
GM recommends replacing worn
tires in complete sets of four.
Uniform tread depth on all tires
will help to maintain the
performance of the vehicle.
Braking and handling
performance may be adversely
affected if all the tires are not
replaced at the same time.
If proper rotation and
maintenance have been done,
all four tires should wear out at
about the same time. See Tire
Rotation 0266. However, if it is
necessary to replace only one
axle set of worn tires, place the
new tires on the rear axle.
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 0262.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
270 Vehicle Care
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. SeeVehicle Load Limits
0 187.
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
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
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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 0268 and
Accessories and Modifications
0 220.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
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.
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Customer Information 323
Services Provided
.Emergency Fuel Delivery:
Delivery of enough fuel for the
vehicle to get to the nearest
service station.
. Lock-Out Service: Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock may
be available if you have OnStar.
For security reasons, the driver
must present identification
before this service is given.
. Emergency Tow from a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest Chevrolet dealer for
warranty service, or if the vehicle
was in a crash and cannot be
driven. Assistance is not given
when the vehicle is stuck in the
sand, mud, or snow.
. Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty. .
Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
. Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: If your trip is
interrupted due to a warranty
event, incidental expenses may
be reimbursed within the
Powertrain warranty period.
Items considered are reasonable
and customary hotel, meals,
rental car, or a vehicle being
delivered back to the customer,
up to 805 km (500 mi).
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance
. Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws.
. Legal fines.
. Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices.
Service is not provided if a vehicle
is in an area that is not accessible
to the service vehicle or is not a
regularly traveled or maintained
public road, which includes ice and
winter roads. Off-road use is not
covered.
Services Specific to
Canadian-Purchased Vehicles
. Fuel Delivery: Reimbursement
is up to 7 liters. If available,
diesel fuel delivery may be
restricted. Propane and other
fuels are not provided through
this service.
. Lock-Out Service: Vehicle
registration is required.
. Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: Must be over
150 km from where your trip was
started to qualify. General
Motors of Canada Limited
requires pre-authorization,
original detailed receipts, and a
copy of the repair orders. Once
authorization has been received,
the Roadside Assistance advisor
will help to make arrangements
and explain how to receive
payment.
. Alternative Service: If
assistance cannot be provided
right away, the Roadside
Assistance advisor may give
permission to get local
emergency road service. You will

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Index 343
AutomaticDoor Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
B
Battery
Exterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Battery - North America . . . . 240, 287
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 242
Bluetooth Overview . . . . . . . . . . . 146, 147, 153
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 102
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Brakes (cont'd)
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 190
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123, 245
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 246
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .220, 240, 287
Camera
Rear Vision (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 100
Check
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 241
Malfunction IndicatorEngine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . 69
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 82
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
Index 351
Tires (cont'd)Terminology and Definitions . . 259
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 272
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Towing General Information . . . . . . . . . . 217
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 290
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Transmission
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Fluid, Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324 Trip Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
U
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 270
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
V
VehicleAlarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Identification Number (VIN) . . . 314
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Service Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . 104 Vehicle Care
Storing the Tire Sealant
and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 281
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Caution and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lane Departure (LDW) . . . . . . . 212
Warning Light Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Warnings Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance . . 272
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . 73

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-9085902) -
2016 - CRC - 5/27/15
352 Index
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . 242
Wipers Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92