automatic transmission CHEVROLET SONIC 2018 Owner's Manual

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
In Brief 7
1.Air Vents 0167.
2. Exterior Lamp Controls 0132.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0136.
3. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change Signals
0 135.
4. Instrument Cluster 0108.
5. Windshield Wiper/Washer
0104.
6. Card Holder.
7. AM-FM Radio 0144.
8. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System 0134.
9. Instrument Panel Storage 099.
10. Passenger Sensing System
073.
11. Hazard Warning Flashers
0134.
12. USB Port 0147 (If Equipped).
Auxiliary Jack 0150 (If
Equipped). 13. Shift Lever. See
Automatic
Transmission 0191 (If
Equipped) or Manual
Transmission 0194 (If
Equipped).
14. Trunk Release (Sedan). See Trunk (Sedan) 042.
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) 0207 (If Equipped).
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0198.
15. Power Outlets 0106.
16. Climate Control Systems
0165.
17. Central Locking Switch. See Door Locks 038.
18. Ignition Switch. SeeIgnition Positions (Key
Access) 0181 orIgnition
Positions (Keyless Access)
0 183.
19. Steering Wheel Controls 0103.
20. Horn 0104.
21. Steering Wheel Adjustment
0103. 22.
Cruise Control 0200.
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0205 (If Equipped.
Heated Steering Wheel 0104
(If Equipped).
23. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0113.
24. Hood Release. See Hood
0 217.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
10 In Brief
Keyless Access
The RKE transmitter must be within
1 m (3 ft) of the door being opened.
Press the button on the door handle
to open. See“Keyless Access
Operation” underRemote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation (Key
Access) 029 orRemote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation
(Keyless Access) 031.
Liftgate (Hatchback)
To lock or unlock the liftgate or trunk
from the inside, press
QorKon
the central locking switch or on the
driver door switch.
The vehicle must be in P (Park) for
automatic transmissions. For
manual transmissions the parking
brake must be engaged.
To open the liftgate from the
outside, press
Kon the RKE
transmitter to unlock all doors, then
use the touch pad.
See Liftgate (Hatchback) 043.
Trunk Release (Sedan)
To lock or unlock the trunk from the
inside, press
QorKon the central
locking switch or on the driver door
switch.
To open the trunk from inside the
vehicle press
V.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
In Brief 17
OFF :Use to turn the wipers off.
1X : For a single wipe, briefly move
the wiper lever down. For several
wipes, hold the wiper lever down.
n L: Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
See Windshield Wiper/Washer
0 104. For vehicles with a rear
window wiper/washer, see Rear
Window Wiper/Washer 0105.
Climate Controls
If equipped with these climate
control systems, the heating,
cooling, and ventilation can be
controlled for the vehicle.
Climate Control System with
Heater and Air Conditioning
1. Temperature Control
2. Fan Control
3. Air Delivery Mode Control
4. Driver and Passenger Heated Seats (If Equipped)
5. Recirculation
6. Rear Window Defogger
7. Air ConditioningClimate Control System with Heater Only
1. Temperature Control
2. Fan Control
3. Air Delivery Mode Control
4. Rear Window Defogger
See Climate Control Systems 0165.
Transmission
Automatic Transmission
Manual Mode
If equipped, this position allows you
to change gears similar to a manual
transmission. To use this feature:

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
40 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Free-Turning Locks
The door key lock cylinder turns
freely when either the wrong key is
used, or the correct key is not fully
inserted. The free-turning door lock
feature prevents the lock from being
forced open. To reset the lock, turn
it to the vertical position with the
correct key fully inserted. Remove
the key and insert it again. If this
does not reset the lock, turn the key
halfway around in the cylinder and
repeat the reset procedure.
Delayed Locking
This feature delays the actual
locking of the doors until
five seconds after all doors are
closed. Delayed locking can only be
turned on when the Open Door
Anti-Lockout feature has been
turned off.
When
Qis pressed on the driver or
passenger door power lock switch
while the door is open, a chime will
sound three times to indicate that
delayed locking is active. The doors will then lock automatically
five seconds after all doors are
closed.
If a door is reopened before
five seconds have elapsed, the
five-second timer will reset once all
the doors are closed again. Press
Q
on the door lock switch again,
or press
Qon the RKE transmitter,
to override this feature and lock the
doors immediately.
Delayed locking can be
programmed. See Vehicle
Personalization 0129.
Automatic Door Locks
The vehicle is programmed so that
when the doors are closed, the
ignition is on, and the shift lever is
moved out of P (Park) for automatic
transmissions, or when the vehicle
speed is above 13 km/h (8 mph) for
manual transmissions, the doors
and the trunk/liftgate will lock.
If a vehicle door is unlocked and
then opened and closed, the doors
will lock either when your foot is removed from the brake or the
vehicle speed becomes faster than
13 km/h (8 mph).
To unlock the doors and the trunk/
liftgate:
.
Press
Kon the center stack or
the driver door switch.
. If equipped with an automatic
transmission the vehicle must be
in P (Park).
. If equipped with a manual
transmission the vehicle must be
in Neutral with the parking
brake set.
This feature can be programmed.
See Vehicle Personalization 0129.
Lockout Protection
If the ignition is on or in ACC/
ACCESSORY and the power door
lock switch is pressed with the
driver door open, all the doors will
lock and only the driver door will
unlock.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
44 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Warning (Continued)
highest setting. See
“Climate Control Systems”
in the Index.
. If the vehicle is equipped
with a power liftgate, disable
the power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust 0190.
To lock or unlock the liftgate from
the inside, press
QorKon the
central locking switch or on the
driver door switch.
The vehicle must be in P (Park) for
automatic transmissions. For
manual transmissions the parking
brake must be engaged.
To open the liftgate from the
outside, press
Kon the RKE
transmitter to unlock all doors, then
use the touch pad.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation (Key Access)
0 29 orRemote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation (Keyless
Access) 031.
When closing the liftgate, close from
the center to ensure that it fully
latches.
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
the vehicle impossible to steal.
Vehicle Alarm System
This vehicle has an anti-theft alarm
system.
The indicator light on the instrument
panel near the windshield indicates
the status of the system.
Off : Vehicle is disarmed.
On Solid : Vehicle is secured
during the delay to arm the system.
Fast Flash : Vehicle is unsecured.
A door, the hood, or the trunk/
liftgate is open.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Instruments and Controls 105
If the ignition is turned off while the
wipers are performing wipes due to
windshield washing, the wipers
continue to run until they reach the
base of the windshield.
nL: Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
The wipers will continue until the
lever is released or the maximum
wash time is reached. When the
windshield wiper lever is released,
additional wipes may occur
depending on how long the
windshield washer had been
activated. See Washer Fluid0233
for information on filling the
windshield washer fluid reservoir.
{Warning
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield is
warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision. Clear snow and ice from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced. See
Wiper
Blade Replacement 0237.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. A circuit breaker will
stop the motor until it cools down.
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer
If equipped with the rear wiper/
washer, the controls are on the end
of the windshield wiper lever.
ON : Press the upper portion of the
button for continuous rear window
wipes. OFF :
The rear wiper turns off when
the button is returned to the middle
position.
INT : Press the lower portion of the
button for a delay between wipes.
a: Push the windshield wiper lever
forward to spray washer fluid on the
rear window. The lever returns to its
starting position when released.
Rear Wiper Arm Assembly
Protection
When using an automatic car wash,
move the rear wiper control to OFF
to disable the rear wiper. In some
vehicles, if the transmission is in
N (Neutral) and the vehicle speed is
very slow, the rear wiper will
automatically park under the rear
spoiler.
The wiper operations return to
normal when the transmission is no
longer in N (Neutral) or the vehicle
speed has increased.
Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
If the rear wiper control is off, the
rear wiper will automatically operate
continuously when the shift lever is

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
130 Instruments and Controls
Comfort and Convenience
Touch and the following may
display:
.Chime Volume
. Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Touch the controls on the
infotainment display to adjust the
volume.
Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
When on and the front wiper is on,
the rear wiper will automatically
activate when the vehicle is shifted
to R (Reverse).
Touch Off or On.
Lighting
Touch and the following may
display:
. Vehicle Locator Lights
. Exit Lighting Vehicle Locator Lights
This feature will flash the exterior
lamps and allows some exterior
lamps and most interior lamps to
turn on briefly when
Kon the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter is pressed to locate the
vehicle.
Touch Off or On.
Exit Lighting
This allows the selection of how
long the exterior lamps stay on
when leaving the vehicle when it is
dark outside.
Touch Off, 30 Seconds, 60 Seconds,
or 120 Seconds.
Power Door Locks
Touch and the following may
display:
. Open Door Anti Lock Out
. Auto Door Unlock
. Delayed Door Lock Open Door Anti Lock Out
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking until the
door is closed. If this feature is
turned on, the Delayed Door Lock
menu will not be available.
Touch Off or On.
Auto Door Unlock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically unlock when
the vehicle is shifted into P with an
automatic transmission or when the
vehicle is turned off with a manual
transmission.
Touch Off, All Doors, or Driver Door.
Delayed Door Lock
When on, this feature will delay the
locking of the doors. To override the
delay, press the power door lock
switch on the door.
Touch Off or On.
Remote Lock, Unlock, Start
Touch and the following may
display:
.
Remote Unlock Light Feedback

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
170 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 174
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 175
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 176
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 181
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Shifting Into Park (Automatic
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Extended Parking (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 191
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 194
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 197
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 203
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 210
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
182 Driving and Operating
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to
a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0196.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
Caution
Using a tool to force the key to
turn in the ignition could cause
damage to the switch or break the
key. Use the correct key, make
sure it is all the way in, and turn it
only with your hand. If the key
cannot be turned by hand, see
your dealer.
1 (ACC/ACCESSORY) : This is the
position in which things like the
radio and the windshield wipers can
be operated when the engine is off.
2 (ON/RUN) : This position can be
used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument cluster warning and
indicator lights. This position can
also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. If you leave the key in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to
start the vehicle if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
3 (START) :
This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/
OFF, and the key is in the ignition.
If the ignition becomes difficult to
turn, see Keys026.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
Driving and Operating 183
Ignition Positions
(Keyless Access)
The vehicle may be equipped with
an electronic keyless ignition with
pushbutton start.
The transmitter must be in the
vehicle for the system to operate.
If the pushbutton start is not
working, the vehicle may be near a
strong radio antenna signal causing
interference to the Keyless Access
system.
SeeRemote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation (Key Access) 0
29 orRemote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation (Keyless
Access) 031.
To shift out of P (Park), the ignition
must be turned on or in ACC/
ACCESSORY, and the brake pedal
must be applied.
Stopping the Engine/OFF (No
Indicator Lights) : When the
vehicle is stopped, press ENGINE
START/STOP once to turn the
engine off.
If the vehicle is in P (Park), the
ignition will turn off, and Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) 0187.
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and the Driver
Information Center (DIC) will display
the message SHIFT TO PARK.
When the vehicle is shifted into
P (Park), the ignition system will
switch to OFF. Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to
a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition off.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0196.