On 7-27-2023 General Motors issued a recall on 2013 models of Sonic, my VIN was not included in this recall. However on 4-16-2025 my sonic was involved in a impact incident in which the air bags should have deployed, and did not. It is my opinion that Chevy, knowing of the issues with the model of car, should have issued a recall for my vehicle as well, but did not. As a result I suffered additional strain and injury during my impact as no airbags deployed.
2013 Chevrolet Sonic: airbags did not deploy in a crash
13 of the 217 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic describe airbags did not deploy in a crash.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 22,900
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Airbags did not deploy in a crash by model year
What owners say
The Sonic rear ended a stationary vehicle going close to 50mph. No airbags deployed.
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 chevrolet sonic. While driving 55 MPH, the contact's vehicle was run off the road by another vehicle. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into a pole. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and a fractured right rib, which needed medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a junkyard. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.
Last year on april 12th 2016 I was in a car accident with a csx dump truck her merged onto my side and hit me my door caved in and everything but my airbag did not deploy im okay and so is my car but I had to get my whole driver side fixed and now my child dont work at all and I have a 3yr old that is figuring out how to open the door and im loseing speed and power and my thing that tells me how many miles till the next gas stop is all messed up it just tells me off the wall numbers and I need all of this fixed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet sonic. While pulling out of a parking lot onto the road to get in a turning lane, another vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the contact's vehicle. The front driver's side wheel fractured and the key was unable to be removed from the ignition. The driver sustained whiplash and minor bruising. The front passenger flew into the front windshield. The gear shifter fractured when the front passenger was impacted by the force of the crash. An adult passenger in the rear of the vehicle and two children passengers sustained whiplash. Medical attention was received. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a yard. The manufacturer investigated the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,700. The vehicle was totaled. Updated 11/16/16.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet sonic. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, a deer jumped in front of the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle crashed into the deer. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hood and bumper needed to be replaced. The technician was unaware why the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated that when the ignition was turned to the on position, the engine revved continuously. The following day, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to her head and neck that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet sonic. While driving 40 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a telephone pole. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a bruised collar bone and soft tissue bruising, which required medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but the results were unknown. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet sonic. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a head on collision. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There was one injury reported that required medical attention. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet sonic. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a pole. The contact stated that the front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the back and bruises on her body. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 22,000.
We were driving down the road in ohio when a f-150come out of another road and t boned me they had o cut me out of the car my neck was injured and my back still hurts and I have bad headaches now the air bags did not deploy but gm says I was not hit hard enough but I had several airbags in the car and none of them deployed and car was a total loss .I think it is pretty sad when u buy a vehicle for safety then you crash and the company has no care about you they just care about trying to say that nothing was faulty on there part but as we all know they have had several recalls on these cars since for faulty airbags.
I just noticed there was an airbag recall on my vehicle, I did not get notice of this recall. I was in a recent accident and everyone seem shocked that my airbags did not deploy due to the damages to my car. Additionally, I am having to add air to my tires weekly as soon as I add air then I get another warning that my tires need more air. The sensor did not respond as my onstar services did not get it to respond as the service is set up to do. I have changed climate from a cold(pa) to a warmer (ga) and still have the same problem.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Air bags
- This informational bulletin provides information on Passenger Presence System (PPS) May Command Seat Belt...
- The informational bulletin explains how items on the passenger seat may
- Product Safety Recall Insufficient Weld on Front Fuel Tank Strap Bracket
- Air bags
- This informational bulletin provides information regarding the Passenger Presence System (PPS) May Command...
- Summary to be provided on a future date.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
- Risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
Recall number 23V516000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic no deployment
Is airbags did not deploy in a crash a common problem on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic?
13 of 217 owner complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic (6%) mention airbags did not deploy in a crash. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic?
There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic
Check engine light 22Stalling 12Key fob 8Overheating 8Wipers 7Hesitation 6Jerking 6Knocking 5Misfire 5
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