The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that, while driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle failed to yield at a stop sign. As a result, the contact was unable to stop in time and collided with the driver's side B Pillar center region of the other vehicle. The air bags did deploy, which the contact held responsible for the injuries she sustained. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact reported sustaining injuries to her head and face, which she characterized as a bubble on her forehead, as well as bruising to the torso, but refused medical treatment. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V349000 (Air Bags), but the VIN was not included. The contact also stated that this was the second of two collisions where the air bags failed to deploy. The failure mileage was unknown.
Chevrolet Sonic no deployment problems
49 of the 955 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Sonic describe airbags did not deploy in a crash, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 49
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical mileage
- 36,000
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
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.
The Sonic rear ended a stationary vehicle going close to 50mph. No airbags deployed.
I was driving my 2012 chevrolet sonic on April 26 and was rear ended my seatbelt did not engage and I was injured. I was rushed to the hospital for a concussion and on may 4th I got dizzy from my concussion from the accident suffered on April 26 and lost control of my vehicle and struck a concrete barrier on i20 west then bounced of the barrier and struck the barrier yet again. My seatbelt never engaged and my airbags never deployed either time striking the barrier nor the prior accident.
Passenger side front airbags did not deploy during a front end vehicle crash. All other airbags in vehicle did deploy. Injury did occur due to this.
I was experiencing issues with the transmission on my vehicle. I lost control and when it stop abruptly in a ditch after hitting a fallen limb of a tree the airbags did not deploy. Since this incident I have extreme pain in neck, dizziness, and weakness in both my arms. My vehicle is not listed as part of the recalls and the violent stop of my vehicle upon hitting the object was severe enough to snap both tierod ends yet airbags did not deploy. I have significant injuries as a result and a wrecked car that I feel was hard to control due to the problematic acceleration of transmission
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven at approximately 30 mph, the driver crashed into a parked vehicle. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a head laceration and right and left knee injuries which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified. The failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owned a 2014 Chevrolet Sonic. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds approaching a parking lot and slowing down to turn, the vehicle behind was speeding and crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle then flew forward and crashed into a pole. No airbags deployed. The passenger in the driver's side rear seat sustained whiplash to the neck. The contact and her daughter sustained minor injuries to the right hip, right knee, and right shoulder. A police report was filed. The passenger in the driver's side rear seat was treated via ambulance and the contact and her daughter received medical attention from a chiropractor. The police towed the vehicle to a lot where it was deemed a total loss. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that no recalls were under the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and started an investigation. The failure mileage was approximate 88,000
I was driving and turning left into a plaza parking lot when another vehicle hit mine very hard as they were going really fast. They hit the front end of my vehicle completely damaging the grill, front bumper and all of the supports for them. Even though my car took a hard impact by another vehicle, the driver's side airbag did not deploy. I, as well as the cops that were on duty, were very concerned by this fact.
I was hit head on and the air bag did not deploy it could have been way worse than it was but it should have deployed and my engine is junk. Having issues with it and its less than 70000 miles
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
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured July 28, 2014, to August 1, 2014. Due to a loss of electrical connection in the steering column, in the event of a severe crash, the driver's frontal air bag deployment may be limited to the first-stage deployment only instead of the intended first-stage and second-stage deployments.
- Risk
- If only the first-stage of the driver's frontal air bag deploys without the additional second-stage, the driver has an increased risk of injury during a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will test the terminals in the IP harness clock spring coil connector and replace any loose terminals, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 14537.
Recall number 14V543000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured December 2, 2011 to July, 16, 2012, Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured December 7, 2011 to July 25, 2012, Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured December 5, 2011 to August 2, 2012, and Chevrolet Camaro vehicles manufactured December 1, 2011 to June 11, 2012. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
- Risk
- If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The recall began on July 25, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM at 1‑800‑222‑1020. Buick owners may contact GM at 1‑800‑521‑7300. Note: This is an expansion of recalls 12V‑522 and 13V‑023.
Recall number 14V300000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic, and model year 2012 Buick Verano vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
- Risk
- If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, that air bag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel air bag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 13, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 13V023000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- General Motors is recalling certain model year 2012 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. The driver side frontal air bag has a shorting bar which may intermittently contact the air bag terminals.
- Risk
- If the bar and terminals are contacting each other at the time of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal airbag, that airbag will not deploy, increasing the driver's risk of injury.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel airbag coil, free of charge. The safety recall began on January 11, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 12V522000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Sonic no deployment
Which Chevrolet Sonic years have airbags did not deploy in a crash problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (13 complaints), 2013 (13 complaints) and 2015 (11 complaints).
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