I doubt anyone will remember me, but I posted this thread http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/chevy-sonic-owners-forum/1777-problems-unintended-acceleration-buffeting.html a few months after buying my sonic.
I'd suggest you start with that before reading too deeply into this or you may be confused by some information.
My biggest critic after posting that thread had taken some issue with my weight, claiming it was interfering with my ability to operate the car. I'm happy to report I've lost 150lbs since then and my car is STILL and piece of **** (not so happy about the car part). In fact the problems have become much much worse since the last time I posted.
Current stats for the car: 398xx miles. It's been back to the dealership close to 30 times (I think this is 27 or 28). Chevy's engineering team had it for a full two weeks and put all of 3 miles on it (Yes, 3 miles. Not a typo.)
-The unintended acceleration happened twice more after the initial incident.
-My headlights regularly dim out, and on several occasions have turned off momentarily (I only notice this at night).
-I had the car shut off and restart itself on one occasion. This happened at a drive through where I was idling with the car in park. The key remained in the on position the entire time. Power to the vehicle and the engine restarted after 10 seconds or so.
-The car occasionally revs to around 5k rpms while in park and makes a noise like my blinker is on each time (It's even done it while I was standing outside the car, so I'm confident it's not my fat feet accidentally hitting the pedals).
-It shifts rougher and rougher lately.
-It doesn't coast like it used to and my gas mileage has dropped from 33-35mpg (The main reason I bought the car) down to 26-29mpg; those figures represent my overall fuel economy which is mostly highway driving.
-My driver's side weather stripping ripped.
-My driver's side speaker blew out (I do occasionally max out the volume if my windows are down on the highway but maintain the factory equalizer settings).
-I had a significant oil leak that resulted in my camshaft seals needing to be replaced at 33k miles; nearly 120k miles ahead of schedule.
-Had to have the front suspension repaired twice, on the passenger side (again, if it were a result of my previous heft one would think it would be the driver's side.)
-The brakes are god damn awful and lurch and squeak often and grab inconsistently, I'm assured this is considered good working order by Chevrolet standards.
-The car is miserably drafty in the winter, I don't think mine has any insulation whatsoever.
-I frequently get a foul smell when using the heat. The smell is how the original oil leak was discovered, but the smell remains and no new leaks have been identified.
-My factory battery failed after just over 2 years in the field. I have never left a door ajar or left my lights on. I do use a GPS device but only while the car is running. Same goes for occasionally charging my phone.
-The adjustment mechanism in the driver's side mirror is on the way out. Normally you can just set the mirrors once and never worry about it again. Unfortunately every time I go to the dealership to have my little heap looked at the techs adjust the mirror. I've been to the dealership so many times I've worn this mechanism out apparently.
-Sometimes the car likes to tell me it's in reverse while I'm on the highway. This issue stopped happening after a software update. Again, Chevrolet assures me that the electrical systems in my car are all functioning properly...
I'm sure there are other things, but I'd have to dig through the mountain of paperwork in my "Chevrolet Sonic" file and sort out all my warranty evaluation receipts. What I haven't listed here escapes my memory as something minor, or as something so traumatic I've repressed it.
The car, which will be known as "Christine" from here onward, has only ever thrown 1 check engine light; not a single other fault code has been found. That was because the dealership I bought the car from (Commonwealth Chevrolet in Lawrence, MA) cross threaded the oil pan plug on my very first oil change. They were also of no use when my car started to have issues. I do not under any circumstances recommend them.
To date I was more satisfied with my ownership experience of my 1981 C-10 pickup that I paid 800 dollars for. It had almost no interior. The driver's seat was just the metal chassis of a bench seat with a blanket over it. It caught fire once, and later threw a piston through the intake manifold ending it's 3 month life with me. That truck scared me less than the sonic. I often wish I'd just spent $1000 dollars on a new motor for it rather than buying the sonic.
I did contact an attorney regarding the lemon law. I am not protected by it because I have to have the same diagnosable issue 3 times, and the manufacturer has to make reasonable attempts to repair it. That, or it needs to spend 30 days being repaired for the same issue. Somehow my case has failed to meet those two criteria.
Chevy has absolved themselves of responsibility on the unintended acceleration. At no point has a mechanic been able to replicate the issue. Chevy VERY BRIEFLY discussed installing a camera system in the car. Shortly thereafter they sent me the PDF about how the car wasn't their problem.
I will also disclose that the car has been in several accidents. Damages have all been repaired by the dealer with the exception of the front fascia being done by another manufacturer's dealership.
1. The car ran itself over a curb while I was attempting to idle roll into a parking space. This was sometime around May of 2012; 4 months after I received the car. I believe this is documented in the other thread. If not I'll recount it if called upon to do so. This incident brought Chevy's Einstein brigade to check it out. The front fascia was the only damage thankfully. Since they were able to claim no fault I got a lovely surcharge from it. Thanks Chevy .|..
2. I was involved in a hit and run sideswipe in June of 2012, 2 weeks after getting my car back from being repaired from #1.
3. I was hit in the same spot as accident #2 in May of 2013.
4. I rear ended someone doing 8mph. I accept my fault on this one. It caused 4k in damage and bent my radiator support. My hood was folded up in half. My airbag didn't go off and the data recorder would confirm the 8mph speed.
5. My tire blew out last Friday (I had noticed no issues with my tires, and make a point of checking the tread once every couple of weeks) and sent me flying off the road. SIGNIFICANT damage. I was doing 35 when the tire blew. I'm baffled at how trashed the car is for what it an unfortunately common phenomenon that isn't usually* dangerous at residential speeds.
I know Chevy had nothing to do with the tires aside from selecting a supplier. I don't hold them accountable for the blowout. I'm just surprised at how much damage it caused.
Chevy customer care and I have attempted to dance a few times over the past couple years. I'm quickly frustrated with them and how little of a **** they give that I have been hostile on occasion. I know the care team as individuals had nothing to do with the issues my car has had. I don't blame them for my suffering. There's just something about the pandering that they do, and the complete lack of actual help and resolution that they provide that frustrates me.
That said, I will offer an apology to any of the care techs that get assigned, or reassigned to this case after I post this thread. I know you're doing your jobs and reading the scripts.
I've been trying to get out of the car, but I'm buried by 7k in negative equity and can't afford a higher car payment. Partially because of having to pay for deductibles and buy new batteries for a new car that was supposed to be reasonably worry free before my warranty ran out.
After the blowout I'm trying a little harder to find a lease option that works for me. I hear this is a good way to bury negative equity and keep a reasonable payment.
I've been desperate enough to reach out to a few manufacturer's and share my story, but never heard back. I can't say I blame them. Chevy isn't exactly competition with the wave of recalls and the reality of Chevy hiding a fatal vehicle flaw from consumers for years.
I have no expectations anymore. I've never felt as burned by anything as I do this car. I'm honestly heartbroken. My first car, and the first purchase I would make if I won the lottery, was my 1981 El Camino. I *loved* that little truck. I have the keys from it tattooed on me. I have a bow-tie tattooed on me forever.
That's how much I loved Chevy when I came to them in January of 2012 buy my first new car. That's how much faith and respect I had for their products. There wasn't a question in my mind that I was doing the right thing with my money when I signed that contract.
I had no idea I would suffer this much or for this long without some kind of resolution.
I'd suggest you start with that before reading too deeply into this or you may be confused by some information.
My biggest critic after posting that thread had taken some issue with my weight, claiming it was interfering with my ability to operate the car. I'm happy to report I've lost 150lbs since then and my car is STILL and piece of **** (not so happy about the car part). In fact the problems have become much much worse since the last time I posted.
Current stats for the car: 398xx miles. It's been back to the dealership close to 30 times (I think this is 27 or 28). Chevy's engineering team had it for a full two weeks and put all of 3 miles on it (Yes, 3 miles. Not a typo.)
-The unintended acceleration happened twice more after the initial incident.
-My headlights regularly dim out, and on several occasions have turned off momentarily (I only notice this at night).
-I had the car shut off and restart itself on one occasion. This happened at a drive through where I was idling with the car in park. The key remained in the on position the entire time. Power to the vehicle and the engine restarted after 10 seconds or so.
-The car occasionally revs to around 5k rpms while in park and makes a noise like my blinker is on each time (It's even done it while I was standing outside the car, so I'm confident it's not my fat feet accidentally hitting the pedals).
-It shifts rougher and rougher lately.
-It doesn't coast like it used to and my gas mileage has dropped from 33-35mpg (The main reason I bought the car) down to 26-29mpg; those figures represent my overall fuel economy which is mostly highway driving.
-My driver's side weather stripping ripped.
-My driver's side speaker blew out (I do occasionally max out the volume if my windows are down on the highway but maintain the factory equalizer settings).
-I had a significant oil leak that resulted in my camshaft seals needing to be replaced at 33k miles; nearly 120k miles ahead of schedule.
-Had to have the front suspension repaired twice, on the passenger side (again, if it were a result of my previous heft one would think it would be the driver's side.)
-The brakes are god damn awful and lurch and squeak often and grab inconsistently, I'm assured this is considered good working order by Chevrolet standards.
-The car is miserably drafty in the winter, I don't think mine has any insulation whatsoever.
-I frequently get a foul smell when using the heat. The smell is how the original oil leak was discovered, but the smell remains and no new leaks have been identified.
-My factory battery failed after just over 2 years in the field. I have never left a door ajar or left my lights on. I do use a GPS device but only while the car is running. Same goes for occasionally charging my phone.
-The adjustment mechanism in the driver's side mirror is on the way out. Normally you can just set the mirrors once and never worry about it again. Unfortunately every time I go to the dealership to have my little heap looked at the techs adjust the mirror. I've been to the dealership so many times I've worn this mechanism out apparently.
-Sometimes the car likes to tell me it's in reverse while I'm on the highway. This issue stopped happening after a software update. Again, Chevrolet assures me that the electrical systems in my car are all functioning properly...
I'm sure there are other things, but I'd have to dig through the mountain of paperwork in my "Chevrolet Sonic" file and sort out all my warranty evaluation receipts. What I haven't listed here escapes my memory as something minor, or as something so traumatic I've repressed it.
The car, which will be known as "Christine" from here onward, has only ever thrown 1 check engine light; not a single other fault code has been found. That was because the dealership I bought the car from (Commonwealth Chevrolet in Lawrence, MA) cross threaded the oil pan plug on my very first oil change. They were also of no use when my car started to have issues. I do not under any circumstances recommend them.
To date I was more satisfied with my ownership experience of my 1981 C-10 pickup that I paid 800 dollars for. It had almost no interior. The driver's seat was just the metal chassis of a bench seat with a blanket over it. It caught fire once, and later threw a piston through the intake manifold ending it's 3 month life with me. That truck scared me less than the sonic. I often wish I'd just spent $1000 dollars on a new motor for it rather than buying the sonic.
I did contact an attorney regarding the lemon law. I am not protected by it because I have to have the same diagnosable issue 3 times, and the manufacturer has to make reasonable attempts to repair it. That, or it needs to spend 30 days being repaired for the same issue. Somehow my case has failed to meet those two criteria.
Chevy has absolved themselves of responsibility on the unintended acceleration. At no point has a mechanic been able to replicate the issue. Chevy VERY BRIEFLY discussed installing a camera system in the car. Shortly thereafter they sent me the PDF about how the car wasn't their problem.
I will also disclose that the car has been in several accidents. Damages have all been repaired by the dealer with the exception of the front fascia being done by another manufacturer's dealership.
1. The car ran itself over a curb while I was attempting to idle roll into a parking space. This was sometime around May of 2012; 4 months after I received the car. I believe this is documented in the other thread. If not I'll recount it if called upon to do so. This incident brought Chevy's Einstein brigade to check it out. The front fascia was the only damage thankfully. Since they were able to claim no fault I got a lovely surcharge from it. Thanks Chevy .|..
2. I was involved in a hit and run sideswipe in June of 2012, 2 weeks after getting my car back from being repaired from #1.
3. I was hit in the same spot as accident #2 in May of 2013.
4. I rear ended someone doing 8mph. I accept my fault on this one. It caused 4k in damage and bent my radiator support. My hood was folded up in half. My airbag didn't go off and the data recorder would confirm the 8mph speed.
5. My tire blew out last Friday (I had noticed no issues with my tires, and make a point of checking the tread once every couple of weeks) and sent me flying off the road. SIGNIFICANT damage. I was doing 35 when the tire blew. I'm baffled at how trashed the car is for what it an unfortunately common phenomenon that isn't usually* dangerous at residential speeds.
I know Chevy had nothing to do with the tires aside from selecting a supplier. I don't hold them accountable for the blowout. I'm just surprised at how much damage it caused.
Chevy customer care and I have attempted to dance a few times over the past couple years. I'm quickly frustrated with them and how little of a **** they give that I have been hostile on occasion. I know the care team as individuals had nothing to do with the issues my car has had. I don't blame them for my suffering. There's just something about the pandering that they do, and the complete lack of actual help and resolution that they provide that frustrates me.
That said, I will offer an apology to any of the care techs that get assigned, or reassigned to this case after I post this thread. I know you're doing your jobs and reading the scripts.
I've been trying to get out of the car, but I'm buried by 7k in negative equity and can't afford a higher car payment. Partially because of having to pay for deductibles and buy new batteries for a new car that was supposed to be reasonably worry free before my warranty ran out.
After the blowout I'm trying a little harder to find a lease option that works for me. I hear this is a good way to bury negative equity and keep a reasonable payment.
I've been desperate enough to reach out to a few manufacturer's and share my story, but never heard back. I can't say I blame them. Chevy isn't exactly competition with the wave of recalls and the reality of Chevy hiding a fatal vehicle flaw from consumers for years.
I have no expectations anymore. I've never felt as burned by anything as I do this car. I'm honestly heartbroken. My first car, and the first purchase I would make if I won the lottery, was my 1981 El Camino. I *loved* that little truck. I have the keys from it tattooed on me. I have a bow-tie tattooed on me forever.
That's how much I loved Chevy when I came to them in January of 2012 buy my first new car. That's how much faith and respect I had for their products. There wasn't a question in my mind that I was doing the right thing with my money when I signed that contract.
I had no idea I would suffer this much or for this long without some kind of resolution.
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