Sonic named one of the most reliable.
- Thread starter Ridethesky84
- Start date
neenatasnea
New member
Nice share. Loved the info there.
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
This sounded exciting until I read it a little closer.
Originally I thought it was "one of the ten most reliable cars in America"
But instead it is "one of the ten most reliable cars made by an "American" company.
Of which they are counting only Ford, GM, Chrystler...
The Sonic is the most reliable small car, which means more reliable than the Fiesta and the... what, Dart? I mean, how many cars actually fit into this category to start with; the intersection of "small" and "American"
For that matter, you could argue it is the ONLY one, since the other small cars are manufactured elsewhere.
Originally I thought it was "one of the ten most reliable cars in America"
But instead it is "one of the ten most reliable cars made by an "American" company.
Of which they are counting only Ford, GM, Chrystler...
The Sonic is the most reliable small car, which means more reliable than the Fiesta and the... what, Dart? I mean, how many cars actually fit into this category to start with; the intersection of "small" and "American"
For that matter, you could argue it is the ONLY one, since the other small cars are manufactured elsewhere.
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
Me either... but that makes this even more questionable, they only had at most a year's worth of data to come up with this "reliable" judgement? I mean, I love my SOnic and all, but I'm aware it's a first year of release vehicle, and I've only heard of one Sonic over 100K miles thus far. Who knows how "reliable" it is, even now a year after this article!
Ever Victorious
New member
I went through this years ago with the Nissan Versa at its original launch. It was projected to be one of the most reliable subcompacts at the time.
14 repair trips to the dealership for 26 individual problems in 26k miles... I have no idea why I put up with that car so long. I wasn't the only one, either. The much-vaunted CVT transmission fell WAY short of EPA estimates (while the 6-speed manuals, which I had, were mostly dead on) plus a bunch started wearing out after 80k miles or so. TPMS issues, BCM issues, electrical issues, you name it. Even the manual transmissions weren't free from flaws... it was a cable shift system, and sometimes the shifter would grab the cables for 2 gears and jam up the transmission. It's pretty sad when the most reliable part of a car is the radio. Granted, Nissan has worked out the (pretty freaking severe) teething issues after the first couple years, but it just serves as a cautionary tale as to what projections mean for brand new models: precisely nothing.
From what I know of recent GM subcompacts (which, I will grant you, isn't a lot) is that, at least up until the Sonic, they've been boring and uninspired, but not particularly unreliable.
But the Sonic earned a "better than average" on True Delta's reliability survey for the 2012 year, which is impressive for a first-year model. Their projected reliability at numerous other reputable sources was also projected to be very good. I like the styling, LOVE the interior, and for the money, only a Kia could beat it for features (though not in design).
So yeah, the original title of this thread is quite misleading. But I'm very interested to see how, in the end, it stacks up against ALL competitors in the segment.
14 repair trips to the dealership for 26 individual problems in 26k miles... I have no idea why I put up with that car so long. I wasn't the only one, either. The much-vaunted CVT transmission fell WAY short of EPA estimates (while the 6-speed manuals, which I had, were mostly dead on) plus a bunch started wearing out after 80k miles or so. TPMS issues, BCM issues, electrical issues, you name it. Even the manual transmissions weren't free from flaws... it was a cable shift system, and sometimes the shifter would grab the cables for 2 gears and jam up the transmission. It's pretty sad when the most reliable part of a car is the radio. Granted, Nissan has worked out the (pretty freaking severe) teething issues after the first couple years, but it just serves as a cautionary tale as to what projections mean for brand new models: precisely nothing.
From what I know of recent GM subcompacts (which, I will grant you, isn't a lot) is that, at least up until the Sonic, they've been boring and uninspired, but not particularly unreliable.
But the Sonic earned a "better than average" on True Delta's reliability survey for the 2012 year, which is impressive for a first-year model. Their projected reliability at numerous other reputable sources was also projected to be very good. I like the styling, LOVE the interior, and for the money, only a Kia could beat it for features (though not in design).
So yeah, the original title of this thread is quite misleading. But I'm very interested to see how, in the end, it stacks up against ALL competitors in the segment.
joe truck driver
New member
first 2 year up in january
well....3 recalls, right rear brakes fell off and Chevy replaced my trans for free at 62,000 miles.. not giving me a lot of faith, but at least they are standing behind it so far. I also am concerned about the rough idle. not bad yet but getting worse. 2012 1.4 turbo 6sp manual hatch
well....3 recalls, right rear brakes fell off and Chevy replaced my trans for free at 62,000 miles.. not giving me a lot of faith, but at least they are standing behind it so far. I also am concerned about the rough idle. not bad yet but getting worse. 2012 1.4 turbo 6sp manual hatch
Hi Sonic owners I am new here. My 2012 Sonic LT 1.8 has about 104,000 miles now I had to replace the stabilizers = stopped the rattle. No other problems I am still getting 38 mpg when I drive 65 and 33 mpg when I drive 75 all and all I have to say I am happy with the Sonic
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
66roadie
Member
Not for those of us who only buy domestic.
r4tb3lly01
New member
It’s not that deep fam.
It says American cars and yes everyone knows the dart is trash and we all know what F.O.R.D stands for
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EyeluvSmegma
New member
Farting On Rubber Dongs?
My 2012 LT is over 100k! 134k to be specific. It's a little rough though - needs a timing belt, fluid checkup, tranny work possibly, and it likes to idle rough. Wouldn't doubt after that stuff it could probably go another 50k perfectly fine.
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shorebreeze
Member
Dependability
I have the 2014 LT 1.4T auto, which topped the JDPower reliability ratings for three year old vehicles in 2017.
There's little to report on mechanicals at 43,000 miles, other than a slight deteriorating in MPG and a very slight roughness at times in the idle, which lead me to suspect the PCV valve is coming up for its inevitable replacement on this turbo engine. Oh, and the dealer has managed to knock the balance weights off the wheels twice during tire rotations resulting in me having to get someone else to fix it as I'm not making a 30 mile roundtrip to have someone's $10 mistake fixed. No oil usage, no issues whatsoever with transmission, nothing else to report.
I have the 2014 LT 1.4T auto, which topped the JDPower reliability ratings for three year old vehicles in 2017.
There's little to report on mechanicals at 43,000 miles, other than a slight deteriorating in MPG and a very slight roughness at times in the idle, which lead me to suspect the PCV valve is coming up for its inevitable replacement on this turbo engine. Oh, and the dealer has managed to knock the balance weights off the wheels twice during tire rotations resulting in me having to get someone else to fix it as I'm not making a 30 mile roundtrip to have someone's $10 mistake fixed. No oil usage, no issues whatsoever with transmission, nothing else to report.
r4tb3lly01
New member
my 2012 ltz turbo now has just in 90K. economy is as new. had one stabilizing bar rattle and had to be replaced. The blue tooth pairing was flakey at first solved with newer phone. contacts from phone appear to overflow memory and are useless.
never has used oil, always starts.
I'm extremely happy with it.
Plus it is fun to drive.
never has used oil, always starts.
I'm extremely happy with it.
Plus it is fun to drive.
