Recall Alert: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic

GM is recalling 4,296 2012 Chevrolet Sonics because they may be missing a brake pad, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In the affected vehicles, which were built between June 2 and Nov. 21, 2011, the front-brake inner or outer pad may be missing. (You can find the vehicle's build date on a label affixed to the driver-side doorjamb.) A missing pad could reduce brake performance and increase the risk of a crash.

The recall is expected to begin around Jan. 14. Dealers will inspect the front brakes for a missing pad. If a brake pad is missing, the dealer will install new inner and outer pads, a new brake caliper and a new rotor for free. Owners can call Chevrolet at 800-630-2438 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Comments

Missed during assembly, missed during pre-dealer delivery inspection and missed during PDI at the dealership. How nice.

This must be more of those "weight saving" features that GM is experimenting with.

5.5 months of vehicles with a possible brake pad missing...nice one Chevy.

Conspiracy theory on GM/UAW intentionally sabotaging "small" car sales?

Oh wait, the employees involved aren't even "REAL" UAW employees to begin with?

@David Lee,

Sir, I think you may have left some detail out of this recall notice that might be helpful in putting perspective to this problem.

"GM told Inside Line in an e-mailed message that there are no known crashes or injuries connected to the defect. It said that the issue was discovered during warranty service for a rental vehicle customer."

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/sonic/2012/2012-chevrolet-sonic-recalled.html

So they had one instance of the issue discovered during a service and decided to recall all of the cars using that batch of sub-assemblies to make sure it was not a prolific issue.

Doesn't sound like a huge issue, but better safe then sorry and it's good to see it being taken care of quickly.

Thats pretty crazy that so many cars might of had some type of issue with the car. At least they recalled them and not just let everyone get hurt..

@Tim,

"Doesn't sound like a huge issue"

No brake pad - can't stop car - immediate effect (unlike some engine fire or power train failure which will take time to develop).

Do you live in the bizarro world?

"No brake pad - can't stop car - immediate effect"

One pad on one side might cause some directional stability issues and it would make distances longer as well as a sound, but the car still could be stopped.

C'mon A.R... you know brakes aren't important. It's just the possibility of ONE pad. You're only at risk of confusing the ABS and stability control systems. Over-extended the caliper piston and losing all of your brake fluid is of no issue either.

If the car is light enough you could possibly open the door and stick your foot on the pavement to try and stop the vehicle.

@A.R.

My comments on the "huge issue", is in reference to the size of the recall. Details of which was left off of the initial posting.

GM only noted one customer reported instance of the issue and I'd wager the owners of the cars with this problem (if any more exist) would be very aware of the problem and would have already taken them to the dealer and likely lodged a complaint (no complaints against the Sonic have been lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so far).

While a pad missing is a problem (the car would not track straight while braking and the stopping distance would increase), the car would still stop and theoretically be drivable to at least get it to the dealer for service.

That being said, If you bought a car that didn't have one of the front brake pads, you really didn't do a good job of test driving it before you bought it. Having had the misfortune of driving a car missing a pad, the pull and noise is very noticeable, as is the smell of melting metal.

Then again, you really don't care about this recall or what I have to say. You're snide comment and past posts have left your stance on anything that doesn't agree with you quite clear and I make it a habit not to feed the trolls when possible.

Good day.

How the hell do you miss this?Not a single damn person was like..."We should probably check the brake pads."

I'm all for buying American but if it starts putting my life in danger, forget it.

@Tim

so you are putting the blame on the buyer since they did not "thoroughly" inspect the vehicle? what world are you living in? it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that every part was installed and installed properly. maybe in your world it is ok to leave out a part of the safety system but not in the real world. are you willing to drive a vehicle with one brake pad missing for 4 months with your family in it? i don't think you are. GM is at fault here so put the blame where it should be placed.

@JR

"what world are you living in?"

Didn't you read what I wrote? Bizarro world!

@Tim,

Interesting proposition that the fault is with the owner for not doing its job in test driving the vehicle. Now, if I assume correctly, Sonic is targeted toward new or 1st time drivers...I'm sure that they know a lot about braking, ABS, Stability Control, etc.

@ AR and JR (same people?)

Nothing like ignoring everything else I wrote and taking one statement out of context. You troll well, but it just makes you look silly.

Actually, I blame GM, the sub-assembly supplier, and the dealer for the possibility of putting what could be unsafe vehicles up for sale. QA really slacked if this got through.

However, it is every buyers responsibility to make sure what they are spending their money on is in good working order before they buy it. Saying the consumer has no responsibility to ensure their satisfaction or their safety in the purchase of a vehicle is just wrong. Just like you should never purchase a house without an inspection (via an inspector and your own). I would never buy a vehicle (usually the second most expensive purchase in their lives for someone)without going over it thoroughly to make sure it is what I wanted and that it operates as it should. If you don't know what you are buying, then you shouldn't buy it. For a first time buyer (as you suggested), they should do their research first and know their limitations. Bring a friend who knows a little more or better yet have it checked by a mechanic before buying (even a new car). Once you sign the papers, you assume responsibility for anything and everything going on with the vehicle. Recall or no recall.

Not that you care, but I live in the world of personal responsibility and making sure my safety and the safety of my loved ones when they are in my care is my responsibility.
I do my own work when I can, make friends with my mechanic when I can't, and make sure the people I care about are as safe as possible with what they choose to drive or buy.

If I missed it before I bought it or something breaks, then its my responsibility to get it fixed. The recall is nice, but ultimately if I notice something not right, I wouldn't wait for it before I get something that seems wrong fixed.

@ Tim,

Chill dude.

The world is not just "I" - as in your post. Remember, Sonic is also a favorite among fleet buyers. Enterprise, government, commercial fleets, etc. These fleet vehicles do NOT get checked. People who drive these vehicles rarely complain (about problems), because it's not their vehicles. And if they do complain, the message will usually get lost in translation, because they are complaining not to GM, not to the dealership, but to the people who assign the vehicles to them.

What's even more important is this - eventually, these will become used vehicles.

Now have you seen the news about how fleet vehicles, specifically car rentals, put recall repairs a priority?

...Oh sorry about that brake pad, I was just smoking rock that day, no biggie.

@AR,

Your comment on the commercial fleet servicing history is entirely correct and a real concern for me when I have to rent a car. Thankfully, I've yet to run into a big issue when doing so, but still its troubling how little effort rental fleet managers put in to keeping their cars in good working order.

I also like how you and JR disagree with me by making childish belittling comments about my thoughts and the bizaro worlds I live in, but you can't maintain a consistent line of discussion with anything I've said. it feels like you are grasping at straws when your normal attacks just don't work... I'm sorry, would you like to start over?

If you can't maintain a dialog with people without resorting to childish name calling and belittling then you need to go back to debate class and pay better attention. Until then you are simply trolling posts to make yourself feel better.

@Tim,

Who said that I'm waging a war against you (or a debate)?

Just chill. I do like the fact that you've acknowledge the mistakes made by GM though, unlike some of the boneheads here...

@Tim

I think the whole point of buying a NEW car is NOT to have to go through with inspections with a mechanic. Then again, you should check out the car on your own before actually buying it. In that case, you should be able to know that there is something wrong, even if you don't know the specific problem.

Hey, where is the GM spokesperson to defend this case?

i work at this plant......what you didnt hear is we've been installing bad ABS brake modules the entire time. true story