Air conditioning is not blowing icy cold

[Tech_Geek23]

Long time, no see gents! Anyway, I've noticed the A/C on my 2012 1.8L LS is not quite up to what I am used to. The cold air blows but it's not freezing on the hands even when turned to 4 on the fan. Has anyone had a similar problem? I'm living in the middle of west Texas right now. A sub par A/C won't cut it. My girlfriend's 2016 Ford Fusion is icy cold if turned all cold and full blast.

 

[Sailurman]

Freon Levels may be low

I'd get her into the shop for an AC tune-up. You can always go to AutoZone and get the do it yourself charging kit but I'm always concerned about over charging which can jack things up. Your car is a 2012...

 

[Tech_Geek23]

Should that fix both the fan force and the temperature? I'm expecting full blast full cold to be only good for cooling it after sitting for a while, then not being bearable because it feels like winter in the car.

What was your point of it being a 2012?

 

[bluejay]

2012 model year should still be good for another 5 years or so b4 a recharge of the ac system is needed

 

[Sailurman]

Should that fix both the fan force and the temperature? I'm expecting full blast full cold to be only good for cooling it after sitting for a while, then not being bearable because it feels like winter in the car.

What was your point of it being a 2012?

Hot or Cold, it should still blow with the same force on each setting. And remember, you are in Texas!!! I'm in Phoenix and we just went through 119 two days in a row. I believe the cooling differential is like 30 degrees... so if it's 110 outside the car will cool to about degrees. Some shops offer free AC check ups. One thing they do is measure the output temperature of your vent.

 

[Tech_Geek23]

How can I check if it's right or not before taking it in? My girlfriend was the one who noticed how hot it was when we got in and it took having to blow full cold for a bit before it was comfortable and I could turn it down in order to talk or hear the radio

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

How can I check if it's right or not before taking it in? My girlfriend was the one who noticed how hot it was when we got in and it took having to blow full cold for a bit before it was comfortable and I could turn it down in order to talk or hear the radio

Hi there Tech_Geek23,

So sorry to hear that you're experiencing concerns with the air conditioning in your Sonic! If you decide to take it into the dealership, please let me know and I'd be more than willing to assist.

Chelsea D.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[nickalltogether]

I'm not saying it's normal, but now that the weather is over 90 pretty regularly here in NC I have to go to setting 3 or 4 on the blower for a while after first starting the car to get the interior temp cooled down. This is with it blowing through the vents and feet though.

 

[Thesd45]

Hmm. My 14 has never blown icy cold instantly like that. Even the first day I brought it home from the dealer. It gets cold after a few minutes and within 10 min the interior of the car is cooled off. But I wouldn't describe it as being icy at any point. The only cars I have been in that had what I would call icy cold ac where Cadillac's and the like. So I always chalked it up to an economy car having an economy priced ac system.

 

[Sailurman]

How can I check if it's right or not before taking it in? My girlfriend was the one who noticed how hot it was when we got in and it took having to blow full cold for a bit before it was comfortable and I could turn it down in order to talk or hear the radio

Ah, so I thought you meant it was not getting cold.....
If it is hot and HUMID, it will take a few to get comfortable. Though my Sonic does cool very quickly, it does take a couople of minutes to bring down the interior temp. Now my Cruze with the Sun Roof and Leather interior is horrible for cooling down... but it gets thaere after awhile.

 

[Palmaris]

The AC has a big % draw on the small engine, compared to other cars with bigger engines. You will notice that the AC will work better when you are actually turning higher RPM, because that drives the little AC compressor to work at full capacity. When the car is idling, it doesn't quite do it good enough. If you drive slowly around town saving fuel, it still may not get it spinning fast enough. When you are cruising down the highway at 3000 RPM the AC compressor will work much better.

Maybe your unit has a small problem and also this is affecting the performance.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Would not hurt to check the charge on the system though. Maybe check the return policy. In my Ford Taurus I used to have, I used this kit. The system had a leak and had to be charged about once a year, however when I got rid of the car it had nearly 200K on it, so this was cheaper than getting it fixed. Plus it comes with the inline gauge. Just make sure you follow directions and that it stays in the green area if it needs to be charged up.

However, as hot as the weather has been, it may take it a couple of minutes to cool off as the car gets up to operating temp.

 

[Sailurman]

So my son was up from Tucson with my Sonic this weekend. Temps were over 100 and it was instantly icy cold.

 

[albuquerqueith]

Long time, no see gents! Anyway, I've noticed the A/C on my 2012 1.8L LS is not quite up to what I am used to. The cold air blows but it's not freezing on the hands even when turned to 4 on the fan. Has anyone had a similar problem? I'm living in the middle of west Texas right now. A sub par A/C won't cut it. My girlfriend's 2016 Ford Fusion is icy cold if turned all cold and full blast.

Have same problem with mine. Took into dealership and they could find nothing wrong. Strange because my last Sonic was icy cold.