Is my trans going out and is my poor sonic totaled?

[zacjoiner]

2012 Sonic Hatch 1.8L 6-Speed Auto Trans

177k Miles on it

When the car shifts through the gears it does fine until it gets to 4th gear then it starts bucking like it is attempting to go into gear and if I power through it with the accelarator it finally shifts. I assume this is a sign the transmission is going out? If i pull it down into manual mode I can tap shift through the gears with no noticeable issues. So I start calling around to try and get prices on replacing the transmission because I love the car and I dont really want to buy a new car right now. I was quoted $4200 parts and labor for the install of a GM Remanufactured unit :blankface:

Thats worth more than the car.... So the question is, is the car totaled? I figured $4200 was high but really I would have a hard time justifying payingeven $3000 because the car is probably only worth that. I had just done brakes, water pump, valve cover gasket, and some coolant fitting that broke. The car seems to nice to turn into scrap but do I have any other options? Is there something relatively easy I could check myself before calling this thing dead?

Pretty sad to see her go if she is done for. I sold my corvette and bought this sonic brand new 9 years ago and I have loved it. I paid $17,800 for it and its been a great car. I have a lot of good memories with this car. I took my wife on our first date in this car, I picked up our first puppy in it, and I even stuffed the first deer I ever killed into the back of it. :sadbanana:I was hoping she would make it to 200k miles but she fell just short.

 

[TitanBlue]

Look for a Jasper Rebuilt Transmission, look for a Junkyard Transmission, look for a wrecked Sonic being "parted out" by the owner as that seems to come up often enough since the FB page is national or international really.

 

[Gobinator98]

2012 Sonic Hatch 1.8L 6-Speed Auto Trans

177k Miles on it

When the car shifts through the gears it does fine until it gets to 4th gear then it starts bucking like it is attempting to go into gear and if I power through it with the accelarator it finally shifts. I assume this is a sign the transmission is going out? If i pull it down into manual mode I can tap shift through the gears with no noticeable issues. So I start calling around to try and get prices on replacing the transmission because I love the car and I dont really want to buy a new car right now. I was quoted $4200 parts and labor for the install of a GM Remanufactured unit :blankface:

Thats worth more than the car.... So the question is, is the car totaled? I figured $4200 was high but really I would have a hard time justifying payingeven $3000 because the car is probably only worth that. I had just done brakes, water pump, valve cover gasket, and some coolant fitting that broke. The car seems to nice to turn into scrap but do I have any other options? Is there something relatively easy I could check myself before calling this thing dead?

Pretty sad to see her go if she is done for. I sold my corvette and bought this sonic brand new 9 years ago and I have loved it. I paid $17,800 for it and its been a great car. I have a lot of good memories with this car. I took my wife on our first date in this car, I picked up our first puppy in it, and I even stuffed the first deer I ever killed into the back of it. :sadbanana:I was hoping she would make it to 200k miles but she fell just short.

Mine has been doing the same thing for the last 5-10k miles, only occasionally though. Car currently has 159k on it.

I have a low mileage 2015 sonic AT transmission that I am going to put in mine when it starts acting up more or actually breaks. That junkyard trans has 41,000 on it and bought it for $250.


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[TurtleOverlord]

If it shifts fine when you tell it to manually, I would not thing that its a transmission problem.

More like a problem with whatever the computer uses to decide when to shift.

 

[Gobinator98]

If it shifts fine when you tell it to manually, I would not thing that its a transmission problem.

More like a problem with whatever the computer uses to decide when to shift.

My transmission burns fluid, so it’s definitely not a computer issue unless that’s what is causing it to burn fluid but I doubt it. It’s most likely a worn/bad torque converter as my transmission has delayed shifts and sometimes can be extremely harsh. Almost like getting punched in the face harsh. These transmissions are nothing but crap and I’m really surprised it lasted this long.


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[JTee2017]

When people buy a used car or neglect to do transmission fluid changes based on use, any transmission can start to fail from wear or abuse. It doesn't mean the transmission is junk.
There also have been improvements in Sonic transmission in later years . . 2014 IIRC.

Also, curious that there are other members here on the forum who have +140,000 miles on their 1.8L Sonic with 6 speed Auto with just some of the routine and typical repairs.


In the case of buying used. . . there is also no way to tell how a previous owner may have mistreated the car and transmission or done "mods" like some like to do.

Lastly anyone who can read has access to this forum and the Cruze forum and find . .. . All it takes is to be a bit proactive and do a double drain and refill or the transmission fluid about every 30K to 40K miles.

I do agree that these are really small transmissions so changing the fluid often enough is wise and good preventative maintenance. Waiting till there is a problem and expecting an easy fix or better reliability is just short sighted.

 

[Gobinator98]

When people buy a used car or neglect to do transmission fluid changes based on use, any transmission can start to fail from wear or abuse. It doesn't mean the transmission is junk.
There also have been improvements in Sonic transmission in later years . . 2014 IIRC.

Also, curious that there are other members here on the forum who have +140,000 miles on their 1.8L Sonic with 6 speed Auto with just some of the routine and typical repairs.


In the case of buying used. . . there is also no way to tell how a previous owner may have mistreated the car and transmission or done "mods" like some like to do.

Lastly anyone who can read has access to this forum and the Cruze forum and find . .. . All it takes is to be a bit proactive and do a double drain and refill or the transmission fluid about every 30K to 40K miles.

I do agree that these are really small transmissions so changing the fluid often enough is wise and good preventative maintenance. Waiting till there is a problem and expecting an easy fix or better reliability is just short sighted.

No matter how much you change the fluid, these pieces of crap are gonna break eventually. It’s not usually the lack of maintenance that causes problems with Chevys, it’s the design of the stupid thing.

And yeah, you could change your transmission fluid every 30-40,000 miles but that ain’t gonna change what happens eventually. Just ask all the individuals that had transmission replacements under 40k miles or even under 75k. You can’t deny the issues that these cars are plagued with and say they are good when you consider posts that were posted from 2011-2016.

Wait until your car is almost 10 years old.....then come back and tell us how great the car is then. [emoji23][emoji23]


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[zacjoiner]

Mine has been doing the same thing for the last 5-10k miles, only occasionally though. Car currently has 159k on it.

I have a low mileage 2015 sonic AT transmission that I am going to put in mine when it starts acting up more or actually breaks. That junkyard trans has 41,000 on it and bought it for $250.


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Mine started that way, but it was an occasional hard shift at speed or down shifting when going to pass.

I had the transfluid flushed and changed when I had the timing belt done. I didnt realize it called for it every 45k miles. Honestly this is one of the first cars I have ever owned for more than 2 years. My dad was in the car business and when I was younger we would hunt good deals on a sporty car and I would drive it until it sold. Usually 6 months was the longest I drove something.

The car has been a great car, not until recently haven't I done anything major to it. I have an outlet for a GM remanufactured transmission for $2250 but by the time I pay labor, it will wind up being as much as the car is worth. I would hate to spend the money to fix the trans and then the motor go out.

I wonder what my cars worth for a parts car? $1500? Wheels are good, everything works, overall its in good shape, hood and roof are scratched but interior isnt torn up or anything and the engine runs great.

 

[JTee2017]

2012-13 were when Sonics, like any first year model entry, had their issues.
2014 and up seem to be much better.
Anyone who buys any car in used condition no matter the brand . . . should not expect reliability to the degree of a new car which was properly maintained and has a known maintenance history.

With used. . . it often is you get what you pay for. Even with a new vehicle, if maintenance is not done in a proactive manner and even sooner for some specific things like fluid changes. . . you get consequences.

Some owners here won't own up to the fact that they bought a 2012 Sonic that was even modified or "hacked" by a previous owner and then complain about things that may largely be the result of what amounts to vehicle abuse.
This is true of most any brand, model or year of car a person may buy.

Certainly, buying a 2012 Sonic and experiencing issues is not fun. But reading forums like this . . for any brand or model . . before a purchase , often would have prevented it.

It's called proactive due diligence.

Here is a recent example of a happy 2012 Owner who just moved on to something newer but had a satisfactory Sonic experience - -

I had a 2012 Sonic LT 133k miles very dependable. I got a new Toyota Camry December 28th. I was not really wanting to trade but they were selling the Camry at a price I couldn't resist. I just wanted to wish everyone good luck with their Sonics . . . . .

 

[zacjoiner]

I bought my car brand new. It had like 26 miles on it because they drove it from the downtown store to the location where I purchased it. Its been a good car. Overall my experience was positive. For the cost of the car vs the miles I got out of it, I would say it was worth it. Not sure I will buy another just due to my lifestyle having changed. 178k miles is a respectable number in my book.

 

[LightingLindsey]

I have similar issues!

Check Transmission control module programming.

Sounds like mine just needs reprogramming, I have code U0101

 

[Dingleberry69]

No matter how much you change the fluid, these pieces of crap are gonna break eventually. It’s not usually the lack of maintenance that causes problems with Chevys, it’s the design of the stupid thing.

And yeah, you could change your transmission fluid every 30-40,000 miles but that ain’t gonna change what happens eventually. Just ask all the individuals that had transmission replacements under 40k miles or even under 75k. You can’t deny the issues that these cars are plagued with and say they are good when you consider posts that were posted from 2011-2016.

Wait until your car is almost 10 years old.....then come back and tell us how great the car is then. [emoji23][emoji23]


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Yup I agree, these are transmissions made by quality OEM manufacturers, but they are built on Chevy spec and at a cost. It’s very evident too. I’ve got a getrag built m26 5 speed, and was completely astounded when i ripped into it to replace the differential. Plastic everywhere inside. Even the cages on the carrier bearings (the part that holds the needles to the inner race) were made out of plastic. Even though they were reputable brand (*** bearings), I can’t believe they built em that cheap. Took the differential out and all the bearing needles were scattered on the inside of the case cause the cages on both sides broke. Not Cool. I can only imagine all the sonics are like that. Including the autos.