General Motors has officially announced that it is recalling the new 2012 Chevrolet-brand Sonic compact cars from the US Market. The 4296 vehicles being recalled were all manufactured at GM’s Orion Township plant in Michigan between the 2nd of June and the 21st of November, 2011.
In late November of last year, a 2012 Sonic purchased by a rental car agency was brought into a dealership for what seemed like regular warranty-covered servicing, where it was discovered that the new car had neither an outer nor an inner front disc brake pad. This is found to be very troubling because vehicles are supposed to be test driven after assembly, before shipment to dealerships. How were over 4000 Chevrolet Sonics able to slip past simple brake tests and shipped out for sale?
This defect presents a dangerous safety hazard. It negatively affects reaction time in an emergency braking scenario. It could cause and accident and lead to serious injuries or worse. GM is working to notify all registered owners of affected 2012 Sonics and install front brake pads in them, free of charge.