Chevrolet - Sonic :: Intermittent Braking Or Sluggishness At Speed
Jul 4, 2015
I'm noticing some odd behavior from my Brand New (50 miles) Chevy Sonic. When I get to about 40-45 mph steady, the car seems to apply a small amount of braking every few seconds. The effect is strong enough that my head bobs forward somewhat.
On a long drive, I could see it getting VERY annoying. It really "feels' like braking and not like engine sluggishness, but I"m not 100% sure. I was thinking traction control. I'm going to the shop next week but would be nice to be pre-loaded with some ideas, maybe even some things I could look into myself.
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My 2013 Sonic has died three times this week. After charging, the car runs fine, and will start up another 5-6 times with no problem. I can even turn the car off immediately after disconnecting jumper cables, and it will turn back on. I took it to Autozone to be tested yesterday, and my battery, alternator, and starter passed. (Alternator is only about 10/11 mos old. Battery and starter have never been replaced) When the battery is dead, I hear a rapid clicking sound, the interior lights are dim, and headlights wont work, Sometimes the dash lights come on, other times they don't.
Some other issues that have been going on which may or may not be related are, catalytic converter and fuel solenoid valve are faulty, and will be replaced this week. Also my car window will go down but will not come up, (no noise when attempting to roll up the window, so i don't think its off track) and the windshield wiper squirts the washer liquid under the hood, and not on the window. (Havent gotten to diagnose those issues yet).
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So for the past week or so, I've been having problems with my cooling system. (May or may not be related to my air valve stuck open code, just thought I'd mention it.) First thing that drew my attention to the problem was smoke (or steam) coming from under the hood, I let the car cool off, and drove home. During this time I also noticed the heat stopped working. I went to get some coolant in another car and filled it up. Smoke went away, and heat started working again.
Later the same day I checked the reservoir and it looked low so I figured the radiator sucked all the coolant up, so I refilled the resivoir tank. I spilled a nice amount when doing that, and the steam came back. It cooled down again and no more steam, figured it burnt off. The next few mornings on my first drive of the day ONLY, I saw steam. Thought it was the condensation mixing with the leftover coolant that I spilled since it didn't happen at all until the next morning.
Today was the first time it started steaming at night, and the heat stopped working again, even though the reservoir level was mostly full. I let the car cool down, and then I added more coolant and the heat started working again, no more steam either. Looked under the hood once I got home, abt a 20 min drive, resivoir was nearly empty even though car was still warm. No visible leaks on the smaller reservoir hose but there are puddles under the hood.
I've read it could be a leak of course, but also the Cap could be preventing the right pressure to suck fluid back in radiator after expanding into the surge tank, or something causing the tank to boil over....
Car is a 2013 Chevy Sonic with 68,000 miles. Coolant has never been drained/refilled since I bought the car new in 2013.
[IMG] ....
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A couple of weeks ago I came home from work to find my front passenger side wheel completely deflated. I didn't think much of it at the time and thought someone must have let it down. However, ever since then I have had a very low pitched intermittent 'whomp' sound coming from it, when braking at a low speed. When the car comes to a stop, so does the noise.
I'm beginning to suspect that the tyre being deflated was due to it not being properly sealed to the wheel. I'd parked half on/half off the pavement outside my house with the passenger side on the road. I assumed the tyre deflated because it couldn't handle the weight of the car on the tyre. I've inspected the tyre and there are no obvious punctures and the wheel has remained inflated ever since and I've now agreed with my housemate that I can use the drive to park it on for the time being to stop it happening again.
However, before the deflation everything was fine with the car and there was definitely no 'whomp'. What it may be/ways to check what it is myself and/or potential costings of taking it to a mechanic?
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When turning a corner at low speed (left or right) while riding the brake, if the suspension bounces (e.g., crossing uneven manhole cover) the left front brake pulses for .5-2 seconds. The pulse is felt in the brake pedal. A grunt noise comes from the suspension. Cannot reproduce over parking lot speed bumps.
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I have a 1997 Oldsmobile 88 (174K miles, owned only by my father-in-law and then me) with which I am experiencing a hesitation problem from time to time at highway speed. My mechanic has taken the car on several highway test drives throughout the last two days, and he has been unable to reproduce the problem. Furthermore, he has done a full diagnostic test and found no problems with the fuel system, ignition system, or anything else.
Here are the conditions under which the problem occurs:
---Attempting to accelerate gradually at highway speed (usually from 50-60 mph), but WITHOUT pushing the gas pedal down so far as to cause the transmission to downshift
---Engine fully warmed up (temp gauge at 200 F or just below)
---Occurs more often when I have been driving for at least 1-2 hours
The condition is as follows:
---Car lurches/surges noticeably and does not accelerate
---Speedometer needle reflects the lurching by fluctuating up and down about 1 to 2 mph
---Accelerates well if I step down hard enough to cause the transmission to downshift, or stops surging if I lift off the gas pedal
---NO Check Engine light at any time
Some history on the car and corrective actions taken:
---June 2009: My mother-in-law was driving the car about 6 hours into our trip and it consistently hesitated between 50 and 55 mph with the Check Engine light on for the last 30 miles or so of our trip. The next day, we took the car to the dealer where my in-laws had their cars serviced (note the past tense here), where they told us that "there's probably something wrong inside the transmission" and suggested that we replace the transmission with a new one. This transmission is the second new one the car has had (replaced the first time at 95K miles), meaning that this transmission had less than 80K miles at the time. We took the car to a local shop at the referral of a friend, and this mechanic suggested we try flushing the transmission fluid and replacing the filter to see if that would fix the problem before we started talking about replacing the whole transmission. This worked, and we were glad that we did not have to get rid of the car. Did not notice any more problems with this for over a year.
---May 2010: Experienced engine misfire, had spark plug wires replaced. Problem solved.
---March 2011: First noticed my current problem. Had fuel filter replaced (it was probably a little overdue) and had the mechanics do a fuel system cleaning.
---April 2011: Problem still occurs.
---Had throttle body thoroughly cleaned, which fixed a slight sticking in the gas pedal.
---Replaced spark plugs myself. Car running more smoothly overall, but the hesitation still occurs.
---Inspected all three ignition coil packs myself. Top coil pack had some rust on the poles, which caused the resistance to measure as zero. Cleaned most of the rust off the poles, after which all three packs bench tested at 6.23 (with 20000 ohm setting on multimeter). Car runs even more smoothly overall, but hesitation persists.
At this point, my mechanic and I are both stumped as to what could be causing the hesitation problem. My only thought right now is to try replacing the one coil pack that had rust on it, since a pack with a fault I can see may have others inside that I can't see, and maybe something like this is flaking out on an intermittent basis.
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So Im going to post a series of graphs of boost compared to rpms. I also did fueling and wastegate. Im having an issue with alot of boost flutter and sluggishness
Idle lambda is at -1.3
Partial lambda is at 13.5
Graph one showing specified and actual boost compared to rpm
Got rid of the crappy autozone special sunpro boost gauge and installed the newsouth that bill shipped me.
Only getting -10 vac at idle
Spiking and holding around 24-25 psi and then it barely drops at all but it holds at 24psi for a while which is kind of scary....
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My 2001 Honda CR-V seems to seize up randomly. I can be driving on the highway and suddenly the car will not go over 40mph. If I keep driving, the car will return to normal after a couple of minutes. I first thought it was not changing into 4th gear, but the transmission guy said no. Took it to a Honda specialist who said it was the transmisssion. Took it back to the transmission guy who again said it's not the transmission and guessed it was brakes. A shop replaced the calipers and hoses. The fix worked 6 months. When the grabbing started again I would pull over and pump the brakes, which would release the grabbing. I took it back to the brake guy who replaced the master cylinder. Now the brakes scrape and gurgle. From outside the car they squeak. this feels like its in the front. There are no codes suggesting the ABS system is faulty, but I don't understand what signals would cause intermittent braking. I'm not confident the master cylinder is the solution.
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I had my car in a garage for 5 days and it started up and drove fine. I went to the store got back in my car and now if feels like the car is working harder to move and the initial electric motion feels impeded.
Tires at 29-33psi. Oil was at low line. Filled it up....test drove and it feels the same sluggishness
The gas engine even sounds like it is working harder to move.
My car has over 200,000 miles.
I think I need a new cat converter....but I have been trying to find one...
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Previously, I would sometimes experience sluggishness and hesitation when attempting to accelerate. Now, the problem has become worse. Also, previously the issue occurred when I suddenly needed to accelerate to pass another vehicle. Now, I can feel it from take off, you really hear the engine struggling(the kind of sound you hear on an old 4 cylinder vehicle trying to go uphill). Sometimes, I feel the engine is struggling to keep the vehicle at a constant speed on a level road. Tried fuel injector cleaners like BG44K. While these injector cleaners are in the gas tank, the car runs smooth and has decent acceleration. Later, I return back to square one.
It is not that I have high expectations and am a power freak. I used to own a 2004 RX330 with 150K miles and that car ran better at 150K without any tune up then my GX460 with 60K miles. So, you can imagine my frustrations.
One more thing I noticed, it runs better when I just gas it up. One theory, could be the fuel filter is clogged. When I am suppose to change the fuel filter on the GX460?
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My 2004 Treg has 24,000 miles on it and though I still LOVE it, it has been in and out of the dealer for inconsistent power issues. Off and on there is a noticeable delayed response from when you engage the gas and when the vehicle responds. Not to mention the transmission feels very jerky and rough as well. I have heard numerous reasons for this, but this week I got a new reason! The VW dealership says that now it could be that my air filter is dirty and needs to be replaced! They said if the new air filter does not fix the problems that I will need a whole new computer system!! Does this make any sense?
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My 2000 v10 w/194K has developed an intermittent shake when braking. Severity from mild to severe. Had the problem earlier, suspected the rotors - replaced front rotors and pads with EB slotted rotors and Yellow Stuff pads. It was fine for a couple of months, now its back. Replaced the slide pins last night (they were in good shape, replaced anyway). Where to look next?
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I have a 2008 Prius. It has been giving me an engine light intermittently while I am driving. My mechanic could not get an error code to show. It mostly happens while braking or while driving a right hand curve on roads at speed. What might be happening?
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My car is an 08' camry LE v6. I bought it with 45,000 miles on it and I've had this issue since I got it, put 10k miles on it with no change. When I am going 55mph+ or going downhill the car vibrates when I brake, the steering wheel shakes pretty violently. It doesn't seem to affect the stopping power and it's perfectly smooth at low speeds. I don't think it's a wheel balance/alignment issue because it's only when braking, even at 80mph this car is the smoothest ride I've ever had.
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I replaced the pads and rotors on the front end of my 2002 maxima (it had a shudder when braking from speed). By mistake, I did loosen the spindle nut, but re-tightened it. Braking is smooth, but I am plagued by noise. Used CRC on the back of the pads, have pulled the tires/wheels 3-4 times looking for looseness, mistakes, etc…. This is a pretty simple job – right? Even had the front wheel off my other 2002 (yes – I have 2…love this year/model) and compared them.
Did I cause an issue with the loosening and re-tightening of the spindle? Is this just a spline? I have it “wrench” tight and it had not loosened up even with 500 miles driving. There is not any play in the wheels mounted to the axle… What do I need to look at next?
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I have a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fa 4 wheel drive. I bought it used a year an a half ago. It has 106, 580 miles. Since purchasing I have had problems with the ABS wanting to engage when I am braking at low speeds. It doesn't always happen, seems worse when first starting in the morning and when the weather is wet/humid (?). I can feel something in the brake pedal, tap it lightly to disengage. No warning lights come on. I took it to the dealer. They did a diagnostic and showed nothing wrong with the ABS, however they said I needed rear brake rotors. They replaced pads and rotors. In the process the caliper bolt seized and needed to be extracted by a third party.
When I picked up the car the mechanic said the brake line was very dirty with lumps in it and should be flushed soon. Driving away from the dealership I still had the same problem with the ABS. They told me to have the brake line flushed. The dirt and lumps could be causing air pockets which is making the ABS think it needs to engage when the system does its self diagnostic test.
A week later I had the brake line flushed. The ABS system continues to try to engage. I know I needed brakes and the brake line flushed but I still have my original problem.
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I filled up my car three day ago and ever since then its been shaking when I brake and when I speed up and pretty much any time the car is moving. Why its doing this I just had it in the shop two weeks ago for a full check up. What the issue could be?
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I have 2007 Chevrolet Aveo. I have changed spark plugs, new battery, changed and checked brake system. I still have this issue sometimes when am braking the engine loses power and at times will cut off while braking or if you brake hard it'll lose power, the car shut down, the engine, power steering and everything went off and all the dash lights lit up. Even sometimes when on parking and AC is on, once I change gear to D or R it shuts down. And it looks like the AC is weakening engine's power also.
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2010 RX 350 NAP ... Brand New and OEM where it would apply : Tires (Conti's LX20s)
Brakes / Rotors (had same shake before replacing and did not improve after replacement but maybe I am dealing with a bad caliper here)
Tie Rod Ends
Stab Links
Lower Control Arm Ball Joint
None of which have solved a vibration issue thus far. Strut feels solid and the corner push test had the car settle out in less than 2 bounces.
If car has sat a while the driver front (where the issue lies) feels like a imbalanced tire/bent rim (rotated the wheels just to be sure it didn't follow the wheel/tire) or like a broken belt. The tires are almost brand new and only put them on because I was trying to eliminate the point of issue.
When braking, a light touch to the brake pedal makes a almost light clank sound (like weight shift is causing the clank or perhaps a sign of a bad caliper (although pad wear looks even but didn't have rotors rechecked but even with brand new rotors it was there so I don't feel it's a warped rotor plus the vibration is there even when not applying the brakes.
There is only one control arm and the bushing didn't look cracked beyond the normal surface cracking I have seen on most rubber bushing. The upper support is from the strut so perhaps a bad strut or maybe strut support/cap/bearing?
At a total loss as the local garages cannot find anything wrong. My thought was a bad wheel bearing, although there is not any grinding sound that you typically hear when a hub is going bad.
Could also be the CV Joint but not sure how to tell if that really issue the issue unless I replace all the other parts first (hub, caliper, strut/support/bearing).
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What causes my (front) brakes to squeal when i brake at a low speed? Is there a fix besides replacing?
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Bought my Prius (2005, with 160K miles) about a month ago and since I've had it I am hearing a metal on metal grinding noise when braking at low speed. How loud the sound is depends on how hard I am on pushing on the brakes. One of my co-workers has the same model and said that his does not make that sound. Not sure if its just because it has after-market brake pads or something? This noise only occurs when braking at low speeds (below 10 MPH) so I assume its an issue with the front brakes.
Is this something I need to get looked at by the dealership? I had a local mechanic that worked on my old Honda beater take a look and he said that the rotors and brake pads looked new and wasn't sure why they'd make noise.
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