Customer Satisfaction Program
53941 Incorrect Fuel Economy Information
Reference Number:
GWM Number:
Revision Description:
Attention:

Release Date: August 2016
N162053941
Revision: 01
2053941
This bulletin was revised to update the Customer Notification section. Please discard all
previous copies of bulletin 53941.

All involved vehicles that are in dealer inventory must be held and not delivered to customers, dealer
traded, or used for demonstration purposes until the corrected window label is affixed to the vehicle per
this bulletin.
Vehicles involved in this program were placed on stop delivery on June 22, 2016. Once the procedure
contained in this bulletin has been performed on the vehicle, the vehicle is released from stop delivery
and the vehicle can be delivered to the customer.
With regard to involved customer vehicles, no action is required by dealers. See the customer notification
section for details.

Make
Chevrolet

Model
Sonic

Model Year
From
To
2014
2016

RPO
LUV
MR5

Description
Engine, 1.4L turbo
Transmission, manual 6-speed

Involved vehicles will be marked “open” in the near future on the Investigate Vehicle History screen in the GM Global
Warranty Management system. This site should always be checked to confirm vehicle involvement prior to beginning any
required inspections and/or repairs.
Condition

Correction

GM discovered an error which affected the fuel economy information on the fuel economy labels on the
2014-2016 model year Sonic RS vehicles with manual transmissions. The error caused the EPA
estimated fuel economy to be listed on the window label as 1 MPG higher (0.1L/100 KM lower) than it
should have been. GM is stopping sale of the affected models until a corrected label is printed and
affixed. GM will contact owners of the affected models to address this situation. This label error has no
effect on the safety and operation of the vehicles.
Dealers are to remove the fuel economy (Monroney) label and affix a corrected label to the vehicle.

Part Information
Replacement labels with the correct fuel economy information are being reprinted and will be shipped to involved dealers
of record via FedEx Overnight delivery. All of the replacement labels should begin arriving at U.S. dealers by June 30,
2016. Canadian dealers should expect replacement labels to begin arriving by July 4, 2016. Please do not attempt to
order replacement labels via the BARS Reprint Request process in GM GlobalConnect prior to July 8, 2016. After that
date, you may order additional labels through GM GlobalConnect. Log into GlobalConnect, select >Sales >BARS Reprint
Request >COV/Price Fuel Label Request >Price Fuel Label. Enter the VIN and press Submit.
Warranty Information
Labor
Operation
9102272
9102398
*

Description
Remove and Replace Fuel Economy (Monroney) Label
Floor Plan Reimbursement

Labor
Time
0.1
N/A

Trans.
Type
ZFAT
ZFAT

Net
Item
N/A
*

USA & Canada Only - Vehicles eligible for floor plan reimbursement are to submit the amount in “Net Item” and should
represent the product of the vehicle’s average daily interest rate (see table below) multiplied by the actual number of
days the vehicle was in dealer inventory and not available for sale. This reimbursement is limited to the number of
days from the date of the stop delivery message (June 22, 2016) to the date the repair is completed and the vehicle
is ready for sale (not to exceed 14 days):
Reimbursement Amount
Vehicle
2014 Chevrolet Sonic
2015 Chevrolet Sonic
2016 Chevrolet Sonic

Copyright 2016 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.

USA
$2.33
$2.31
$2.25

Canada
$3.20
$3.20
$3.20

Page 1 of 2

Customer Satisfaction Program
53941 Incorrect Fuel Economy Information
Service Procedure
Note: This procedure is for involved vehicles in dealer new vehicle inventory only. Replacement fuel economy (Monroney)
labels for these vehicles are VIN specific. Please exercise due care to ensure that the correct label is affixed to the correct
vehicle.
1. Carefully remove the factory installed label from the vehicle’s window. Discard this label.
2. Carefully affix the replacement label to the vehicle’s window.
Dealer Responsibility
All new vehicles in dealers' possession and subject to this program must be held and procedure of this bulletin performed
before customers take possession of these vehicles. Involved vehicles must be held and not delivered to customers,
dealer-traded, released to auction, used for demonstration, or any other purpose until the correlated window label is
affixed to the vehicle.
Dealer Reports
For dealers with involved vehicles, a listing with involved vehicles has been prepared and will be provided to U.S. and
Canadian dealers through the GM GlobalConnect Program Reports, or sent directly to export dealers.
Customer Notification
USA & Canada - General Motors will notify customers of this program on their vehicle. Included with the letter will be a
paper reproduction of their vehicle’s corrected fuel economy information. This facsimile is being provided for their records
and no dealer action is required.
Export - Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the U.S. National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act. Dealers should notify owners outside these areas.
All - A sample letter will not be included with this bulletin due to multiple letter versions being printed. Customer letters
were written with individual differences unique to the customer’s ownership experience; such as how the vehicle was
obtained (purchase or lease), length of lease, and whether or not the involved customer is still in possession of the vehicle.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these technicians of
conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained
technicians have the tools, equipment, safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT
assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See your dealer for information on whether your
vehicle may benefit from the information.

We Support
Voluntary Technician
Certification

GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS4160
URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date:

August 19, 2016

Subject: 53941 01 – Customer Satisfaction Program
Incorrect Fuel Economy Information
Revised Customer Notification section.
Models: 2014-2015 Chevrolet Sonic RS
Equipped with 1.4L turbo engine (RPO LUV) and 6-speed manual
transmission (RPO MR5)
To:

All Chevrolet Dealers

Bulletin 53941 has been revised to update the Customer Notification section. A
sample letter will not be included with this bulletin due to multiple letter versions
being printed. Customer letters were written with individual differences unique to
the customer’s ownership experience; such as how the vehicle was obtained
(purchase or lease), length of lease, and whether or not the involved customer is
still in possession of the vehicle. Please discard all copies of bulletin 53941.
Customer Letter Mailing
The customer letter mailing will begin on August 26, 2016. Please see the
attached sample letters.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

August XX, 2016

Dear [First Name],
We understand that you no longer own the vehicle, but we want to let you know that we have discovered
an unintentional error in the EPA fuel economy estimates shown on the Fuel Economy and Environmental
section of the window label of the [MY] Chevrolet Sonic RS manual transmission vehicle you previously
owned. When you purchased your vehicle, the label indicated an EPA-estimated combined MPG of
XX (XX city, XX highway). In fact, the correct EPA-estimated combined MPG is XX (XX city,XX highway).
As a result, the EPA calculated estimated fuel savings for your vehicle is $250 less, as compared to the average
vehicle, over a 5-year period. A copy of the incorrect and corrected Fuel Economy and Environmental section
of the label is displayed on the website listed below.
We apologize for this mistake. As a result, we would like to offer you a ($XXX) debit card to reimburse you for
the difference in the EPA-estimated fuel cost for the time you owned your Sonic. Please take action no later
than October X, 2016. For additional details, please see the next page.
The amount of your debit card was based on the amount of time you owned the involved vehicle and the
EPA-estimated fuel cost between the correct and incorrect window labels, based upon EPA’s calculations
of fuel cost.
You may obtain the debit card online at chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy. You’ll need your VIN and a PIN
(they’re printed on both pages of this letter, for your convenience). Once you log in, you will be asked to agree
to certain terms and conditions, including a waiver of claims related to this error.
Again, we are sorry for this mistake, and we appreciate your business and hope we can “Find New Roads”
together in the future.
Sincerely,

Brian Sweeney
Vice President, Chevrolet

SD01

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

$XXX DEBIT CARD
You will receive your debit card by mail within 4 weeks.

To obtain your debit card, please visit

chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy
Please take action no later than October X, 2016.
Your Previous Vehicle: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
(These numbers will be required to log into the customer website.)
Please contact the Chevrolet Customer Relations Center at 1-800-222-1020 if you have any questions.

SD01

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

August XX, 2016

Dear [First Name],
We want to let you know that we have discovered an unintentional error in the EPA fuel economy estimates
shown on the Fuel Economy and Environmental section of the window label of your [MY] Chevrolet Sonic RS
manual transmission vehicle. When you leased your vehicle, the label indicated an EPA-estimated combined
MPG of XX (XX city, XX highway). In fact, the correct EPA-estimated combined MPG is XX (XX city, XX highway).
As a result, the EPA calculated estimated fuel savings for your vehicle is $250 less, as compared to the average
vehicle, over a 5-year period. A copy of the incorrect and corrected Fuel Economy and Environmental section
of the label is displayed on the website listed below.
We apologize for this mistake and would like to reimburse you for the difference in the EPA-estimated expected
fuel cost for the term of the lease on your vehicle. Based on the term of your lease compared to the five years of
ownership period used by the EPA to estimate the fuel cost as shown on your window label, we have calculated
that the amount of your reimbursement is $XXX based upon EPA’s calculations of 15,000 miles per year and gas
prices at $3.00/gallon. We would like to reimburse you that amount via a debit card. For details about this offer,
please see the next page. Please take action no later than October X, 2016.
You may obtain the debit card online at chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy. You’ll need your VIN and a PIN
(they’re printed on both pages of this letter, for your convenience). Once you log in, you will be asked to agree to
certain terms and conditions, including a waiver of claims related to this error.
Additionally, enclosed you will find a copy of the Fuel Economy and Environmental section of the label with the
corrected EPA-estimated fuel economy for your Sonic. You should keep this copy with your car papers.
Again, we are sorry for this mistake and please know we value your business and hope that you and your Sonic
continue to “Find New Roads” together.
Sincerely,

Brian Sweeney
Vice President, Chevrolet

SL01

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

$XXX DEBIT CARD
You will receive your card by mail within 4 weeks.

To obtain your debit card, please visit

chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy
Please take action no later than October X, 2016.
Your Vehicle: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
(These numbers will be required to log into the customer website.)

Please contact the Chevrolet Customer Relations Center at 1-800-222-1020 if you have any questions.

SL01

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

August XX, 2016

Dear [First Name],
We want to let you know that we have discovered an unintentional error in the EPA fuel economy estimates
shown on the Fuel Economy and Environmental section of the window label of your [MY] Chevrolet Sonic RS
manual transmission vehicle. When you purchased your vehicle, the label indicated an EPA-estimated combined
MPG of XX (XX city, XX highway). In fact, the correct EPA-estimated combined MPG is XX (XX city, XX highway).
As a result, the EPA calculated estimated fuel savings for your vehicle is $250 less, as compared to the average
vehicle, over a 5-year period. A copy of the incorrect and corrected Fuel Economy and Environmental section of
the label is displayed on the website listed below.
We apologize for this mistake. As a result, we would like to offer you a $250 debit card to reimburse you for
difference in the expected EPA estimated fuel cost. Please take action no later than October X, 2016. For
additional details, please see the next page.
You may obtain the debit card online at chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy. You’ll need your VIN and a PIN
(they’re printed on both pages of this letter, for your convenience). Once you log in, you will be asked to agree to
certain terms and conditions, including a waiver of claims related to this error.
Additionally, enclosed you will find a copy of the Fuel Economy and Environmental section of the label with the
corrected EPA-estimated fuel economy for your Sonic. You should keep this copy with your car papers.
Again, we are sorry for this mistake and please know we value your business and hope that you and your Sonic
continue to “Find New Roads” together.
Sincerely,

Brian Sweeney
Vice President, Chevrolet

SP01

[First Name] [Last Name]
### Street, City, ST ZIPXX
Your: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy

$250 DEBIT CARD
You will receive your card by mail within 4 weeks.

To obtain your debit card, please visit

chevrolet.com/sonicfueleconomy
Please take action no later than October X, 2016.
Your Vehicle: [MY] Chevrolet Sonic
VIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
PIN: [xxxxxxxxx]
(These numbers will be required to log into the customer website.)

Please contact the Chevrolet Customer Relations Center at 1-800-222-1020 if you have any questions.

SP01