2016 Chevrolet Spark Owner Complaints

ON THE WAY BACK TO MY SAN FRANCISCO HOME FROM THE NOVATO CHEVROLET DEALER WHERE I HAD JUST PURCHASED A NEW BLACK 2016 CHEVROLET SPARK EV MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING. JUST COMING OFF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, ON A SIGNIFICANT DOWNHILL GRADE, MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. AT FIRST THE BRAKES STARTED TO BE HARDER TO PUSH AND THEN WITH MY FOOT TO THE FLOOR, PROVIDED ALMOST NO STOPPING POWER. THE STOPPING DISTANCE WAS DANGEROUSLY LONG. VERY DANGEROUS! JUST OVER 2 MILES.THERE WAS NO WAY FOR ME TO STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. ONLY MINIMALLY . WITH MY FOOT TO THE FLOOR, I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR ENOUGH THAT 2 MILES LATER, I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO PULL OVER AND COME TO A STOP. ON THE DISPLAY PANEL, THERE WERE WARNING LIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY ON: - "SERVICE BREAK ASSIST" - "BRAKE" WARNING LIGHT - "ABS" WARNING LIGHT - "TCS" WARNING LIGHT I WAS LUCKY TO PULL OVER WITH NO (FATAL) ACCIDENT, AND THEN WAITED ALMOST 3 HOURS FROM DUSK TO NIGHT IN THE DARK TO HAVE GM TOW IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEN GET A CAB, PAYING OUT OF POCKET TO GO HOME. THE ODOMETER READ 37 MILES.

7/18/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET SPARK. WHILE BEING OPERATED AT A LOW SPEED, THE BRAKES MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CLASSIC CHEVROLET (LOCATED AT 1101 W STATE HIGHWAY 114, GRAPEVINE, TX) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKES NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED AND THE BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDER WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 9,659.

9/10/2018

THE HEAD RESTRAINTS ARE TOO FAR FORWARD. IF I ADJUST THE SEAT TO SIT UP STRAIGHT, THEN MY HEAD IS TOO FAR FORWARD. SO I HAVE TO LEAN BACK IN MY SEAT IN ORDER FOR MY HEAD TO BE STRAIGHT. AFTER ONLY ONE MONTH OF DRIVING, MY BACK IS KILLING ME!

6/10/2016

THE FRONT LIGHTS APPEAR TO HAVE A DEFECT IN THEM. WHEN I HAVE A BULB REPLACE IT GOES RIGHT OUT. I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR ON 11/19/2018. I HAD THE OIL CHANGED TWICE ALREADY AND THE OIL INDICATOR CONTINUES TO COME ON.

3/9/2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET SPARK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE ENTERTAINMENT SCREEN AND INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

12/21/2016

TL-

1/23/2017

CLUTCH WORE OUT ON 2016 CHEVROLET SPARK LS IN LESS THAN 11,000 MILES (JUST OVER 1 YEAR OLD). I AM AN EXPERIENCED MANUAL TRANSMISSION DRIVER WHO HAS DRIVEN OTHER CARS TO OVER 125,000 MILES WITHOUT NEEDING A NEW CLUTCH. CLEARLY DEFECTIVE CLUTCH BUT THEY WOULDN'T COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE IT WAS A "WEAR ITEM". NO, IT WAS A DEFECTIVE ITEM. DON'T BUY CHEVROLET SINCE THEY DON'T STAND BY THEIR VEHICLES AND YOU WILL PAY HUGE REPAIR COSTS FOR THEIR DEFECTS/PROBLEMS.

9/11/2017

TRANSMISSION. *TR

6/2/2020

2016 SPARK VEHICLES BUILD WITH CONVEX MIRROR IN THE DRIVER SIDE. THIS GIVE YOU A FALSE IMAGE OF VEHICLES, AND WHEN YOU SWITCH LANE VEHICLES ARE CLOSER THAT THEY APPEAR. ALSO PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR DON'T HAVE THE LEGEND: "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR".

1/11/2017

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED OPERATING WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY IN THE RAIN. THE CAR WAS AT HIGHWAY SPEED. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THE MECHANIC FOUND THE WIPER MOTOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND PULLED TOO MUCH AMPERAGE THAT IT BURNED INTERNAL FUSE BOX RELAY. WIPER MOTOR AND FUSE BOX HAD TO BE REPLACED.

12/15/2020

THERE WERE TWO INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE SAME PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND THEN ON A MAIN ROAD THE BRAKES LOCKED AND I HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETE STOP. MY MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP AFTER BOTH INCIDENTS. THE PUMP WAS BROKEN IN PIECES ON BOTH OCCASIONS LEADING TO METAL PARTS FALLING INTO THE ENGINE DURING REPAIR AND NEEDING TO BE RETRIEVED TO PREVENT ENGINE DAMAGE.

5/15/2019

I HAD JUST LEFT THE HOUSE AND THE CAR WAS FINE. I GOT TO A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION WHERE WRECKS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AND I PRESSED ON MY BREAKS AND MY CAR DID NOT WANT TO STOP SO I KEPT PRESSING HARDER AND HARDER FINALLY I STOPPED. WHEN I DID THE CAR CUT OFF. IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS FOR THE 15 MINUTE DRIVE AND IT CUT OFF ON THE BUSH BYPASS IN THE CITY. MY HUSBAND LOOKED AT IT AND THE VACUUM PUMP BLEW UP AFFECTING THE CAMSHAFT. WE HAVE REPLACED THOSE PARTS AND THE SENSOR. NOW, I AM LOOKING FOR A CAMSHAFT EXHAUST ROD THAT NO CHEVY DEALER IN THE US HAS AND THEY SAID IT IS IN EXTREME BACKORDER. WHY IS THAT? I DID FIND ONE IN NORTH CAROLINA BUT IT WAS TAGGED FOR ANOTHER CUSTOMER. MY CAR HAS BEEN DOWN FOR A MONTH! I'M PAYING 300.00 A MONTH FOR A NEWER CAR AND 200.00 FOR FULL COVERAGE FOR SOMETHING I CAN'T EVEN GET A PART ON. IT MUST BE A COMMON PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!!! IF YOU LOOK UP THE COMPLAINTS ONLINE YOU WILL SEE THIS CAR IS NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. I SAY IT NEEDS MORE THAN A PART RECALL. THE WHOLE CAR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED!!! THIS IS AN INCONVENIENCE!! I JUST ASK YOU TO PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES.

6/6/2019

STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT AROUND 50 MPH. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN BY THE CAR'S MONITORING SYSTEMS UNTIL THE EVENT HAPPEN AND THERE WAS NO OTHER PREVIOUS STEERING ISSUES PRIOR TO THIS EVENT. ERROR CODES DID ILLUMINATE ONLY AFTER STEERING WAS GONE AND SHOWED A P 68 ERROR CODE. THE VEHICLE HAS 32,331 MILES ON IT, HAS NO ACCIDENT HISTORY OR MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL REPAIR HISTORY. *TR

6/8/2020

RANDOMLY WHEN I GET INTO MY CAR AND CRANK THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH,SCREEN WILL APPEAR- OTHER TIMES THEY WILL NOT. RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING SHE WILL JUST BE DRIVING NORMAL AND IMMEDIATELY SHE SHUTS DOWN AND OFF WITH NO WARNING SIGNS AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ON DASH. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE THE PURCHASE OF HER. IT HAS BEEN ON A INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN 5PM TRAFFIC, A VERY SMALL TOWN IN NON ON SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH.

3/1/2021

FEB 2018 I RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE WHILE DRIVING FOR A CODE 95. AFTER REVIEW I DETERMINED IT WAS AN AIR BAG ERROR MESSAGE. I TOOK IT TO MK SMITH IN CHINO, CA AND THEY REPLACED THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE. JULY 2020 I RECEIVED THE SAME CODE 95 AIR BAG WARNING MESSAGE. I TOOK IT BACK TO MK SMITH IN CHINO, CA AND THEY TOLD ME THE SAME PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I ASKED IF THEY REPLACED A FAULTY PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE WITH A FAULTY PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE AND THE RESPONSE WAS 'YES'. BUT BECAUSE I DIDN'T RECEIVE THE WARNING MESSAGE UNTIL AFTER 12 MONTHS IT'S MY PROBLEM TO FIX IT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND A KNOWN RECALL EVEN THOUGH THE INITIAL RECALL WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED.

8/5/2020

The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was T-bone crashed into on the driver's side by a second vehicle. During the crash, the driver-side curtain air bags did not immediately deploy. The contact indicated that the air bag deployed approximately one minute after the crash had occurred. The driver sustained torso bruises and lower back pain which later required medical treatment. A Police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The local dealer was contacted but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed of the incomplete recall for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V307000(Air Bag). The failure mileage was 44,813.

10/20/2023

I am the owner of a 2016 Spark EV, and the driver was my family member. The vehicle was charged and had a remaining driving range of 51 miles when the vehicle suddenly shut down on a major city road without any prior warning or symptoms of a problem. The vehicle did not restart immediately, and other drivers behind had to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The driver experienced the shutdown of the vehicle while driving again on another day. Since the sudden shutdown of the propulsion power while driving happened without any prior warning light, message, or symptom, the incident could put the safety of the driver and others at risk, especially if the shutdown happened at a higher speed on a highway. Failure of a specific component or system has not been identified, but the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The service department of a Chevrolet dealer initially provided an estimated diagnostic fee of $170, but the service department raised the diagnostic fee by double upon check-in when the vehicle was brought in on the scheduled appointment. I canceled the appointment in frustration.

5/11/2025

While driving in early 2025, my 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV suddenly lost all ability to accelerate. The vehicle remained powered on but would not respond to the accelerator, and I was unable to fully shut it off. This created a safety hazard because I could not properly control or secure the vehicle, and it required towing. I replaced the 12V battery at my own expense. The issue briefly disappeared, but the same failure occurred again within weeks. The replacement 12V battery also failed to hold a charge, indicating the problem was not related to the 12V system. I brought the vehicle to Harbor Chevrolet. Their technicians confirmed the problem was caused by a failure of the high-voltage battery system. They also informed me that the required EV battery is unavailable from the manufacturer with no estimated availability. Because this component is essential for basic propulsion and safety, the vehicle has been completely inoperable since early 2025. The vehicle is available for inspection, but it cannot be driven due to the propulsion failure. The defect has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership. There were no warning lamps or early indicators prior to the sudden loss of propulsion. I am reporting this because sudden propulsion loss and inability to shut the vehicle down properly present significant safety concerns, especially if this issue affects additional Spark EV vehicles without an available manufacturer remedy.

12/10/2025

THE FRONT LIGHTS APPEAR TO HAVE A DEFECT IN THEM. WHEN I HAVE A BULB REPLACE IT GOES RIGHT OUT. I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR ON 11/19/2018. I HAD THE OIL CHANGED TWICE ALREADY AND THE OIL INDICATOR CONTINUES TO COME ON.

3/9/2019

2016 CHEVY SPARK EV - 35,233 MILES. DRIVING STRAIGHT ON DOWNHILL CITY STREET. STABILITRAK FAILURE MESSAGE APPEARED, THEN BRAKES STOPPED RESPONDING. STEERED CAR INTO CURB TO FORCE IT TO STOP. BRAKE ALARM SYMBOL DISPLAYED ON SCREEN. CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP SAID BRAKE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY & NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND REPROGRAMMING. THIS IS 2ND BRAKE RELATED ISSUE. PRIOR ISSUE WAS LESS THAN 1 MONTH AFTER LEASING IN OCT 2016. BRAKES ALSO FAILED COMPLETELY.

8/20/2019

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the transmission was slipping, and the cruise control was not operating correctly. Additionally, the RPM was elevated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed; however, no failure was determined. The contact stated that the transmission fluid was flushed and replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

7/20/2022