Chevrolet · Spark · 2015
5
Recalls
83
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2015 Chevrolet Spark has 5 recalls and 83 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: power train (18 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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17.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 20, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured June 18, 2014, to June 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, equipped with the base radio and OnStar, the radio may lock up due to a software issue, causing the display to go blank and all audio functions to cease. Because of this, there may be no warning chimes such as the reminder to buckle the seat belt and the key being left in ignition when the driver goes to exit the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 "Occupant Crash Protection", and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on August 11, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15504.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured January 17, 2012, to July 29, 2014. The secondary hood latch may prematurely corrode at the latch pivot causing the striker to get stuck out of position, preventing it from properly engaging the hood latch.
Remedy Status
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the striker with a new part which has superior corrosion protection, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14456.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark EV vehicles. The secondary hood latch may corrode at the latch pivot, preventing the hood latch from properly engaging.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the hood striker assembly and hood latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 12, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A222359300. This recall supersedes and expands NHTSA recall number 14V-593. Vehicles previously repaired under 14V-593 will need to have the new remedy performed.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The vehicle was purchased from a private seller. The contact became nauseated after driving the vehicle for the second time. The contact’s throat, chest, and eyes hurt, and his head was pulsating; the contact was unable to think clearly. No medical attention was received. The contact used an air quality meter to test the inside of the vehicle, which showed "Seriously bad air quality,” but there was no odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle had not been driven since experiencing the symptoms. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,392.
Vehicle: 2015 Chevrolet Spark, odometer 79,000 miles Component that failed: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) – pulley damage causing complete loss of propulsion.What happened: While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost all motive power with no ability to accelerate. The transmission would not engage in any gear and the car became inoperable in traffic. This is the exact failure described in GM Special Coverage Bulletin N192271110 (pulley damage in 2014–2015 Spark CVT). Safety risk: Complete and unexpected loss of propulsion created an immediate safety hazard. The vehicle could not accelerate from a stop or maintain speed, placing my 15-year-old son and other motorists at risk of rear-end collision or stranding in active traffic lanes.Dealer confirmation: RK Chevrolet in Virginia Beach, VA has inspected the vehicle and confirmed the failure matches N192271110 – full transmission replacement required (quote 6,637.19). Vehicle remains at the dealership and is available for inspection.Warning lamps/symptoms: Check-engine light and reduced-power message appeared at time of failure. No prior warnings before the sudden loss of power event. Failure occurred approximately October 2025 – only four months after GM’s 10-year/120,000-mile Special Coverage N192271110 expired on 06/11/2025.The failed transmission is still in the vehicle and available for inspection upon request.
This report concerns a known CVT defect and subsequent TCM failure that left the vehicle unsafe and inoperable. The vehicle suffered internal CVT failure consistent with GM Special Coverage N192271110. After the first transmission failed in May 2024 (and the second time October 5 2025), the TCM failed again shortly after the second failure—consistent with GM Preliminary Information Bulletin PIP5525A. Critical Safety Details: Both failures occurred while driving on highways with heavy traffic, where speed limits were 75 mph. On each occasion, the vehicle lost power and became unable to accelerate safely, presenting a serious safety risk to me and other drivers. GM is refusing coverage despite widely documented cases and their own bulletins describing this exact failure chain.
My 2015 Chevy Spark has had repeated transmission failures related to GM Special Coverage N192271110. The first failure happened in May 2024, I was driving on 1-25 when the transmission went out and I lost all speed and my car was in the shop for five months before I finally got it back in October 2024. Unfortunately, on October 5, 2025, the transmission failed again. I was driving on I-76 speed limit of 75 MPH when my car transmission went out and I lost speed.
Vehicle began slipping out of gear between 1st & 2nd, then started losing power at 74,760 miles. Extended service coverage has been issued for model for CVT transmission pulley system, however only covers 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. Mine apparently timed out in February, so they are trying to make me get a new transmission which basically totals out the car I spent a fortune on to buy & in repairs at under 75,000 miles. This is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V257000 (Equipment, Electrical Systems). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the radio software needed to be updated. The dealer informed the contact that to complete the software upgrade, the dealer had to reprogram the radio USB portion to complete the upgrade. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio image was inoperable. The contact stated that the radio image appeared blank. Additionally, the Bluetooth feature failed to function properly. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was concerned about the failure of the vehicle and that it was related to the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,173.
Transmission issue. During heavy traffic at stop lights car wouldn't shift into drive to move forward. Was stuck in the middle of the road with a passenger. Engine light came on but it's not an engine problem. Car was smoking under the hood. I burned my hand when popping the hood. When the car cooled the engine light went out and car would shift gears and it's drivable again. This has happened 3 times. Mechanic pulled up at P0700 Code on computer. It's the CVT transmission but not sure which part. I can't get the car to the dealership to inspect transmission. It won't drive that far.
INCIDENT SUMMARY In February 2025, while driving on the freeway, my vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of power. The battery rapidly depleted without warning, causing the vehicle to decelerate dangerously in moving traffic. A Stabilitrak warning appeared on the display. I was fortunate to reach the shoulder safely, but this failure created an extremely hazardous situation that could have resulted in serious injury or death. Following this incident, the vehicle became completely inoperable and required towing to Stewart Chevrolet for diagnosis. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSIS Stewart Chevrolet performed a diagnostic evaluation (cost: $700) and provided the following official findings: Problem Identified: Battery 1 with voltage variance beyond specifications Variance Measured: In excess of 0.07V discrepancy in battery cells GM Document Referenced: #17-NA-131 Recommended Repair: Labor operation 9102972 - Drive Motor Replacement and Shipping Preparation (high voltage battery replacement) Estimated Cost: $10,000-12,000
Compass car center LLC 3433 Brooklyn Ave Fort Wayne Indiana 46809 is unsafe vehicles with suspension noise and broken parts know transmission control system mil problems eont addressed the issue either
UNKNOWN—My car’s been doing this thing where it feels like the wheels "stick" for a second every so often while driving, but yesterday it was the worst it's been, doing it every few seconds. I thought maybe my gearshift was stuck between gears or something so I tried to make sure it was in Drive, but it slipped into Neutral for a second, & after that, my check engine light came on & my car started taking forever to get up to speed after coming to a stop—like, I was flooring it & it was crawling. It started doing this while I was in an intersection turn lane, & my car was moving so slow I had to wait for a protected turn & I still barely made it out of the intersection in time. My code reader said it was a transmission issue & there’s a recall on other Sparks for the transmission. I had my car towed to my apartment but I haven’t been able to find anybody to come inspect or work on it yet. I sent a message to my local Chevy dealer so they could check whether it’s under recall, but I haven’t heard back from them yet. Prior to this, there hadn’t been any warning light or indicators.
Ever since I bought the vehicle in 2021, I have had problems with the car jerking and air conditioning problems, mostly during the colder months. I took the car in multiple times on different occasions throughout the years. They would "fix" the problems with the transmission, then a month or two down the line the issues would come back. This last time, the car started stalling on the and turned off completely. The air conditioner never worked because of the transmission as well.
See attached document for complaint.
In the past I had a 2013 Chevy Spark LS. But in 2017 an idiot who was TEXTING and DRIVING RAN A STOP SIGN, crossed through FOUR LANES and T-BONED MY car injuring me and totaling my car. I am blessed to have survived. Until that day the only issue with my Spark was a failure of the "ignition / safety security chime". Prior to the accident it was addressed and fixed. Now I have a 2015 Chevy Spark LS and have had a TRANSMISSION FAILURE reported, and fixed DUE TO A NATIONAL RECALL FOR 2013-2015's. However following the TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT(Matt Bowers Chevy-Slidell,LA )now I'm dealing with a TOTAL FAILURE OF THE RADIO (black screen, no audio, no power) and no audio for the OnStar buttons. As part of the TRANSMISSION RECALL a list of ALL items "fixed" where given to me. A TOTAL SOFTWARE UPDATE was performed for RADIO, which now doesn't work. I reported this to the dealership who promptly blamed my RADIO/OnStar failure on " the summer heat in Louisiana ". I checked NHTSA for failures of the radio/OnStar and found several documented cases of ELECTRICAL FAILURES of Chevy Sparks, Chevy Sonics and other Chevys. My radio (audio/screen) my OnStar (audio) was working fine and did not signal any problems in the PREDIAGNOSTIC CHECK PRIOR TO MY TOTAL TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION RECALL. It seems as though you CAN NOT TRUST that anyone will stand behind their products and work. I hope this information is helpful and I want to remind everyone to CONSTANTLY CHECK THE NHTSA website for NATIONAL RECALLS regularly. Several diagnostics were performed to find my TRANSMISSION FAILURE yet the site did not return a hit on my VIN number so at first the CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS REFUSED TO PERFORM SERVICES - DUE TO MY CARS VIN not ( at first) being listed on the NHTSA site. Keep searching, print out information and bring in your mechanics automobiles diagnosis. REPORT THE NON-COMPLIANT DEALERSHIPS if necessary. I hope that this is helpful to someone.
Car fire in the engine compartment. Columbus fire inspector called it an electrical fire. On July 10 around 1:30 am, owner heard car alarm honking, saw big orange flames rising from the right front wheel well, called 911. Fire extinguished by F.D. upon arrival. The entire engine compartment burned out, everything not metal burnt away or remains as melted plastic slag on the driveway. Car was last driven 2 days before the fire, so the engine and exhaust were cold. There were no fluid leaks under the hood. Battery was 10 months old. No crash damage. No prior electrical issues. It was a good, reliable, heroic car. Had the car not been honking, owner may have been delayed becoming aware of the fire, leaving it time to spread to the dwelling where it was parked.
Without warning, vehicle loses power and ability to accelerate is greatly reduced. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (aka "check engine light"), the Reduced Engine Power light, and the Traction Control System/Stabilitrak light all illuminate at the same time and are not flashing. Using a diagnostic tool from a local auto parts store, code P2138 is reported as follows: Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor Switch 'D/E' Voltage Correlation, and Accelerator Pedal Position (APP) Sensors 1-2 Not Plausible. Incident has occured multiple times since owning the vehicle (approx. 13 months). This creates a safety issue because the poor acceleration limits the vehicles ability to maintain speed, especially on highways at higher speeds and ascending hills.
Hello, I submitted a complaint to a local GM dealership requesting an investigation be placed into the seat belt bucks failing. I am being informed that the car is out of warranty, which is understandable. However, this is a huge safety concern as the seatbelts were not sewn into the car but rather glued or clamped. This could have resulted in serious injury and/or death to my young child who routinely rides in the back seat.
On [XXX], the back seat bottom belt came apart from the base strap while my 9-year-old child was in the back seat and the car was in motion. We were able to pull over to the side of the road for her to switch to the other back seat. On [XXX], the second back seat belt bottom part came apart as well while the car was in motion and my 9-year-old child was buckled in the back seat. At this time, I am unable to use my car to transport my child to and from school and activities as she is not old enough to ride in the front seat. Additionally, it appears as if the adhesive holding the strap together slowly eroded over time and my fear is that if we were in a car accident what would have happened to my child now knowing the back seat belt was not fully secure. Additionally, I have concerns related to the front seat belts and if those are going to fall apart soon. I have included photos with my concern. As you can see, the belts are not ripped, torn, and are otherwise in good condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Transmission is failing and slipping very bad. Car will jerk when shifting in and out of 2nd gear. Car will jerk back and forth when brakes are applied. When coasting at or around 20-25mph (right around when car shifts into second gear normally,) car will jerk back and forth repeatedly. Chevy/GMC is still refusing to honor an extended coverage to fix their mistakes. This is going to lead to an accident and needs to be recalled.
There are many electrical failures in this vehicle from the door alarm not sounding when the car has been turned off to the radio staying on and burning down the battery and the radio making changes to the stations volume, volume freezes and lowers or is totally unresponsive while the driver is driving, this is a major distracting. Also overhead light is unresponsive and flickers when it wants to. Subsequently these issues have required me to have 5 new batteries replaced since owning this car. A dealer wants to charge $225 to check this I have seen and heard other complaints. I can’t possibly be the only one having these problems. My Vin number is not part of it. Previous recalls for some unknown reason. There has never been a battery failure, or warning light it just dies. I have video of the occurrence on most recently on January 11, 2020 for what has been occurring for years and very frequently.
The transmission has gone bad and the car has low mileage. I took it to a chevy dealership and they couldn't find the problem now it is completely broken and I can't drive it. I was told there is a recall on the 2015 chevy spark transmission.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2015 Chevrolet Spark has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 83 owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark.
The 2015 Chevrolet Spark received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark are power train (18 reports), service brakes (8 reports), engine (8 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.