2015 Chevrolet Spark Powertrain & Transmission Problems

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My parents and I originally bought the car in 2021 with a reconstructed title. We were told the car was deemed totaled/salvaged as the result being rear-ended, and that the mechanical parts of the car were not affected, only cosmetic body work. The vehicle passed Ohio State Highway Patrol inspection and was deemed drivable and road safe. The vehicle is also inspected every year through the West Virginia State Police and has not failed when it has been inspected. The transmission in my Spark had already been replaced through GM Program #[XXX] on [XXX] with the previous owner. The transmission had started going out again in September 2023. The codes that my car had thrown were the codes that appear in Special Coverage [XXX] (P0871, P2714, and P0871-00). These were the same codes that were thrown at the time of the original replacement in 2016. Upon doing a full diagnostic of my vehicle, the dealership had agreed with the prior codes listed. However, GM is denying my claim of this coverage due to my reconstructed title. After looking at GM's own website where I had to enter my VIN, the coverage for this adjustment says it is active, and will not expire until my car reaches 120,000 miles, or until January 25, 2025 (10 years after it was placed in service). My car is currently at 113,760 Miles. It does not say anywhere that a reconstructed title will void this coverage. We have spoken to 2 different representatives and a supervisor at GM and they are still denying this claim. Here is the claim number filed through GM #[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Transmission slippage in vehicle under load causing loss of acceleration and unsafe driving conditions. Vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic analysis. Dealer confirmed no codes present at any time during testing, but did confirm definite transmission issue. Dealer confirmed a WELL KNOWN internal transmission fault that is very common in these vehicles. Chevrolet and the dealership would not perform any repairs to the vehicle, even knowing this is a very common issue. This poses a high risk for accidents and injury to persons driving this vehicle, and with the known issue and risk of death or injury, CHEVROLET MOTOR COMPANY should be forced to perform a safety recall for this issue. This is putting consumers and public safety at risk.

In February 2022 I noticed on my way to work my rpm's kept surging and my car was not keeping up with traffic. I was scared as I was on the interstate and traffic was pretty busy. Then it was like it roughly shifted and the rpm's dropped into the normal range As I was driving across the bridge all the sudden the check engine light lit up ..and my car was barely moving . There's alot of semi truck traffic on this road and several times I was scared of being rear-ended as they approached at normal speed to suddenly come upon me moving at between 5 to 10 mphs.. It was like she had no power but the engine was sounding fine. I created a traffic jam on the bridge as I crawled across it and into the first gas station I came to. I had my car towed the 20 mile's back into Indiana to my Chevy dealer. I explained what happened and they ran diagnostics etc and almost $300 later they informed me I needed a new transmission ($4000 repair). I was shocked because just eight months earlier this dealership had flushed,drained and refilled the tranny. After that diagnosis I even hauled to a different garage for a second opinion. Same finding and they said the repair would be $3500. I'm just so grateful My two grandsons were not with me .My car is not fixed and is still financed with a balance of a little less then what the repair will be ! I can't believe that the transmission went out with no warning at 130,000.

Driving through neighborhood and went to turn onto a street when suddenly vehicle revved up to governor limits and would not go forward. Vehicle behind me almost rear ended me because I lost forward motion with no indication like brake lights or any warning. Had to pull vehicle over came to a stop and it would not go. Put vehicle in park and then in drive and it decided to work.

Started out from a stop light that changes quickly, vehicle lost all forward power and the cross traffic light changed almost causing me to be hit by a semi truck and trailer luckily he was able to barely get around me while locking up his brakes. When incident occurred I had pushed my accelerator, started moving forward and suddenly the engine revved up to the governor limits and I came to a stop in the middle of the intersection as cars started flying by me. Other vehicles had limited warning as this intersection is in a sweeping blind corner. Very very scary

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STATIONARY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEAR. THE CONTACT SLAMMED THE SHIFTER INTO DRIVE AND DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION WAS INOPERABLE. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 119,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently jerk without warning while shifting gears. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they were initially unable to duplicate the failure. Upon return of the vehicle, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer where they were able to duplicate the failure and informed him that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a 10% discount off the cost of a new transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000. Consumer's case number [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”

WHENEVER I STOP AT A LIGHT AND TRY TO MOVE OFF WHEN THE LIGHT TURN GREEN, I WOULD PRESS THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND FOR ABOUT 3 TO 4 MINS SOMETHING WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION. THIS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal with a high-pitched, squeaking noise coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had jolted forward after multiple attempts to accelerate. The contact stated that while his spouse was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated as she attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle remained stuck in gear. The vehicle was driven to a dealer, but the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR LOST ALL POWER IN THE TRANSMISSION, I STEPPED ON THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENED BUT THE CAR STILL REVVED. IT'S AS IF IT SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR WHILE GOING 65MPH AND WOULD NOT KICK BACK INTO GEAR. I WAS AFRAID OF GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SUDDEN LOSS IN SPEED. I'VE READ THAT 2013-2015 SPARKS ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING BAD TRANSMISSIONS AND I BELIEVE MY PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY TCM.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while stopped, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

MY CAR HAS BEEN SQUEALING AND LURCHING AT SPEEDS OVER 30MPH FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND TODAY THE TRANSMISSION LOST POWER ON THE HIGHWAY.

MANUAL TRANSMISSION REPEATED FAILURES. THE TRANSMISSION HAS GONE OUT 5 TIMES, BEEN IN SHOP FOR GRAND TOTAL OF 6 MONTHS. 3RD AND 4TH GEAR SYNCHROS HAVE GONE OUT. CABLES ARE POPPING OFF AND NOT ALLOWING TO SHIFT. MAJORITY OF FAILURES HAVE HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED, POSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE A UNPOWERED VEHICLE IS TRYING TO EXIT MOVING TRAFFIC.

CONTEXT: IT WAS A WET EVENING HERE IN PORTLAND, OR (8:15PM PDT, APRIL 13TH) AND I WAS GETTING NEW TIRES THE FOLLOWING WEEK, SO I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE LONGEVITY OF THE TIRES. ALSO, WHAT I EXPERIENCED WAS SOMETHING I READ ONLINE BEFORE BUYING THE SPARK. I MADE A LEGAL U-TURN TO GET TO THE ENTRANCE OF FRED MEYER (A KROGER STORE) AND HIT THE ACCELERATOR HARD ENOUGH (~60% THROTTLE) TO SPIN THE TIRES AND THE TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVATED. I THEN SAW THE SEMI-HIDDEN ENTRANCE AND HIT THE BRAKES HARD MAKE A RIGHTHAND TURN INTO FRED MEYER. THE BRAKES ENGAGED (W/ ABS) THEN DISENGAGED AFTER ~.3 SECONDS. IT FELT LIKE THE MOTOR WAS REGEN'ING SLIGHTLY BUT THE MECHANICAL BRAKES WERE NOT ENGAGED. I STARTED TO PUMP THE BRAKES. ABOUT 4 PUMPS AND ~60 FEET LATER, THE BRAKES ENGAGED. I DID NOT MAKE MY TURN AND NO ONE GOT HURT. HERE'S A NOTE I RECEIVED FROM A LADY ON A CHEVY SPARK EV FACEBOOK GROUP: MY HUSBAND (AND AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER) EXPLAINS HOW THIS IS PISS-POOR SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ON GM'S PART. THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH WHAT THE SYSTEM DOES WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL IF SOMETHING LIKE THE ABS MODULE OR OTHER HARDWARE ISN'T FUNCTIONING. WHAT HE EXPLAINS IS HAPPENING IS INSTEAD OF ALLOWING THE NORMAL BRAKING SYSTEM TO CONTINUE TO MODULATE AND FUNCTION, IT JUST SHUTS DOWN. NISSAN EVEN HAD ISSUES WITH BRAKING GOING INTO SOMETHING KNOWN AS 'ICE MODE' AND FAILING. (NOT WIDELY KNOWN OUTSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY) HE ALSO COMPARED THIS TO THE BOEING PLANE CRASH SOFTWARE ISSUE THERE (IN THAT CASE THE SOFTWARE KEPT THINKING THERE WAS ABOUT TO BE A STALL AND WOULD NOSE DIVE TO AVOID IT WHICH IN ITSELF ULTIMATELY CAUSING A CRASH). ESSENTIALLY ALL SPARK EVS HAVE THIS SAME POTENTIAL BUT ONLY SOME SEEM TO BE AFFECTED (ALL DEPENDS ON IF A COMPONENT IN THE SYSTEM FAILS OR NOT--- THAT'S WHEN THE TROUBLE STARTS BECAUSE WHOEVER DID THAT SOFTWARE CODING AND TESTING DID A CRAP JOB OF IT).