2015 CHEVROLET SPARK Recalls, Complaints & Safety

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

1 injured

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.

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.

See attached document for complaint.

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.

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.

Fire

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.

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.

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)

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably and veered off the road. The contact was able to take control of the vehicle and placed the vehicle in park. The contact stated that there was no audio or visual warning at the time of the failure. The contact alerted OnStar who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was unaware of the diagnostic result. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was repaired, however, the contact was concerned about an OnStar software update. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V416000 (Equipment) and related the failure to the recall. Additionally, on several occasions while the vehicle was parked, the contact was unable to enter or exit the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure could not able to duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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.

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.

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.

There was a recall issued for my daughter’s Chevy Spark back in August 2022. The dealer said there is still no fix available. This seems like a long time to me.

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.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V640000 (Latches/Locks/Linkage) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V640000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact's daughter owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V640000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

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.

Brake system fails while driving. Brakes go soft on car while in use and unable to brake properly. Warning lights and abs brake light comes on the dashboard. This has occurred 4 different times. Each occurrence was followed with several months long repair visits to the dealer who says it’s the brake pump malfunctioning. I have lost control of brakes while driving. Two cases have been directly reported to General Motors.

Transmission slipping since day 1 of purchase of vehicle in 2015. Dealership has stated more than 7 times that nothing is wrong with the vehicle. Vehicle sometimes shuts off, stutters once gas is pressed 95% of the time (from a complete stop). Vehicle transmission slipping is becoming more apparent 2022.

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

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).”