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NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Spark.
| Trim | City | Hwy | Combined | Annual fuel $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4L 4 cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) | 31 | 40 | 34 | $1,750 |
| 1.4L 4 cyl Manual 5-spd | 30 | 39 | 33 | $1,800 |
| Overall Rating | Not Rated |
| Frontal Crash | Not Rated |
| Side Crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet Spark vehicles. In the event of a crash, if a young child is seated improperly and not wearing a seat belt while in the front passenger seat, deployment of the front passenger air bag may injure the occupant's neck. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: In the event of a crash with a frontal air bag deployment, an unbelted child in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17199.
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.
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.
The 2016 Chevrolet Spark has 1 NHTSA recall and 42 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of Not Rated out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
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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.
I was driving downhill with the car in L on a highway and brakes failed. I could not engage the brakes at all but somehow the car slowed to a stop and I managed to pull into a parking spot and park. Two lights came on: Service Intellitrak and Service Brake Assist. The car has been inspected by the Chevrolet dealership that sold the car to me as well as an independant shop. One technician at the Chevrolet dealership reported he got zero brake pressure and claims that the car needs a new brake pressure modulator. The independant shop reported that they could not replicate the poor brake performance. Two technicians from this shop reported that the car is working as intended.
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.
Both Brake Assist and stabilitrack go out in conjunction with failure lights (no fore-warning). The vehicle was repaired by a Chevrolet dealership with qualified EV tech. Within two weeks that same brake system failures occurred. The issue greatly increases the force needed to press the brake pedal and lengthens braking distance significantly. it also causes a failure in the braking system while at a stop. so after about 16 seconds braking power is reduced to the point of the car rolling forward / backward while the brake pedal is fully depressed.
I have had my 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV in for repairs to three Chevy dealers for issues regarding random brake stuttering and complete brake failure resulting in running stop lights and stop signs going 30> MPH. Failure and issues are intermittent, but it appears to be an overly sensitive ABS/ regenerative braking system locking up the wheels and causing my brake peddle to become ineffective at stopping the car for brief periods of time. All dealerships have been at a loss for how to resolve this and have put me back on the road only to run more red lights after approaching at safe speeds. The rear right wheel makes odd clicking while this happens, leading the techs to believe it was a faulty sensor issue. However, all parts are out of stock for this car in the US and therefore I cannot get the vehicle repaired.
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.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE EITHER A 'SERVICE STABILITRAK' OR 'SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST' WARNING LIGHT GOES ON ALONG WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT AND THE BRAKES LOSE THEIR POWER. IT FEELS LIKE THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT ONLY IT'S THE BRAKES. YOU HAVE TO PUSH WITH ALL OF YOUR POWER TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. ONCE YOU STOP AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE WARNING LIGHT DISAPPEARS AND YOU CAN KEEP DRIVING. AFTER THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES WE BROUGHT THIS INTO PUTNAM CHEVROLET IN BURLINGAME AND SPENT $1583.97 TO HAVE THE BRAKES COMPLETELY REPLACED. THE MORNING AFTER WE PICKED THE CAR UP THE 'CHECK ENGINE LIGHT' WENT ON AND WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO PUTNAM CHEVROLET WHO SAID, 'ONE OF THE MODULES THAT WE REPLACED WENT BAD,' AND STATED THAT THEY HAD TO REDO THE BRAKES. THEY ALSO TRIED TO CHARGE ME FOR ADDITIONAL ISSUES THAT WERE NOT FOUND IN THE INITIAL DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE 'BODY CONTROL MODULE'. WE PICKED THE CAR UP IN OCTOBER. ON DECEMBER 9TH, 2020 THE 'SERVICE STABILITRAK' AND 'SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST' LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. HERE IS A VIDEO OF THE EVENT: [XXX]. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENS CHEVY RISKS MY LIFE, MY PASSENGER'S LIFE, AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
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.
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.
I OWN A 2016 CHEVY SPARK BOUGHT ON JANUARY 2020. OVER THE LAST WEEK (JULY 15) AT 36,569 MILES MY BRAKES HAVE BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKER WHERE I'M PUSHING MY FOOT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR TO STOP THE VEHICLE. BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY WHICH IS FAIRLY STEEP, MY BRAKES WON'T STOP MY CAR UNLESS PRESSED AS FAR POSSIBLE TO THE FLOOR. I THOUGHT MY PADS NEEDED CHANGING BUT UPON INSPECTION THEY STILL HAD 90 PERCENT OF LIFE LEFT IN MY PADS. MY BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR IS FULL AND I HAVE NO SIGNS OF OIL LEAKS ANYWHERE ON MY BRAKE LINES OR HOUSING. I HEAR ALMOST A GRINDING NOISE WHEN I TRY TO APPLY MY BRAKES BUT MY ROTORS SHOW NO SIGNS OF GASHING OR SCRAPING. I DID RECEIVE AN ABS MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT THAT WENT AWAY ON ITS OWN WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH I OWNED THIS VEHICLE. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THAT DAY WAS HEAVY RAIN, BUT THAT NOTICE HAS YET TO RETURN ON MY DASH. I FEEL LIKE THERE IS SOME SORT OF PROBLEM WITH EITHER THE COMPUTER OR ELECTRICAL PART OF THE BRAKING OR POSSIBLE DEFECTIVE CALIPERS. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED URGENTLY AS THIS CAN LEAD TO FUTURE WRECKS AND POSSIBLE DEATHS.
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
TRANSMISSION. *TR
I DID MY RECALL FOR TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE BY CHEVEROLET DEALERSHIP AND ALL OF SUDDEN MY CAR SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING IN BUSY TRAFFIC ON A BUSY ROAD. WOULD NOT TURN ON AT ALL, WOULD NOT GO OUT OF GEAR AT ALL. HAD TO HAVE TOAD BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. BUT BC GM IS ON STRIKE RECEIVED NO LOANER CAR. I'M DISABLED AND SO IS HUSBAND WHO HAS SEVERE BRAIN INJURY. I LIVE WAY OUT IN COUNTRY.
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