What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV

WE HAVE A 2013 SPARK. THE A/C DOES NOT WORK WHILE THE CAR IS AT IDLE OR AT LOWER SPEEDS. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR THE A/C WILL BEGIN TO COOL ONCE YOU HIT ABOUT 40 MPH. THEN WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STOP SIGN, OR DRIVE AT SPEEDS LOWER THAN THE 40 MPH, THE A/C WILL STOP COOLING AND BLOWS WARM AIR OUT OF THE VENTS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TROUBLESHOT ONCE WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST OIL CHANGE IN JUNE. THEY SOLD US A NEW CABIN FILTER THEY SAID MAY BE BLOCKED BY DIRT AND SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS ALSO A SERVICE DUE AT 15,000 MILES THAT MIGHT ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. WE PURCHASED THE SERVICE SUGGESTED, BUT IT DID NOT HELP. WE STOPPED INTO THE SERVICE DEPT AGAIN AND THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY TOLD US THAT THE ENGINEERS AT GM ARE STILL WORKING ON A REPAIR FOR THIS ISSUE. IT IS NOW SEPTEMBER AND NO RESOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NO NEW INFORMATION.

NHTSA ODI 10542492

THE A/C DOSE NOT WORK WHILE THE CAR IS AT IDLE. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR THE A/C WILL BEGIN TO COOL. WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STOP SIGN, THE A/C WILL STOP COOLING AND BLOWS WARM AIR OUT OF THE VENTS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TROUBLESHOOT 2 TIMES AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINEERS AT GM ARE WORKING ON A REPAIR FOR THIS ISSUE. IT IS NOW THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST AND NO RESOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND. THE DEALERSHIP IS NO HELP AND HAS NO NEW INFORMATION AND GM CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NO HELP EITHER. MY CAR IS 2013 SPARK. IT IS THE 2LT MODEL WITH A 4 SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10536155

WHEN PULLING OUT FROM SIDE STREET, PARKING LOT, DRIVE WAY, ECT. AT NORMAL SPEED. IF THERE IS ANY KIND OF BUMP, OR ROUGH ROAD THE CAR WILL LOOSE POWER FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WILL COME ON. I HAVE ALMOST GOT RUN OVER 4 TIMES NOW. HAD IN SERVICE DEPT. AT DEALER 2 TIME AND THEY SAY COULD NOT DUPLICATE. THIS IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED. DEALER AND GM ARE NO HELP AND JUST SAY IT IS A LITE CAR SO THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. CAR IS A 2013 CHEVY SPARK 2LT / 4 SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10536163

IN JUNE OF 2013, MY A/C STOPPED WORKING ON MY 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN FOR WARRANTY SERVICE THREE TIMES. THE EXPANSION VALVE AND COMPRESSOR WERE REPLACED AND THE A/C WAS PARTLY RESTORED. THE A/C WILL NOT WORK WHILE THE CAR IS AT IDLE. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR, THE A/C WILL BEGIN TO COOL THE INTERIOR AND SEEMS TO BE FINE. WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STOP SIGN, OR IN MY DRIVE WAY, THE A/C WILL STOP COOLING AND BLOWS WARM AIR OUT OF THE VENTS. A FOURTH WARRANTY SERVICE CALL WAS OPENED FOR THIS PROBLEM IN EARLY JULY. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TROUBLESHOOT THE A/C ISSUE AND DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP HAS GIVEN ME A CASE NUMBER FROM GENERAL MOTORS LLC AND TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINEERS AT GM ARE WORKING ON A REPAIR FOR THIS ISSUE (PIC5858A: INSUFFICIENT A/C PERFORMANCE AT IDLE - JUN 13, 2013). IT IS NOW AUGUST OF 2013 AND NO RESOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND. THE DEALERSHIP HAS NO NEW INFORMATION AND GM CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NO HELP EITHER. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED ON 08/2012. IT IS THE LS MODEL WITH A 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10533849

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

NHTSA ODI 10526173

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONING FAILED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RPM'S HAD TO STAY ABOVE 2200 IN ORDER FOR THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT TO WORK PROPERLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,600. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10524365

BUTTONS ON STEERING WHEEL THAT WORK THE CRUISE CONTROL, HANDS FREE PHONE, AND RADIO CONTROLS DO NOT LIGHT UP WHEN LIGHTS ARE ON AT NIGHT. THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE BUTTONS CAN NOT BE SEEN IN THE DARK. GM IS AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND HAS REPAIRED IT IN MODELS BUILT AFTER OCTOBER 25 2012, BUT WILL NOT FIX IT IN THE MODELS BUILT BEFORE THEN. WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN NOVEMBER OF 2012, I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE CHANGE BEFORE THE PURCHASE, LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THAT GM AND ITS DEALERS INTENTIONALLY MISLEAD ME INTO BUYING A CAR THAT THEY HAD ALREADY DEEMED AS HAVING AN UNSAFE FEATURE OR THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CHANGED IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10508214

THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT ILLUMINATE THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS. WITH ABSOLUTELY NO AMBIENT LIGHTING, THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR IS EXTREMELY DARK, AND VISIBILITY OF THE CONTROLS IS NON EXISTENT. THIS PRESENTS A SEVERE DRIVING HAZARD, AS THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVE CONTROLS FOR THE CRUISE. IN ORDER TO USE THE CONTROLS, YOU MUST TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF THE ROAD AND BLINDLY FUMBLE, TRYING TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THE TEN MOUNTED CONTROLS YOU NEED TO USE, THUS AVERTING YOUR ATTENTION FROM YOUR SURROUNDINGS, MOMENTARILY. CHEVROLET IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, AS THEY STARTED ILLUMINATING THE NOV.12 BUILDS, CONSEQUENTLY NEGLECTING A FIX FOR THE PRE NOV. 13 BUILDS. OF WHICH I AM ONE. I AM NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS AFTER DARK. AN INTERVENTION IS CLEARLY NEEDED HERE, AS CHEVROLET WILL NOT ACT, AND EVEN DENIES THE FACT THAT THEY DID INDEED PERFORM THE UPGRADE. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL BE DONE, BEFORE WE ORPHANS WIND UP PAYING THE CONSEQUENCES. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10501213

THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS (CRUISE CONTROL, AUDIO ETC) DO NOT ILLUMINATE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND THAT GM HAS REMEDIED THIS ISSUE WITH MODELS MANUFACTURED AFTER NOVEMBER 2012. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AT NIGHT BECAUSE IF I USE MY CRUISE CONTROL, I HAVE TO TURN ON MY DOME LIGHT TO SEE WHAT BUTTON TO PUSH. I COMPLAINED TO GM AND WAS TOLD THAT GM IS SIMPLY NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT MODELS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO NOV 2012. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10501072