What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV

AROUND 18,000 MILES THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION STARTED RANDOMLY GRINDING WHILE GOING INTO SECOND GEAR AND THE CLUTCH WAS FULLY DEPRESSED. THIS ISSUE WOULD OCCUR THE FIRST FEW SHIFTS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAD SAT FOR AWHILE. THIS CONDITION WORSENED AS TIME PROGRESSED AND IT HAD TO GO IN FOR WARRANTY SERVICE AROUND 19,000 MILES. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT TOOK 26 DAYS TO GET THE NECESSARY PARTS, AS A NUMBER OF GEARS/PARTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

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CAR WAS SHIFTING FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR ON A MANUAL MODEL. WITH NO WARNING THE GEAR SHIFT IN CAR NO LONGER WOULD ENGAGE THE GEARS LEAVING THE CAR WITH NO GEAR CONTROL. STEERED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DIAGNOSIS THE PLASTIC INSERT END BROKE ON THE SHIFT CABLE. NO WARNING TO DRIVER OF A PROBLEM. HAVE PICTURES OF REMOVED PART. *TR

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THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS DO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN YOU TURN THE LIGHTS ON THE CAR AND MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO TURN OFF/ON THE CRUISE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR ATTENTION OFF THE ROAD TO SEE THE BUTTONS AT NIGHT. *TR

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THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. I'VE HAD IT TO THE DEALERS 6 TIMES SINCE JULY. IT DOES NOT BLOW COLD AIR. THE COMPRESSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED; THE EXPANSION VALVE HAS BEEN REPLACED; THE SYSTEM WAS DRAINED AND RECHARGED. NOTHING HAS FIXED THE PROBLEM. *TR

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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AIR BAG LIGHT LIT, CODE 95 (AIRBAG MALFUNCTION) LIGHT LIT AND SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT LIT ON VEHICLE. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP 5 TIMES IN THE PAST 40 DAYS AND PROBLEM IS STILL APPARENT. CHEVROLET ENGINEERING HAS BEEN INVOLVED FOR PAST 10 DAYS AND THEY ARE ALSO UNABLE TO REPAIR PROBLEM. CHEVROLET CANNOT SAY IF AIRBAG SYSTEM WILL WORK IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. *TR

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THE CONTROLS ON THE STEERING COLUMN ARE NOT ILLUMINATED. AT NIGHT THIS PRESENTS A PROBLEM AS THE CONTROLS CAN NOT BE SEEN AND IF PRESSED INADVERTENTLY CAN CREATE AND UNSAFE SITUATION AS IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE WHAT HAS HAPPENED. OTHER VEHICLES IN THIS MODEL YEAR HAVE ILLUMINATED CONTROLS. VEHICLE'S MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO TAKE ACTION. *TR UPDATED 06/04/14

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WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING AND SLOWING DOWN. BY WATCHING THE TACHOMETER, I COULD SEE THE RPMS GO UP AND DOWN CONTINUOUSLY, AND FEEL THE VEHICLE SURGING FORWARD AND SLOWING AGAIN. THE VEHICLE ALSO DID THIS WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 60 MPH. WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET AND COASTING, YOU CAN FEEL THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING UP AND DOWN, AND THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE ON IT'S OWN, MAKING THIS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE IF YOU ARE NOT ALERT, YOU MAY BE DRIVEN INTO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF YOU. *TR

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I EXPERIENCED TWO INSTANCES OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN MID APRIL 2013. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, APPROX. 04/10/2013, MY SPARK STRUCK A STEEL POLE USED TO SUSPEND A BIRD FEEDER NEXT TO MY DRIVEWAY, WHEN SHIFTING TO REVERSE, AND KNOCKED IT DOWN, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER. IN THE SECOND INSTANCE, ON 04/16/2013, MY SPARK SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND STRUCK AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE CHAIN LINK FENCE BORDERING MY DRIVEWAY, WHEN SHIFTING TO DRIVE, AND STRUCK AND DAMAGED MY GARAGE DOOR WHEN SHIFTING TO REVERSE. THIS CAUSED APPROXIMATELY $3000.00 DAMAGE TO MY CAR. NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR!

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, HER SIZE TWELVE FOOT GOT STUCK BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS WHICH CAUSED HER TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN AND MILEAGE WERE UNAVAILABLE.

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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

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LACK OF BUTTON ILLUMINATION LIGHTS FOR THE CRUISE CONTROL, HANDS-FREE PHONE CONTROL AND AUDIO CONTROL ON THE STEERING WHEEL FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THE LACK OF ILLUMINATION LIGHTS ON THESE BUTTONS CREATES POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO USE THE CRUISE CONTROL, PHONE CALL OR AUDIO FUNCTIONS FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AT NIGHT. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ONLY FOR 2013 SPARK MODELS WITH PRODUCTION PRIOR TO OCTOBER 2012. *TR

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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

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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

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VEHICLE WHILE COASTING IN GEAR WILL ACCELERATE ON IT`S OWN. ENGINE RPM INCREASES APPROX 300 RPM.. HAPPENS 10- 15 TIMES DAILY. I DRIVE 120 MILES ONE WAY TO WORK. CAR NOW HAS 7000 MILES. PURCHASED IN DEC 2012. KINDA SCARY WHEN IT HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF NOT PAYING ATTENTION.. DEFECT IS DOCUMENTED BY ANOTHER OWNER AT CHEVYSPARKFORUM.COM UNDER GENERAL POWERTRAIN DISCUSSIONS/ IDLE PROBLEMS. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS WERE ABNORMALLY BRIGHT. IN ADDITION, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS WERE CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED OR POWERED OFF. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THE LIGHTING SYSTEM WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1,000. ..UPDATED 02/01/13 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE DOES WORK AS DESIGNED, IT IS POORLY DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE'S HEADLIGHTS ARE AT A BRIGHT ENOUGH LEVEL FOR ONE TO ASSUME THAT ALL LIGHTS ARE ON. ALSO, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL'S LIGHTS ARE ALWAYS LIT WHICH AIDES IN THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE VEHICLE HAS AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS. UPDATED 2/7/2013 *JS

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