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What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (146)Crash / fire / injury (12)Engine (35)Electrical system (34)Transmission & drivetrain (34)Speed control (14)Airbags (13)Fuel system (12)Brakes (10)Latches & locks (10)Body & structure (9)Engine & cooling (8)

3 of 146 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 17, 2014AirbagsSpeed controlCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET SPARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ENAGAGING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. ALSO, THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT DURING THE CRASH THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR WHO INDICATED THAT NO DEFECT WAS FOUND WITH THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. UPDATED 09/11/14*LJ UPDATED 12/17/2014 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10598853

Jun 3, 2014Fuel systemSpeed controlBrakes1 injury

MY HUSBAND WAS PULLING THE CHEVY SPARK INTO A PARKING PLACE WHEN FOUR PEOPLE DECIDED TO CROSS OVER IT. WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED TO ALLOW THEM TO SAFELY PASS, THE CAR ACCELERATED INSTEAD. THE BRAKES PRESSED BACK AGAINST HIS FOOT HE SAID AND CAR EVENTUALLY STOPPED. WE WERE BOTH CONFUSED, SURPRISED AND AFRAID! THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVEN AGAIN UNTIL I TOOK IT OUT TWO DAYS LATER. IT HAPPENED ONCE MORE WHEN I WAS BRAKING AT A RED LIGHT BEHIND A LARGE TRUCK AT A VERY LOW SPEED. I PRESSED THE BRAKE HARDER A SECOND TIME AND THEN TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE. THIS TIME THE ACCELERATION CONTINUED EVEN AFTER MY FOOT WAS TAKEN OFF THE BRAKE. I SHOVED THE CAR INTO PARK TO GET IT TO STOP. I SUSTAINED A BROKEN TOE AND FRACTURED ANKLE FROM THE FORCE OF TRYING TO STOP THE CAR. A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THIS, WHEN APPLYING THE GAS, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT TWO CONSECUTIVE RED LIGHTS. ENGINE WAS VERY SLOW AND CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE TO THE SPEED LIMIT AND HESITATED ALL THE WAY HOME. THE CAR HAS A FACTORY RECALL ON THE AIR CONDITIONER RIGHT NOW AS WELL, WHICH WE RECEIVED FROM GM. WE ARE TERRIFIED TO DRIVE THIS CAR NOT KNOWING IF THESE DEFECTS WILL CONTINUE! THE CAR IS IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND WE ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT A BUY BACK FROM GM. WE BOUGHT THE SPARK AUGUST 30, 2013, SO IT IS NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD. I HAVE DONE A SEARCH FOR OTHERS WHO MAY BE HAVING THE SAME OR SIMILAR ISSUES. THERE ARE REPORTS OF VERY SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON SITES FOR COMPLAINTS FOR BOTH ISSUES OF BRAKE ACCELERATION AND THE GAS PEDAL HESITATION ALSO REPORTS OF THE SPARK ENGINE STOPPING IN TRAFFIC. THIS IS VERY CONCERNING AND DANGEROUS. WE HOPE THIS IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND INVESTIGATED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10595783

Apr 16, 2013Speed controlCrash

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.

NHTSA ODI 10508402

Working with the data? Download all 146 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Chevrolet Spark EV verdict →