What 76 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV

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.

NHTSA ODI 11484871

RANDOMLY WHILE PARKED ON INCLINE, START THE CAR, PUT IN REVERSE, AND START BACKING DOWN THE DRIVE WAY THE BRAKES WOULD TOTALLY FAIL AND NO AMOUNT OF PRESSING ON THE BRAKES WOULD STOP THE CAR. THE CAR GAVE NO BRAKE FAILURE WARNINGS.

NHTSA ODI 11329876

BRAKE FAILURE AFTER $560 BRAKE REPAIR. WHEN BACKING UP ON AN INCLINE BRAKES BECAME VERY HARD AND FAIL TO STOP THE CAR. HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO WARNING LIGHT. DEALER TALKED WITH GM, AND INFORMED ME IT MAY NOT BE FIXABLE. THE BRAKES SHOULD STOP THE CAR EVEN WITH A POWER ASSIST MALFUNCTION. POOR DESIGN. TOO UNSAFE FOR MY FAMILY. TRADED IT IN. HOPE NHTSA INVESTIGATES THE BRAKES ON CHEVY SPARKS. THE TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES WAS VERIFIED ON FIRST SHOP TRIP BY CHEVY TECH. 1 DAY AFTER REPAIR, TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE AGAIN. THIS TIME IT SET IN THE SHOP FOR A WEEK, AWAITING GM RESPONSE. GM CASE NUMBER 9-6003224546 THIS IS THE SECOND BRAKE FAILURE COMPLAINT FOR THE CAR, BUT I ONLY HAVE THE SERVICE REPORT FOR THE ORIGINAL FAILURE AND REPAIR. DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED WITH THIS COMPLAINT.

NHTSA ODI 11329920

GOT A "SERVICE STABLE TRACK" INDICATION AND BRAKES WOULD LOSE ASSISTED POWER RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. (WHICH IS NOT VERY SAFE.) BEFORE THIS I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH LOOSING ASSISTED BRAKES AFTER STOPPING THAT DEALER REPLACED THE BRAKE BOOSTER JUST AFTER I BOUGHT IT. THIS TIME I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM AND THE COMPUTER WAS THROWING LOTS OF WEIRD CODES. SO THEY TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE BOLTS THAT MOUNT THE EBCM TO THE BPMV WERE LOOSE. THEY DECIDED THAT THE BOLTS WEREN'T TIGHTENED ENOUGH FROM A WARRANTY REPAIR ON THE BPMV THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS DONE LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR USED. TECHNICALLY I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE IF THE BOLTS WERE TIGHTENED TO THE CORRECT TORQUE IN THE FIRST PLACE OR NOT. I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF BRAKE PROBLEMS REPORTED ON THIS MODEL. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ISSUE COULD CAUSE FALSE CODES TO BE REPORTED BECAUSE THE EBCM IS NOT GROUNDED WELL AND ALSO CAUSES AIR GETTING INTO THE BRAKE SYSTEM. MY CONCERN IS THIS MIGHT NOT BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.

NHTSA ODI 11255750

WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY, THE "SERVICE STABILITRAC" WARNING APPEARS FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" WARNING. THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL REQUIRES EXTREME EFFORT TO SLOW OR STOP THE CAR. THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING IS ALSO DISABLED. AFTER STOPPING THE CAR, THE CAR CAN BE TURNED OFF AND THEN BACK ON WHEREUPON THE BRAKES WILL BE WORKING NORMALLY. THE WARNINGS AND LOSS OF BRAKING ASSIST MAY STAY AWAY FOR A PERIOD OF 1 MINUTE OR UP TO 1 WEEK OR MORE. IT APPEARS TO BE VERY RANDOM. FORTUNATELY, NONE OF THE OCCURRENCES HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SCARED DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS PART (THE DEALER BLAMES THE BPMV AND IS NOW PUTTING THE FOURTH ONE ON MY CAR) HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER. THE SECOND ONE WAS APPARENTLY LEAKING WHEN INSTALLED. THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED AT MOMENTUM CHEVROLET IN SAN JOSE, CA. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION, TYPICALLY AT 20-50 MPH, AS THAT IS WHAT MOST OF MY DRIVING CONSISTS OF. THERE IS A FORUM THREAD ON THIS SUBJECT AT CHEVY SPARK EV FORUM. OTHER DRIVERS HAVE DESCRIBED MULTIPLE EVENTS IDENTICAL TO MINE. [XXX] 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).*CC

NHTSA ODI 11076657

COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WITH MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER DRIVING. SHE NEEDED TO SWERVE INTO A CURVE TO SLOW DOWN BEFORE APPROACHING BUSY INTERSECTION. WE KNOW OF AT LEAST 4 OTHER IDENTICAL ISSUES WITH BRAKE FAILURE AT OUR DEALERSHIP ALONE WITH ONE OWNER HAVING BRAKE FAILURE 3 SEPARATE TIMES ON THE SAME 2015 CHEVY SPARK. THEY REPLACED HER 2015 WITH A 2016 AND HAD THE SAME BRAKE FAILURE IN HER NEW CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10947950

THERE WAS A "SERVICE STABILTRAC" WARNING FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY A "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" WARNING MESSAGE. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS THERE WAS A TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHILE IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY (APPROX. 50-60 MPH).

NHTSA ODI 10945276

TWO WARNINGS FLASHED: "SERVICE STABILITRAC" FOLLOWED BY "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST." IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS THERE WAS A COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET. LUCKILY WE WERE ON A SLIGHT INCLINE AND THERE WASN'T MUCH TRAFFIC SO WE WERE ABLE TO SAFELY NAVIGATE THE CAR INTO A PARKING LOT AND STOP BY HITTING A CURB. OTHERWISE, I DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE ON WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI 10945277

THERE WAS A "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" WARNING THAT FLASHED AND IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS THERE WAS A BRAKE FAILURE WHILE IN MOTION. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND WE WERE UNABLE TO STOP ON A CITY STREET.

NHTSA ODI 10945275