Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine35
- Power train34
- Electrical system34
- Unknown or other20
- Vehicle speed control14
- Air bags13
- Latches/locks/linkages10
- Fuel/propulsion system10
- Structure9
- Service brakes9
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 19 2013 Spark vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 14 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2013 Chevrolet Spark failed the safety check 2.57% of the time — 8% more often than the average 2013 passenger car (2.38%). Median odometer at inspection: 92,279 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2013
36,239 new Chevrolet Spark cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2013; the largest markets were Italy (10,639), France (7,838), Germany (4,921).
- Average mass
- 1,022 kg
- Average power
- 55 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol 88% · LPG 12%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2013 Chevrolet Spark cars on Dutch roads are the 1.0 LPG (50 kW, 67 hp), 1.0 petrol (50 kW, 67 hp) and 1.2 petrol (60 kW, 80 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 LPG | 50 kW 67 hp | 270 |
| 1.0 petrol | 50 kW 67 hp | 136 |
| 1.2 petrol | 60 kW 80 hp | 81 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
487 first registered in 2013 are on Dutch roads; 43% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €12,804.
Most common APK defects
- Band onvoldoende profiel266
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde256
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)190
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt179
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm152
- Richtingaanwijzers kleur wijkt af/niet toegestaan138
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld129
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht103
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
3,386 cars built in 2013 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 212 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 3,962 of these cars first registered in 2013 took their annual MOT test. 55% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2013 the figure was 68%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2013 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 19.3% | 12.5% |
| Brakes | 18.9% | 6.8% |
| Suspension | 15.0% | 10.4% |
| Visibility | 8.3% | 4.7% |
| Tyres | 6.5% | 6.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4.4% | 3.0% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
34 of these cars first registered in 2013 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 121,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Chevrolet Spark 5 DR FWD | — | 0.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 6.9–7.4 L/100 km (about 32–34 mpg US), CO₂ 159–170 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spark · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 7.5 | 6.2 | 6.9 |
| Spark · Subcompact · Regular gasoline | 8.3 | 6.3 | 7.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Spark.
| 2022477 25 Aug 2022 | Structure Issue: Over time, corrosion could cause the secondary hood latch to stick in the open position. If this happens and the primary hood latch doesn't engage or i… |
| 2016292 8 Jun 2016 | Electrical Certain vehicles equipped with a "Bring Your Own Media" (BYOM) radio may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114 - Theft Protection … |
| 2016191 28 Apr 2016 | Electrical Certain vehicles equipped with a "Bring Your Own Media" (BYOM) radio may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 114 - Theft Protection … |
| 2014422 30 Sept 2014 | Structure This recall is replaced by recall 2022-477. Please click here for more information. On certain vehicles, the secondary hood latch may prematurely corrode and… |
| 2014214 6 Jun 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, welds on the passenger airbag end caps could separate from the airbag inflator. If this occurs, the airbag may not deploy properly. Failur… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark EV vehicles. The secondary hood latch may corrode at the latch pivot, preventing the hood latch from properly engaging.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured January 17, 2012, to July 29, 2014. The secondary hood latch may prematurely corrode at the latch pivot causing the striker to get stuck out of position, preventing it from properly engaging the hood latch.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured April 10, 2013, to May 8, 2013, and Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured December 30, 2012, to March 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, an improper weld on the passenger side front air bag inflator may result in the air bag not deploying.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011989 | This service bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of ethylene glycol in transmission fluid. |
| 11011805 | This Preliminary information communicates a GM part number forreflective high temperature heat or insulating tape when repairing wiring harnesses. |
| 11011782 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe terminal has been released in the terminal repair kit (J-38125-620H) located in Lear Tray 7 part number 963716-2. There are 5 terminated leads in a package part number is 13505346, which can be ordered through your normal General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales parts channel. |
| 11011709 | This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer. |
| 11011444 | This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer a process for accessing the procedure to add attachments to a GM technical assistance case using the dealer case management tool. |
| 11011205 | This informational bulletin explains Unscheduled Supplemental Services and the importance of GM Simplified Maintenance Schedules. |
| 11010545 | This service bulletin provides information on key code security rules and information on GM keycode look-up applications (U.S). |
| 11010491 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information for GM courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs. |
| 11010490 | This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption. |
| 11010421 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements. |
| 11009764 | This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories. |
| 11009756 | This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission Assembly Replacement Under Warranty, Policy or Customer Enthusiasm and information on Submission of Warranty Transaction in Global Warranty Management. |
| 11009532 | This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive. |
| 11009531 | This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive. |
| 11009170 | This Preliminary information communicates additional information on how a LIN bus operates and diagnostic tips when working on a LIN bus. |
| 11009156 | This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update. |
| 11009088 | This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a slight movement that is more often seen visually, rather than felt, when viewed from the outside and using the auto-start feature, if equipped. |
| 11009039 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information, proper labor operation selection and causal part identification for warranty transactions (U.S. Only). |
| 11008986 | This Preliminary information communicatesdirection and examples when diagnosing multiple DTCs, one of which includes U**** Byte 71 DTC. |
| 11008956 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only). |
| 11008906 | This service bulletin provides graphics, information and guidelines for engine component wear to assist service personnel as a guideline to perform necessary engine repairs and prevent unnecessary engine replacement. |
| 11008898 | The bulletin provides direction on how to locate the Temporary Service Part (TSP) form in GlobalConnect. |
| 11007936 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
| 11007935 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
| 11007744 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)