The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 20, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured June 18, 2014, to June 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, equipped with the base radio and OnStar, the radio may lock up due to a software issue, causing the display to go blank and all audio functions to cease. Because of this, there may be no warning chimes such as the reminder to buckle the seat belt and the key being left in ignition when the driver goes to exit the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 "Occupant Crash Protection", and 114 "Theft Protection."
The risk
Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft. If a driver or front passenger does not buckle their seat belt, there would be no chime to remind them to fasten their seat belts. If a driver or passenger does not buckle their seat belt there is an increased risk that they will be injured in a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on August 11, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15504.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Sonic | 2015 |
| Chevrolet Spark | 2014, 2015 |
Components: EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Sonic | 2015 | 114 | 3 |
| Chevrolet Spark | 2014 | 172 | 6 |
| Chevrolet Spark | 2015 | 77 | 5 |
Other equipment recalls in 2015
142 of the 863 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2015 concerned the equipment; General Motors LLC filed 272 campaigns in all.
| 15V890000 31 Dec 2015 | Compass Conversions, LLC |
| 15V880000 28 Dec 2015 | Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. |
| 15V877000 23 Dec 2015 | Entegra Coach |
| 15V875000 23 Dec 2015 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 15V872000 23 Dec 2015 | Allied Recreation Group, Inc. |
| 15V860000 22 Dec 2015 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 15V856000 21 Dec 2015 | Starcraft RV |
| 15V857000 21 Dec 2015 | McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2015