Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Chevrolet Spark problems

Owners filed 9 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Spark with NHTSA between Sep 2018 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is vehicle speed control (3).

Complaints
9
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Vehicle speed control3
  2. Engine3
  3. Service brakes2
  4. Power train2
  5. Fuel/propulsion system2
  6. Air bags1
  7. Lane departure1
  8. Service brakes, hydraulic1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20181
20192
20202
20210
20221
20231
20240
20250
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Vehicle speed control

3 reports
“Okay, I can press the gas and try to go one speed.And my car will go either way, too slow for that gear or way too fast.For that gear , I have almost been several wrecks , because it's either going too slow , went when i'm supposed to be going to certain speed or it's going to fast one supposed to be going to certain speed”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 23, 2026Vehicle speed control, Engine, Lane departureODI 11733470

Engine

3 reports
“WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, THE CAR CAN'T DECIDE IF IT WANTS TO MOVE OR NOT AND IT WILL JUST SIT AND REV AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS AS I AM PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 8, 2020Power train, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11307905

Service brakes

2 reports
“This is the third time while driving that my brakes have simply just gone out. It’s usually on the freeway while at high speeds and I’m nearly not able to stop. This is the third time in three years. No lights come on on the dashboard and no warnings happened at all the brakes just simply stopped working. It takes extreme pressure to try to stop and I’m usually told that it’s some part of the vacuum.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 1, 2022Service brakesODI 11482383

Power train

2 reports
“AT A COMPLETE STOP.. IT SEEMS LIKE IT DOESN'T WANT ACCELERATE”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 26, 2020Power trainODI 11376447

Fuel/propulsion system

2 reports
“MY CHEVROLET SPARK CANNOT DECIDE WHAT GEAR IT WANTS TO BE IN, CAUSING DELAYS THAT ARE DANGEROUS WHEN PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC OR TURNING ACROSS LINES OF TRAFFIC. FOR INSTANCE, I SLOW DOWN TO GET INTO THE CENTER TURNING LANE OF A 5-LANE STREET AND THEN WHEN CLEAR, I ACCELERATE TO MAKE THE TURN. THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT MAKES A SHORT STALL AS IT CAN'T DECIDE IF IT NEEDS TO GET INTO A HIGHER OR LOWER GEAR. IT CLEARLY TAKES A LONG TIME AND GOES UP AND DOWN WHICH PLACES ME UNCOMFORTABLY TOO CLOSE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. OTHER TIMES WHEN I PULL OUT IN TRAFFIC, THE SAME SCENARIO REPEATS. I WONDER IF IT SHIFTS INTO A TOO HIGH A GEAR TOO SOON THEN DOWN SHIFTS ONE GEAR AND THEN UPSHIFTS AS THE CAR STARTS TO ACCELERATE. SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WHEN I SLOW TO ADJUST TO TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND THEN ACCELERATE AFTER SLOWING, THE CAR LAG/STALL HAPPENS AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS UP AND DOWN THROUGH THE GEARS. THE CAR JUST CAN'T DECIDE WHAT IS THE BEST GEAR TO BE IN. I FEEL THAT THIS IS DANGEROUS. IT CERTAINLY MAKES ONE VERY UNEASY WHEN YOU PULL OUT IN TRAFFIC AND THEN THE CAR BARELY MOVES FOR A VERY CRITICAL SECOND OR TWO.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 21, 2019Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11181644

Air bags

1 report
“I have received a Code 95 error message for my 2018 Chevrolet Spark, which per the GM owner's manual means that there is an air bag problem. But, the alert does not appear consistently when operated. When driving, it does not appear. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The code only comes on after the car has been idling and not being driven (for example, it takes 2-3 minutes while in park but the engine being on for the code to come up on the screen). If the car is put into drive a minute or less after turning the ignition, the code does NOT appear; it only does when parked and the engine is running after a few minutes. The car is available for inspection upon NHTSA/DOT request. My safety is put at risk if the air bag does not deploy; if the alert code does not consistently appear when the car is in operation, it puts my safety at risk because I would not have any indication that there is a possible problem. The car has not been inspected by the manufacturer (to my knowledge), police, insurance representatives, or others. This has occurred at least three times since the start of 2026, with the most recent…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 6, 2026Air bagsODI 11748573
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.