2016 Chevrolet Spark Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (10) · Air Bags (3) · Seats (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Spark Ev model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2017-07-10 · campaign 17V437000 · 40,683 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2016-09-08 · campaign 16V651000 · 3,640,162 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Service bulletins (895)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 895 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2018-06-01 · Air Bags · 18,031 mi“i was driving approximately 25 mph and hit a pot hole which resulted in the passenger and driver side air bag curtains deploying. there is no visible damage to tire or car…”
2017-10-17 · Service Brakes · 11,000 mi“i was driving a 2016 chevrolet spark ev on a city roadway when i had a complete brake failure and almost was involved in a collision. at the start of my commute, i turned the vehicle on which was parked on the outside of the garage. i noticed that there was a loud sound coming from the front left portion of the vehicle as the brake pedal was pul…”
2017-10-14 · Seats · 14,029 mi“the car was stopped and was hit from the rear on a city street. the impact speed was approximately 15mph (estimated). the driver seat slid back upon impact and appeared to derail and was stopped by the rear seat. after the accident, the seat would not slide forward. i am concerned that this is a major vehicle safety issue that should be documen…”
2017-09-12 · Service Brakes“sudden and strong brake pedal applications occasionally resulted in significantly more pedal travel, significantly less braking force, and significantly longer stopping distances than typically experienced during similar brake pedal applications. each event occurred on warm, dry southern california streets during daylight hours, traveling between 3…”
2017-01-23 · Service Brakes · 1,773 mi“4 times while driving, 1 time while stationary, the car's brake assist (power braking system) has gone out. each time, it was difficult to slow the vehicle and bring it to a stop. there was a "service stabilitrak" warning followed immediately by a "service brake assist" warning. concurrently, the ability to brake is extremely diminished. the…”
2017-01-23 · Service Brakes · 2,613 mi“4 times while driving, 1 time while stationary, the car's brake assist (power braking system) has gone out. each time, it was difficult to slow the vehicle and bring it to a stop. there was a "service stabilitrac" warning followed immediately by a "service brake assist" warning. concurrently, the ability to brake is extremely diminished. the…”
2017-01-14 · Service Brakes · 4,455 mi“the brakes failed while in motion on a city street. preceding the brake failure there a warning flashed stating to "service the stabilitrac" and "service brake assist." immediately afterwards the brake pedal went to the floor and we were unable to stop.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.