Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Spark - part 1

Vehicle: 2015 Chevrolet Spark, odometer <79,000 miles component that failed: continuously variable transmission (cvt) – pulley damage causing complete loss of propulsion. What happened: while driving, the vehicle suddenly lost all motive power with no ability to accelerate. The transmission would not engage in any gear and the car became inoperable in traffic. This is the exact failure described in gm special coverage bulletin n192271110 (pulley damage in 2014–2015 Spark cvt). Safety risk: complete and unexpected loss of propulsion created an immediate safety hazard. The vehicle could not accelerate from a stop or maintain speed, placing my 15-year-old son and other motorists at risk of rear-end collision or stranding in active traffic lanes. Dealer confirmation: rk Chevrolet in virginia beach, va has inspected the vehicle and confirmed the failure matches n192271110 – full transmission replacement required (quote $6,637. 19). Vehicle remains at the dealership and is available for inspection. Warning lamps/symptoms: check-engine light and reduced-power message appeared at time of failure. No prior warnings before the sudden loss of power event. Failure occurred approximately October 2025 – only four months after gm’s 10-year/120,000-mile special coverage n192271110 expired on 06/11/2025. The failed transmission is still in the vehicle and available for inspection upon request.

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My 2015 chevy Spark has had repeated transmission failures related to gm special coverage n192271110. The first failure happened in may 2024, I was driving on 1-25 when the transmission went out and I lost all speed and my car was in the shop for five months before I finally got it back in October 2024. Unfortunately, on October 5, 2025, the transmission failed again. I was driving on I-76 speed limit of 75 mph when my car transmission went out and I lost speed.

Transmission issues.

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The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the transmission was shifting hard. The diagnostic trouble codes: p0700 and p0841 were retrieved after the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair that was performed in may 2016, where the transmission pulley was replaced. The contact stated that the recall repair had failed to prevent a failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

I lease a car through carvana, and they informed me that the car was safe and properly inspected. In the first 2 weeks, I took the Chevrolet to a certified dealership for a routine inspection. I was informed that the vehicle has severe mechanical and electrical issues. The engine needs to be replaced entirely because they found shredded metal pieces in the engine oil. The car also requires an entirely new steering and alignment system. It also needs a new heating system. The total cost is 7700, which is close to the current value of the car. I have informed the caravan and silver rock third-party insurance. They failed to inspect the vehicle and follow dot safety requirements. This car should not be available for purchase. This car requires several weeks of repair, which puts me at risk of driving. I could have easily ended up in a deadly accident because of the condition of the vehicle. This company has committed gross negligence while falsely promoting a car as safe. During this initial review of the car, carvan informed us that it has never been in an accident, has not been resold with parts, and does not show wear and tear on the vehicle. I have documentation outlining the extended warranty coverage, purchase agreement, and diagnosis and analysis done by the Chevrolet dealership. This company is committing consumer fraud and putting its customers at risk. This company is still charging monthly for a car that is legally unsafe to drive.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Spark 🔎.

Ever since I bought the vehicle in 2021, I have had problems with the car jerking and air conditioning problems, mostly during the colder months. I took the car in multiple times on different occasions throughout the years. They would "fix" the problems with the transmission, then a month or two down the line the issues would come back. This last time, the car started stalling on the and turned off completely. The air conditioner never worked because of the transmission as well.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle lurched forward while responding sluggishly. The contact stated that the rpms were high, but the vehicle failed to exceed 50 mph. No further information was available. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to auto zone, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under GMC campaign number: n192271110 because the special coverage had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 114,720.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle was not able to accelerate above 30 mph. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.

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I have a 2019 chevy Spark after doing research it appears that the Spark has a high transmission failure.

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Transmission failing - when stopped and trying to go from a dead stop the car will not move for a minute the rpm's rev high and the car will barely move maybe two to five miles per hour while the rpm's just rev higher. When climbing a hill the car seems to lose power and not shift like it should. If starting in morning the car may shift for a few minutes then it seems to only shift like downshifting. Other times it seems to run ok and shift ok but the next time you could be trying to merge on the freeway and the car will not go will not get up speed. This dangerous when entering a freeway and trying to get speed up to match vehicles on freeway already. It is also dangerous when making left turns without shifting correctly and car just has little movement revs the rpm's but doesn't move enough to make the turn safely I front of other vehicle waiting to start forward on the green light. It is also dangerous when climbing a hill. I was stopped at a red light when light turned green I pressed the gas and car would not move at all. I continued to let off the gas then press the gas to. Get movement to get to side of the road. I haven't been able to drive my car for the last 3 months. I just bought the car less thena year ago and am still paying my payments even though I am unable to drive the car. I really do like this car but have since read of the past transmission recalls on the same year and model and make. I love called Chevrolet asking about the problem and they just tell me my car does not have a recall for the transmission according to the VIN. How can my car be failing like many others of the same year that have been able to get repaired under the transmission recall and yet Chevrolet can tell me that my car does not have a recall for the same exact issues I've read about on this site. I am angry because how do the makers tell me my car isn't on that recall for this problem when there seems to be many of the same car having the issue and gets the issue fixed ?.

I feel that there are issues with the transmissions on the 2017 chevy Spark. I noticed that there have been complaints in years such as 2014 and 2019. I find that my 2017 exhibits exact same transmission issues as years that came before or after. Lots of indecision with the car about whether to upshift or downshift. Sometimes violent jerking back and forth. Normally. Especially bad between 4th and 5th and 5th and 6th in the upper gears. But in the lower gears more recently it has become more pronounced. This has been going on for quite some time and is getting worse. The car is not that old. First. Noticed it when the car was at 40,000, mi. It is now recently went past 100 and the problem at sometimes is horrible. It does feel unsafe to a high degree. It is a sealed system so there is no way to do routine maintenance, which is unfortunate. I am a person who is usually up on routine maintenance and with a sealed system such as this transmission made by daewoo in korea, there's no way to ensure fluid levels are correct and changed in intervals. I feel like reporting just because it should be checked out. I do not know if this is an issue with other people who have Spark 2019, but I wanted to send this out because the car's transmission has aged horribly over a short period of time. If I knew then what I know now I would have never owned the Spark. Otherwise a great car. This is my only complaint but a big one.

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Transmission is failing and slipping very bad. Car will jerk when shifting in and out of 2nd gear. Car will jerk back and forth when brakes are applied. When coasting at or around 20-25mph (right around when car shifts into second gear normally,) car will jerk back and forth repeatedly. Chevy/GMC is still refusing to honor an extended coverage to fix their mistakes. This is going to lead to an accident and needs to be recalled.

When the car reaches a certain speed (50 mph plus) it jerks and jolts. The engine light is on and a p-code is present. Each mechanic says something different.

The transmission has gone bad and the car has low mileage. I took it to a chevy dealership and they couldn't find the problem now it is completely broken and I can't drive it. I was told there is a recall on the 2015 chevy Spark transmission.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-70 mph, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the joseph Chevrolet (8733 colerain Ave, cincinnati, OH 45251), where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced for the second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer joseph Chevrolet had previously replaced the transmission in 2021 under special coverage: n192271110 (transmission pulley damage). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

My parents and I originally bought the car in 2021 with a reconstructed title. We were told the car was deemed totaled/salvaged as the result being rear-ended, and that the mechanical parts of the car were not affected, only cosmetic body work. The vehicle passed ohio state highway patrol inspection and was deemed drivable and road safe. The vehicle is also inspected every year through the west virginia state police and has not failed when it has been inspected. The transmission in my Spark had already been replaced through gm program #2020710 on 1/12/16 with the previous owner. The transmission had started going out again in September 2023. The codes that my car had thrown were the codes that appear in special coverage n192271110 (p0871, p2714, and p0871-00). These were the same codes that were thrown at the time of the original replacement in 2016. Upon doing a full diagnostic of my vehicle, the dealership had agreed with the prior codes listed. However, gm is denying my claim of this coverage due to my reconstructed title. After looking at gm's own website where I had to enter my VIN, the coverage for this adjustment says it is active, and will not expire until my car reaches 120,000 miles, or until January 25, 2025 (10 years after it was placed in service). My car is currently at 113,760 miles. It does not say anywhere that a reconstructed title will void this coverage. We have spoken to 2 different representatives and a supervisor at gm and they are still denying this claim. Here is the claim number filed through gm #9-11507999983.

Transmission recall issued to me on fed. 2020 that extended transmission warranty due to hard shifts. Only thing done was a transmission flush. On 07/21/2023. Now the car has 83,000 miles on it and is gotten worse over time. The flush just kept the same problem. No power after hitting gas. At maher chevy st. Petersburg florida, they said there was nothing they could do. Problem has been throughout vehicles life. And they made us believe they were changing the transmission.

Transmission slippage in vehicle under load causing loss of acceleration and unsafe driving conditions. Vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostic analysis. Dealer confirmed no codes present at any time during testing, but did confirm definite transmission issue. Dealer confirmed a well known internal transmission fault that is very common in these vehicles. Chevrolet and the dealership would not perform any repairs to the vehicle, even knowing this is a very common issue. This poses a high risk for accidents and injury to persons driving this vehicle, and with the known issue and risk of death or injury, Chevrolet motor company should be forced to perform a safety recall for this issue. This is putting consumers and public safety at risk.

Took the car to emissions wouldn’t pass because the check engine wouldn’t illuminate they gave me a recall paper related to the check engine light not illuminating mfr#n192268880/ took car to gateway Chevrolet at 9901 w papago freeway avondale az, 85323 to get the recall done which the my did and now the car is not shifting properly and it engine revs up and does not accelerate almost got in accident when making a turn because of this problem the car running good prior to the recall.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that the vehicle was slowly coming to a stop, and that the transmission would not shift into the proper gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road safely. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the shifter and the clutch had failed three times. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

When taking off, sometimes the vehicle does not want to excellerate. It seems like the transmission is slipping or not switching gears-it makes a loud clicking gear sound. The vehicle also revs up really loud. It also sometimes feels like the vehicle sulks back when lifting your foot off the gas peddle when accelerating, more than it should. These mishaps make it nearly impossible to excellerate and is dangerous when excellerating onto the highway.

In February 2022 I noticed on my way to work my rpm's kept surging and my car was not keeping up with traffic. I was scared as I was on the interstate and traffic was pretty busy. Then it was like it roughly shifted and the rpm's dropped into the normal range as I was driving across the bridge all the sudden the check engine light lit up . . And my car was barely moving . There's alot of semi truck traffic on this road and several times I was scared of being rear-ended as they approached at normal speed to suddenly come upon me moving at between 5 to 10 mphs. . It was like she had no power but the engine was sounding fine. I created a traffic jam on the bridge as I crawled across it and into the first gas station I came to. I had my car towed the 20 mile's back into indiana to my chevy dealer. I explained what happened and they ran diagnostics etc and almost $300 later they informed me I needed a new transmission ($4000 repair). I was shocked because just eight months earlier this dealership had flushed,drained and refilled the tranny. After that diagnosis I even hauled to a different garage for a second opinion. Same finding and they said the repair would be $3500. I'm just so grateful my two grandsons were not with me . My car is not fixed and is still financed with a balance of a little less then what the repair will be ! I can't believe that the transmission went out with no warning at 130,000.

The transmission failed for no apparent reason at 86,000 miles. Now it has failed again at 166,000 miles. In both of these cases the car was left virtually in operable and put the driver at a safety risk. With normal use and care and maintenance it does not make sense that this vehicle has a transmission only last 80 to 86,000 miles. I’ve read many complaints about the transmission on the 2014 and 2015 chevy Spark. Additionally the parts are very expensive so it tells me that a lot of people have had problems.

I have been having issues with my car getting stuck in gear or not wanting to switch gears, as well as sometimes when I try to go and I'm pushing the gas pedal it's like it doesn't move or try to drive then there is a loud knock and it revs all the way up and still doesn't really move then there is another loud knock and it takes off slowly and over revs and sputters and drives very odd, like it's struggling to go and keeps trying to switch gears. The check engine light keeps going on and off and every once in a while my traction light comes on as well. I took it to auto zone and this is the codes they received,"powertrain trouble code description: pressure control solenoid "b" control circuit range/performance powertrain secondary trouble codes: p0965, p070. " I have no idea how to afford to fix it and when doing research online about it alot of Spark owners have had this issue and no recall has been placed. It is very dangerous and I can't even drive on the highway because my car simply won't go. I got stuck at a green light trying to go and almost got hit by a semi because my car simply wouldn't move. I am scared for my life to drive this car and this is an issue that needs to be addressed because I am still paying off this car, barely had it a couple years and maybe half of my loan time and can't even drive it. I am livid and will not put my life in danger because y'all won't issue a recall for a serious problem with this car. I have to be able to get to work and I can't with a car that is constantly trying to kill me. Please help!.

Driving through neighborhood and went to turn onto a street when suddenly vehicle revved up to governor limits and would not go forward. Vehicle behind me almost rear ended me because I lost forward motion with no indication like brake lights or any warning. Had to pull vehicle over came to a stop and it would not go. Put vehicle in park and then in drive and it decided to work.

Started out from a stop light that changes quickly, vehicle lost all forward power and the cross traffic light changed almost causing me to be hit by a semi truck and trailer luckily he was able to barely get around me while locking up his brakes. When incident occurred I had pushed my accelerator, started moving forward and suddenly the engine revved up to the governor limits and I came to a stop in the middle of the intersection as cars started flying by me. Other vehicles had limited warning as this intersection is in a sweeping blind corner. Very very scary.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently jerk without warning while shifting gears. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they were initially unable to duplicate the failure. Upon return of the vehicle, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer where they were able to duplicate the failure and informed him that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a 10% discount off the cost of a new transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

Airbag code (95) the car just got out of the shop from a faulty transmission and a warped piston(#3) I had it back for two weeks and now the airbag code comes on. I drove about five minutes and then park the car down to one the code came on. I cleared it shut the car off them started it came back.

Randomly when I get into my car and crank the lights on my dash,screen will appear- other times they will not. Randomly when driving she will just be driving normal and immediately she shuts down and off with no warning signs and no warning lights on dash. This issue has been ongoing since the purchase of her. It has been on a interstate highway in 5pm traffic, a very small town in non on Sunday after church.

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Vehicle gets code p0700 tranny goes to limp mode wont move or shift until car is restarted does this a few times a week.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was towed back to the same independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the standard shift had failed. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that a year after the previous repair was made, the failure reoccurred for the third time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed. Several local dealers were contacted; however, the contact was informed that the dealers did not repair vehicles with transmission failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

At a complete stop. . It seems like it doesn't want accelerate.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Spark 🔎.

Whenever I stop at a light and try to move off when the light turn green, I would press the accelerator and the car would not respond for about 3 to 4 mins something with the cvt transmission. This could cause accident on the road.

At railway parking lot, first car blocked when backing out of space. After 3 tries, able to move on, exiting lot and about to turn right into street, car swerved hard right by itself and loudly hit curb. Passenger side wheel and tire totally damaged. I had to get it towed to collision shop. It is still at the shop where am told repair at minimum will cost over $ 1400. 00! I found 2 recalls emails that same night and trul y believe the car malfunctioned. Am just thankful no one was involved but me. Could have been dramatic if car was on the road and malfunction made me hit another vehicle instead of a curb. Have had to rent a car, and cost is mounting. Found thru online research that other Spark owners had same problem. This could cause fatal accident. Even when fixed, I will be petrified to drive this car again with fear of recurrence of same problem.

The following has now happened on 3 separate occasions when driving on a highway: when driving at highway speeds (50 -55 mph) and hitting a bump that jolts the car (not necessarilly a huge bump), the entire engine and electrical system cuts off and shuts down. This happens only on the highway and has not happened on street driving yet. The car power turns off and this can be very disorienting to an unskilled driver. It requires that I put my car in neutral (my car is a stick shift), turn off the ignition and then turn it on and restart it, while moving at 55mph at night on a wet highway. The last time this happened it was at night and raining. This has happened 3 times over the past 6 months.