Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Chevrolet Spark owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I do not know what system affects the problem my car is having it stalls in front of oncoming traffic on left turns it's done this to me 3 to 4 times and it scares me. It will start right back up and go but it'll still continuously throughout the day when I slow down or come to a red light. The speed control sensor went out and I replaced it and there seem to be middle or something on that. I've read different reports or seen on YouTube that people have reported the same problem with their cars it is definitely a safety issue had it not started up or had I panicked like I did the first time and almost not get it started but a car could crash into me because my car stalled in front of traffic the problem has not been reproduced for anybody and there has been no report to dealership insurance police anything like that. …
I'm coming to a stop or slowing down the car shuts off. Even when making a turn in front of another car across traffic my car has turned off in the middle of crossing the street and I almost got hit twice now. This affects the cruise control coming on as well the speedometer fluctuates back and forth the whole time I'm driving. This happens every day and at most times when I'm coming to a stop or coming out of a stop. I just have to test the gas before I make a turn in front of oncoming traffic to cross the road to make sure that I have power and then I go as fast as I can across so that hopefully I'll gain enough speed so that the car doesn't shut off again. So usually it's every time I come to a red light which is at least at the very least from my work to home is four lights and at every light it will do it. Oftentimes I cross traffic and it will do it. I just had to be very careful
Vehicle stalls when started, after vehicle is up to temp the rpm's fluctuate and vehicle misfires. I was driving down the road when all of a sudden the car went into limp mode I couldn't do anything and me and my son almost got run off the road but after a few minutes of pressing the gas pedal it finally started to move. Dealership is unable to fix problem because they can't even figure out what it is $7000.00 later and no one can figure out the problem. This is a lemon and Chevy should be recalling all Chevy spark before someone gets hurt.
Slowly pulled car into the driveway. Entered the garage with my foot on the brake. Half way into garage, the engine over accelerated and made the car lunge forward. My foot was still on the brake pedal. The brakes went into ABS mode, with pulsating. The car rammed into some storage totes and also my snowblower. The over acceleration of the engine stopped. All of this took about 10 - 15 seconds. No amount of pressure on the brake pedal stopped this car. No, I did not have my foot on the gas pedal. The car went into my local Chevy dealer 2 days later. I was told that they ran some tests, had it up on a lift & even had a mechanic take it out to try to duplicate the problem. Of course, they couldn't find anything wrong. Someone needs to do something about all these over & under acceleration problems before lives are lost! …
My wife and I bought this as a certified pre owned vehicle for her to drive from a local Chevy dealer on 1/24/15. We felt okay about the high miles with the vehicle being cpo and having gms 12 month / 12,000 mile warranty and 5 yr / 100,000 power train warranty. We only expected to be putting 12,000 miles a year on the vehicle so we thought we'd have a long trouble free ownership experience with it. That all changed 6 days later. We'd only driven it probably 100 miles since it was purchased and on 1/30/15 we were driving on the highway when all of the sudden the check engine light and traction control lights lit up and we lost all power. Luckily we were able to pull over safely. We called a tow truck and had it towed to the nearest dealer (not the one we purchased it from). The next morning we went to the dealer to discuss the problem and pick up a loaner. …
Not even 10,000 miles in I had a tire gets a bubble on the sidewall. The dealership would not cover it or swap it out saying it could have been due to hitting a pothole or curb. 15,000 miles in driving down the highway and hear a loud bang and the ac doesn't work. I take it in and the dealership says I could have hit road debris and would not cover any work on the ac, I would have to pay out of pocket. About a week later I get a letter in the mail about the ac recall and find out my compressor exploded on the inside due to faulty parts. 20,000 miles in and the car was eating a quart of oil every 2-3 days and still draining it and ran rough. The dealership said they have no idea what it is and they would not help in what they called "looking for problems that can't be reproduced". …
May have been happening before above date but did not realize it....on dashboard there is no indication of which gear I am in(ie p d n r) and car has no pickup even when peddle to floor...when it does start moving it is very, very, very slow....noticed this several times and when it went in for hood latch recall asked them to check....of course they could not duplicate(recall was not done as to lack of parts) still was occurring occasionally .....went back again for recall latch work(done this time 3-11-15) when leaving check engine light was on...was told it was safe to drive, but I showed them the dashboard was not indicating gear...left it with them they r&r park neutral switch which they stated was filled with water.....this was very dangerous to me, at first I could either turn car off and restart to see indicator on dash or run thru the gears, but right before engine light came on …
Have a 2013 Chevy Spark. It has already had an engine replaced at just over 20,000 miles and continues to have the same problems as before the engine was replaced. It continuously goes back and forth to the dealer, yet "no issues or codes" are ever found. To me this car is a potential death trap every time it's driven. It continuously shows the engine light...blinking away...along with the traction control that frequently is on with it. It then revs extremely high and you can't go over 20 miles an hour because of fear the car will explode. It also shakes during all of this. These are all the same problems that the car has had since before the first engine decided to just blow...on a highway...just over 20,000 miles. Please also note that there have been multiple recalls, for this car as well. Cute car...but it ends there. It's a death trap on wheels!! …
I was driving down the interstate in rush hour and the engine started to hesitate and the engine light came on. With very sluggish acceleration I was able to make it to the shoulder and then the engine stopped. I was unable to start it and had it towed home. Battery checks out OK and everything is fine as far as I can tell with my trouble shooting but all the reviews I read point to Chevy having problems with the motor seizing on the Chevy sparks and the motor needing to be replaced. I will be talking to the dealer today, just wondering why there is no recall on this issue yet. If contacted, I will update the NHTSA on this situation. If my 20 yr old daughter who just bought this car 3 months ago had been driving it at the time I'm not sure what the outcome would have been with the motor just stopping on her...very disturbing! Thank you
While driving on the freeway my car suddenly lost all acceleration power. It ran 5K rpms to go 55 MPH and the traction control light was on and the engine malfunction light was blinking. This has been an ongoing problem for a week and the dealership cannot figure out how to fix it. Sometimes the lights stay on and sometimes they go off even though I continue to have loss of acceleration and ridiculously high rpms to travel 35-55mph.
Engine complaints in other Spark years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Spark?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, 29% of the model year's 146 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Chevrolet Spark engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Chevrolet Spark engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 28,000 miles, and 46% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.