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).
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.
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 …
On two occasions there has been a sudden loss of acceleration. This happened after making a stop at a stop sign/traffic light at a main highway intersection. The RPM's went up but there was no acceleration at all (I was just barely coasting maybe 3 MPH)! Once I was at a safe place to pull off the road, I put the car in park, turned the car off and back on and the acceleration was fine. This almost caused an accident each time. The dealership said, because there were no codes given when they checked the vehicle and no service bulletins posted, there was nothing they could do. This is a very dangerous malfunction and I hope that someone takes the initiative to investigate the issue before a serious accident happens!
For the second time in a couple months, while turning left across traffic the vehicle lost the ability to accelerate. I was able to get off the road and cut the car off and restarted it and the problem went away. I have researched the subject online and it appears a lot of people have a similar issue with this vehicle and no one seems to know a solution. After the first time it happened we took the vehicle to the dealer and they could not find an issue.
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.
Vehicle won't shift out of first gear. Not only is this very dangerous, but it is ruining the engine and transmission of the vehicle. This occurs about once a month at random times, and could very easily cause an accident. The dealer won't do anything to fix the problem, and has been very rude to my wife. I have been a lifelong Chevy guy, but I think I'm finally done. A Toyota or Honda is sounding really good right now!
After accelerating from a light at 5mph the gear indicator disappeared and the transmission stuck in 2nd gear verified by revs vs. Vehicle speed. Resulted in very slow acceleration and high revs. Cycling the gear shifter did not resolve issue. Would not even shift to neutral. Issue not resolved until cycling ignition. No check engine light, no indicator lamps. No gear selection indicator on display.
Tl-the contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate over 50 MPH. The vehicle was restarted and resumed to normal function. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000. Djr
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Spark. While driving at approximately 5 MPH and shifting into first gear, the vehicle started to shutter and attempted to stall. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.
Car would not accelerate beyond 30 MPH in a 50 MPH zone.... I had to turn my hazards on and was scared to drive it any further. There was no warning signs or indications of any issues prior. Completely out of the blue! Googled recalls and there is one on defective transmission for this make model year but not on my VIN...... Did they miss me?
Transmission complaints in other Spark years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Spark?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, 23% of the model year's 146 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Chevrolet Spark transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 28,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
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.