2016 Chevrolet SPARK EV - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV has not been rated for safety by NHTSA. It has not received ratings for front crash, side crash, rollover, or pole crash scenarios. Despite the lack of safety ratings, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which is a positive feature for enhancing vehicle stability and preventing skidding. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems to provide additional safety measures.

On a concerning note, there have been a total of 40 complaints reported for this model, as well as 3 recalls and 2 ongoing investigations. These numbers indicate that there may be potential safety issues or defects with the vehicle that have prompted regulatory actions. It is advisable for potential buyers to consider these factors before making a decision on purchasing the 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

40

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2016 Chevrolet Spark Ev 5 HB FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2016 Chevrolet Spark Ev 5 HB FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2016 Chevrolet Spark Ev 5 HB FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2016 Chevrolet Spark Ev 5 HB FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2014 Score 2016 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2014 Score 2016 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2014 Score 2016 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet SPARK EV

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"i was driving downhill with the car in l on a highway and brakes failed. i could not engage the brakes at all but somehow the car slowed to a stop and i managed to pull into a parking spot and park. two lights came on: service intellitrak and service brake assist. the car has been inspected by the chevrolet dealership that sold the car to me as well as an independant shop. one technician at the chevrolet dealership reported he got zero brake pressure and claims that the car needs a new brake pressure modulator. the independant shop reported that they could not replicate the poor brake performance. two technicians from this shop reported that the car is working as intended."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-02-10
Complaint:
"both brake assist and stabilitrack go out in conjunction with failure lights (no fore-warning). the vehicle was repaired by a chevrolet dealership with qualified ev tech. within two weeks that same brake system failures occurred. the issue greatly increases the force needed to press the brake pedal and lengthens braking distance significantly. it also causes a failure in the braking system while at a stop. so after about 16 seconds braking power is reduced to the point of the car rolling forward / backward while the brake pedal is fully depressed."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2024-06-06
Complaint:
"i have had my 2016 chevrolet spark ev in for repairs to three chevy dealers for issues regarding random brake stuttering and complete brake failure resulting in running stop lights and stop signs going 30> mph. failure and issues are intermittent, but it appears to be an overly sensitive abs/ regenerative braking system locking up the wheels and causing my brake peddle to become ineffective at stopping the car for brief periods of time. all dealerships have been at a loss for how to resolve this and have put me back on the road only to run more red lights after approaching at safe speeds. the rear right wheel makes odd clicking while this happens, leading the techs to believe it was a faulty sensor issue. however, all parts are out of stock for this car in the us and therefore i cannot get the vehicle repaired."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2023-03-02
Complaint:
"while driving the vehicle either a 'service stabilitrak' or 'service brake assist' warning light goes on along with the emergency brake light and the brakes lose their power. it feels like the power steering has gone out only it's the brakes. you have to push with all of your power to get the car to stop. once you stop and turn the car off and then back on the warning light disappears and you can keep driving. after this happened a couple of times we brought this into putnam chevrolet in burlingame and spent $1583.97 to have the brakes completely replaced. the morning after we picked the car up the 'check engine light' went on and we brought the vehicle back to putnam chevrolet who said, 'one of the modules that we replaced went bad,' and stated that they had to redo the brakes. they also tried to charge me for additional issues that were not found in the initial diagnostic and they had to replace the 'body control module'. we picked the car up in october. on december 9th, 2020 the 'service stabilitrak' and 'service brake assist' lights came on while i was driving on the highway. here is a video of the event: [xxx]. each time this happens chevy risks my life, my passenger's life, and other people on the road. parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2020-09-12
Complaint:
"i own a 2016 chevy spark bought on january 2020. over the last week (july 15) at 36,569 miles my brakes have become significantly weaker where i'm pushing my foot all the way to the floor to stop the vehicle. backing out of my driveway which is fairly steep, my brakes won't stop my car unless pressed as far possible to the floor. i thought my pads needed changing but upon inspection they still had 90 percent of life left in my pads. my brake fluid reservoir is full and i have no signs of oil leaks anywhere on my brake lines or housing. i hear almost a grinding noise when i try to apply my brakes but my rotors show no signs of gashing or scraping. i did receive an abs malfunction warning light that went away on its own within the first month i owned this vehicle. the weather conditions on that day was heavy rain, but that notice has yet to return on my dash. i feel like there is some sort of problem with either the computer or electrical part of the braking or possible defective calipers. this needs to be investigated urgently as this can lead to future wrecks and possible deaths."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-03-07
Complaint:
"as i was driving my brakes got hard preventing me from stopping ,i was driving on my way to pick my sister up and as i went to stop to turn into her driveway my brakes are super hard and i was unable to come to a complete stop for about a quarter of a mile when i took my car in to get it inspected they said my brake booster was out and when they took it off the brake booster vacuum also had to be replaced they said this rarely ever happens but there is also been multiple complaints of it and that there is no warning signs"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2021-01-04
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2016 chevrolet spark. while being operated at a low speed, the brakes made an abnormal noise without warning. the vehicle was taken to classic chevrolet (located at 1101 w state highway 114, grapevine, tx) where it was diagnosed that the brakes needed to be adjusted and the brake wheel cylinder was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was approximately 9,659."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2019-01-01
Complaint:
"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 pulsating. as i pulled out onto the roadway the pulsating and the loud sound continued as a set of warning lights turned on. the warning lights were (abs warning, stabilitrak and service brakes). i began to slow down to approx. 30 mph in a 50 mph zone as i came to an intersection. as i came to a busy intersection i applied the brake to stop for a red light as the vehicle was not stopping. i forcefully pressed the brake pedal with maximum force possible as the vehicle barely slowed down. i also had to put the selector to "l" which helped the vehicle slow as i stopped approx. 3 feet past the limit line. if i were going 10mph faster and if there was a vehicle in front of me at the red light i would have been in a traffic collision due to the complete brake failure. after, i drove the vehicle (5mph) into a parking lot as the lights and brakes were still not operating. i turned the vehicle off for 5 minutes then turned the vehicle back on. when i turned the vehicle on everything was normal as there were no warning lights and the brakes worked like they were supposed to. conditions during this time was a typical california sunny day and there were no unusual conditions. this was the first time experiencing a complete brake failure, however, this was the second time taking the chevy spark in for brake problems. on 10/3/2016 the brake modules were replaced due to the pulsating problems however the brakes did not fail the first time. my vehicle is still at the dealer as of the date of this complaint."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2017-07-10
Complaint:
"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 30-40 mph. on each occasion, the brakes -- including regeneration -- functioned as expected just prior to and just after the event, and the battery was in a state of partial discharge, but during each event the pedal feel was similar to the feel experienced just after charging to 100% (when regenerative braking is not yet available.) i suspect that on each of these occasions, the car's regenerative braking was unexpectedly deactivated for reasons unknown, and the subsequent mechanical-only brake application (on cold pads) resulted in the pedal feel/braking force/stopping distance changes. note that i never experienced this in two years of driving a fiat 500e on the same route, in the same way, yet this has occurred with my chevrolet spark ev on at least three occasions as of september 1st 2017."
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2017-01-09
Complaint:
"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 brake pedal goes most of the way to the floor with very little braking capacity. it feels like there are no power brakes, only manual brakes that require a great deal of effort. each of the first three times it went into the dealership, they told me they fully replaced the pedal assembly. as of the fourth time it went in (jan 13), where it still is now (jan 23), they were still unsure what the problem is or how to fix it. #1: oct 23, 2016 ~7:51pm light rain, ~50+ degrees, main boulevard but not during heavy traffic time, car in motion, estimated speed ~10-15mph #2: dec 9, 2016 ~7:51pm light rain, ~50+ degrees, main boulevard but not during heavy traffic time, car in motion, estimated speed ~10-15mph #3: dec 21, 2016 ~11:37am light sprinkling, ~50+ degrees, highway in heavy traffic, car in motion, estimated speed ~25-30mph #4: jan 12, 2016 ~2:50pm sunny after rain earlier in the day, ~60 degrees, main boulevard coming to stop at intersection to turn left at green light, car in motion, estimated speed ~5-10 mph #5: jan 12, 2016 ~3:07pm sunny after rain earlier in the day, ~60 degrees, main boulevard. this is the most different, as the car was stationary. after maneuvering the car to the side of the road when the car malfunctioned, i turned the car off, then back on. the warning lights were off, and so i moved the car into drive with my foot on the brakes. at this point, the alarms turned on again, and the car lurched forward until i slammed on the brakes completely to the floor bringing the car to a stop. *tr"
Components Involved: SERVICE BRAKES
Date of incident: 2017-12-01

Recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet SPARK EV

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. during this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2016-09-08
Recall:
"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 not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. during this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2017-07-10

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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