Reliable Auto DB

2013 Chevrolet Spark reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 146 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark over 14 years — 26 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 11 Spark years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Latch, Electrical system, software, and Radio.

2012 Chevrolet Spark
Photo by Ethan Llamas, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

146

Per year

26

Recalls

5

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 146), then Electrical system (34) and Powertrain (34). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Spark has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2014 has 176 complaints, 20 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Chevrolet Spark. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2022-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 22V640000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark EV vehicles. The secondary hood latch may corrode at the latch pivot, preventing the hood latch from properly engaging.
Remedy Dealers will replace the hood striker assembly and hood latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 12, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A222359300. This recall supersedes and expands NHTSA recall number 14V-593. Vehicles previously repaired under 14V-593 will need to have the new remedy performed.
Recall electrical system, software 2016-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V422000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
Recall equipment, electrical, radio 2016-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 16V257000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2014-09-24 · NHTSA campaign 14V593000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured January 17, 2012, to July 29, 2014. The secondary hood latch may prematurely corrode at the latch pivot causing the striker to get stuck out of position, preventing it from properly engaging the hood latch.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the striker with a new part which has superior corrosion protection, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14456.
Recall Air bags 2014-06-06 · NHTSA campaign 14V298000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured April 10, 2013, to May 8, 2013, and Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured December 30, 2012, to March 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, an improper weld on the passenger side front air bag inflator may result in the air bag not deploying.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. The recall began on July 30, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14211.

Complaints by component (146 total)

Engine
35
Electrical system
34
Powertrain
34
Speed control
14
Air bags
13
Fuel and propulsion system
10
Latches, locks, and linkages
10
Service brakes
9
Structure
9
Engine and engine cooling
8
Exterior lighting
8
Steering
4
Interior lighting
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Equipment
2
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Wheels
2
Hydraulic brakes
1
Seat belts
1
Suspension
1
Traction control
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

20201339201419201518201612201712201852019420203202112022620235202422025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I got the recall done but it still shows not done on the NHTSA website"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-06-16
  • "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…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-02-12
  • "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…"
    Powertrain · filed 2024-11-12
  • "My Spark's alarm kept going off. They replaced a module, Bob McCosh Dealer. They also said my radio was bad and had to be replaced. 615$. I said "Just disconnect the radio, I don't need it". Problem solved...I thought.…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2024-10-07
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Spark. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V257000 (Equipment, Electrical System) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local…"
    Electrical system, Equipment · filed 2024-06-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Chevrolet Spark 5 DR FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Spark 1.2L, 4-cyl Automatic 4-speed Front-wheel drive 28 36 31 MPG $2100
Spark 1.2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 31 37 34 MPG $1900

Specs and fitment

3rd generation (US), 2012–2022
Body styles Hatchback
Oil 5W-20 (1.2L); dexos1 , 4 qt capacity
Tire size 185/55R15 (LS/LT); Spark EV front 185/55R15 front / 185/55R15 (LS/LT); Spark EV rear 195/55R15 rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 14V-593 covers certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles: the secondary hood latch may prematurely wear, which can allow the hood to open while driving. Dealers replace the secondary latch. Separately, recalls 15V-416, 16V-257, and 16V-422 address Bring Your Own Media radios on certain Spark (and Sonic/Trax) vehicles that may fail to provide an audible warning for rear-park assist or other chimes; dealers update radio software or replace units per the campaign. Recall 17V-307 covers certain 2016-2017 Spark vehicles for FMVSS 208 occupant-crash protection: with an improperly seated, unbelted young child in the front passenger seat, passenger air-bag deployment may injure the occupant's neck; dealers replace the passenger air-bag module. The US catalog on this site includes Spark through 2022.

Compare

Next year 2014 Chevrolet Spark See every Chevrolet Spark model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Spark reliable?

Owners have filed 146 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark over 14 years — 26 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 11 Spark years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Latch, Electrical system, software, and Radio.

What are common problems with a 2013 Chevrolet Spark?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 146), then Electrical system (34) and Powertrain (34). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Chevrolet Spark more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Spark has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2014 has 176 complaints, 20 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Chevrolet Spark been recalled?

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark?

Owners have filed 146 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Spark with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Chevrolet Spark get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Chevrolet Spark is 32.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Chevrolet Spark take?

5W-20 (1.2L) meeting dexos1 is the common fill on the US third-gen years here.

When did Chevrolet stop selling the Spark in the US?

The US catalog includes model years through 2022; there is no 2023+ Spark year in vPIC for this site.

What does recall 14V-593 cover on early Spark?

Certain 2013-2015 Spark vehicles: the secondary hood latch may prematurely wear, which can allow the hood to open while driving. Dealers replace the secondary latch.