Reliable Auto DB

2014 Chevrolet Spark reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2014 Chevrolet Spark holds 176 complaints after 13 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Spark years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 6 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

176

Per year

20

Recalls

6

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (51 of 176), then Powertrain (49) and Electrical system (39). Those filings include 13 that report a crash and 8 that report an injury.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Spark has 146 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2015 has 83 complaints, 6 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

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 2014 Chevrolet Spark. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

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 equipment, electrical, radio 2015-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 15V416000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 20, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured June 18, 2014, to June 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, equipped with the base radio and OnStar, the radio may lock up due to a software issue, causing the display to go blank and all audio functions to cease. Because of this, there may be no warning chimes such as the reminder to buckle the seat belt and the key being left in ignition when the driver goes to exit the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 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 August 11, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15504.
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 Front lower control arm 2014-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 14V440000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Spark vehicles manufactured from May 7, 2014, to May 26, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the left and right lower control arm attaching bolts in the front suspension may not be tightened to specification.
Remedy Owners are instructed NOT to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Owners should call a Chevrolet dealer immediately to arrange for their vehicle to be transported free of charge for servicing. GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left and right lower control arm attaching bolts to make sure that they are tightened to the proper specification, free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14453. Note: Owners are advised not to drive the vehicle until the repairs have been completed.

Complaints by component (176 total)

Engine
51
Powertrain
49
Electrical system
39
Speed control
24
Fuel and propulsion system
16
Air bags
13
Service brakes
13
Structure
10
Electronic stability control (ESC)
9
Latches, locks, and linkages
8
Steering
7
Seat belts
6
Suspension
5
Engine and engine cooling
3
Seats
2
Visibility
2
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

13

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

8

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

2420141720152020162320171620181520191420204202152022172023920245202572026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Vehicle went into “limp mode” while merging onto a busy road, nearly causing a collision with both oncoming traffic and other vehicles attempting to merge onto the road. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. The mechanic…"
    Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-08-17
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the hood independently unlatched and crashed against the front windshield, causing damage to the windshield and…"
    Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2026-07-06
  • "The date was XXX there was a recall on the transmission for my 2014 Chevrolet Spark I took my car to Ben Mynatt [XXX]. They check my car and told me that my car transmission was effected and that they put an order for a…"
    Powertrain, Speed control · filed 2026-07-05
  • "The contact owns a a 2014 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was steered to the side…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-05-07
  • "The vehicle experiences intermittent loss of power and unstable acceleration while driving at normal speeds (approximately 45–55 mph). The vehicle will surge, hesitate, and fail to maintain consistent speed, creating an…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-04-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2014 Chevrolet Spark 5 HB FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 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 (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 37 33 MPG $1950
Spark 1.2L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 31 38 34 MPG $1900
Spark EV — Automatic (1-speed) Front-wheel drive 128 109 119 MPG / 82 mi range $650

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

Previous year 2013 Chevrolet Spark Next year 2015 Chevrolet Spark See every Chevrolet Spark model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Chevrolet Spark reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2014 Chevrolet Spark holds 176 complaints after 13 years, a rate of 20 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Spark years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Latch, Electrical system, software, and Radio.

What are common problems with a 2014 Chevrolet Spark?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (51 of 176), then Powertrain (49) and Electrical system (39). Those filings include 13 that report a crash and 8 that report an injury.

Is the 2014 Chevrolet Spark more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Spark has 146 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2015 has 83 complaints, 6 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Chevrolet Spark been recalled?

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark has 6 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 2014 Chevrolet Spark?

Owners have filed 176 complaints about the 2014 Chevrolet Spark with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Chevrolet Spark get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Chevrolet Spark is 62 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.