Reliable Auto DB

2019 Chevrolet Spark reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Chevrolet Spark over 8 years — 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Spark years here — under the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Air bags.

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

14

Per year

3

Recalls

1

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (7 of 14), then Powertrain (2) and Service brakes (2). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Spark has 9 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2020 has 19 complaints, 3 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 Chevrolet Spark. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall Air bags 2018-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V774000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Buick Encore, Chevrolet Spark, Traverse, and Trax vehicles. The Sensing Diagnostic Module (SDM) on these vehicle may not have been turned off of "manufacturing mode," preventing the air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM module to the correct mode, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18365.

Complaints by component (14 total)

Air bags
7
Powertrain
2
Service brakes
2
Tires
2
Electrical system
1
Engine
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Seat belts
1
Speed control
1
Structure
1
Show 2 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

22019320203202112023120242202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "LandGolden LG17 185/55R15 82V All Season Radial Tires were purchased from Amazon (seller: Priority Tire) and professionally installed. Tires have been balanced and rotated approximately every 5000 miles. Less than…"
    Tires · filed 2026-06-11
  • "LandGolden LG17 185/55R15 82V All Season Radial Tires purchased from Amazon (seller: Priority Tire) and professionally installed. Tires have been balanced and rotated approximately every 5000 miles. Less than 30,000…"
    Tires · filed 2026-06-11
  • "The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the contact had lost consciousness. The contact stated that an emergency services vehicle was behind her and had…"
    Air bags · filed 2025-04-28
  • "Car is hesitating alot from a stop and has locked up. Engine light came on. Had it diagnosed and the codes came up Transmission control module (Tcm). Cant find the part and the ine i did find was 800. It's only 6 years…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-02-05
  • "I have a 2019 Chevy Spark after doing research it appears that the Spark has a high transmission failure"
    Powertrain · filed 2024-09-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 Chevrolet Spark 5 HB 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 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 38 33 MPG $1950
Spark 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 29 38 33 MPG $1950
Spark ACTIV 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 37 33 MPG $1950
Spark ACTIV 1.4L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050

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 2018 Chevrolet Spark Next year 2020 Chevrolet Spark See every Chevrolet Spark model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Spark reliable?

Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Chevrolet Spark over 8 years — 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Spark years here — under the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Air bags.

What are common problems with a 2019 Chevrolet Spark?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (7 of 14), then Powertrain (2) and Service brakes (2). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Spark more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Spark has 9 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2020 has 19 complaints, 3 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Chevrolet Spark been recalled?

The 2019 Chevrolet Spark has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Chevrolet Spark?

Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Spark with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Chevrolet Spark get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Chevrolet Spark is 32.8 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.