2016 Chevrolet Spark: owner complaints and recalls

48% of everything owners report about the 2016 Chevrolet Spark points at a single system: service brakes. That is 20 of 42 complaints on file.

42
Complaints
1
Recalls
3
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
2
Injuries
81.0
Severity index

Severity index 81.0 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 81.0p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2016 Chevrolet Spark sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Chevrolet Spark ranks 46 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 67% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.

What actually fails

Service BrakesService Brakes: 20 complaints (47.6%)20 48%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 5 complaints (11.9%)5 12%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 5 complaints (11.9%)5 12%Air BagsAir Bags: 5 complaints (11.9%)5 12%Power TrainPower Train: 4 complaints (9.5%)4 10%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 2 complaints (4.8%)2 5%SteeringSteering: 2 complaints (4.8%)2 5%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 2 complaints (4.8%)2 5%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
SERVICE BRAKES2047.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM511.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER511.9%
AIR BAGS511.9%
POWER TRAIN49.5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM24.8%
STEERING24.8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER24.8%

Complaints filed per year

06132016: 62017: 132018: 32019: 62020: 52021: 22022: 32023: 22025: 216171318192021222325
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20166
201713
20183
20196
20205
20212
20223
20232
20252
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
17V30700009/05/2017AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet Spark vehicles. In the event of a crash, if a young child is seated improperly and not wearing a seat belt while in the front passenger seat, deployment of the front passenger air bag may injure the occupant's neck
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.