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Common Issues with the Spark?


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Saw a few responses in a thread re: 2014 Sparks not being released until the 2013's were fixed (understanding in some places they've begun to show up now). Just curious... what are some of the issues you've had with your Spark and what did you have to go through to correct them? Sort of wanting to prepare ourselves to watch for anything that seems rather common and know as soon as we see a potential symptom to get it checked out.

Our Spark came off the truck Thursday and we bought it Sunday so I'm hoping that means some of the more common issues were resolved already (on the production line) but I know that's not always the case.

Any time a vehicle is brand new (i.e. new model) there will always be little nuances and issues and kinks to work out so curious what to watch for!

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The only common problem that I am aware of, that is affecting a lot of people, is the air conditioner not pushing cold air consistently. There are a lot of posts regarding this problem here on the forums. A lot of dealers are not aware of this problem, and are not servicing the affected cars properly, GM has acknowledged this problem with a TSB, and are working on a fix, that should put this issue to rest. Understandably, with the weather being extremely hot, many people are justifiably frustrated, waiting for this fix. I would suggest you read some of the threads, regarding air conditioning, there are two rather large ones, that are currently active. They will tell you much more than I can, in single a post.

As far as other issues, I will leave that to anyone who is experiencing any.

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The obvious A/C issues are a big one almost every Spark owner is dealing with right now... Something I have been having troubles with is my steering alignment. It keeps going out of walk and pulling to the left when I level the steering wheel out with the dash. Just got it back yesterday and they told me its "dead on factory specifications" and I'm probably having issues with it on roads were there are wheel ruts from heavier trucks. Funny how it pulls on every road I go on... So I am keeping an eye on it. Those are the two big ones I am dealing with.

As for correcting them, both issues are still pending correction...

Edited by Dori
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The only common problem that I am aware of, that is affecting a lot of people, is the air conditioner not pushing cold air consistently. There are a lot of posts regarding this problem here on the forums. A lot of dealers are not aware of this problem, and are not servicing the affected cars properly, GM has acknowledged this problem with a TSB, and are working on a fix, that should put this issue to rest. Understandably, with the weather being extremely hot, many people are justifiably frustrated, waiting for this fix. I would suggest you read some of the threads, regarding air conditioning, there are two rather large ones, that are currently active. They will tell you much more than I can, in single a post.

As far as other issues, I will leave that to anyone who is experiencing any.

I did see a few posts re: A/C issues, I'll make sure to check them out. I noticed yesterday when I got in and started her up after she'd been sitting out in 94 degree heat that it took awhile to get cool but that to me isn't unusual (and probably not the same thing as the issues you mention). I'll definitely watch for it though as A/C issues seem to follow my husband and I with every car we've owned! :)

Got mine a few weeks ago and everything works perfectly . If I had any complaint , it was the ignition key would be hard to insert . That is a non issue now as it worked itself in .

HAH! Mine is too but honestly I thought it was more because I was used to a non-key ignition for so long (2007 Mini - you put the fob itself in). :)

The obvious A/C issues are a big one almost every Spark owner is dealing with right now... Something I have been having troubles with is my steering alignment. It keeps going out of walk and pulling to the left when I level the steering wheel out with the dash. Just got it back yesterday and they told me its "dead on factory specifications" and I'm probably having issues with it on roads were there are wheel ruts from heavier trucks. Funny how it pulls on every road I go on... So I am keeping an eye on it. Those are the two big ones I am dealing with.

As for correcting them, both issues are still pending correction...

I had the same issue years ago with a Ford Escape. They basically kept telling me I was insane. Thanks for sharing!

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Any time a vehicle is brand new (i.e. new model) there will always be little nuances and issues and kinks to work out so curious what to watch for!

That might be true but not for the Chevy Spark. This body and model has been in production world wide (except USA) since 2009. The only thing that changed for USA are safety standards, or you would think.

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The obvious A/C issues are a big one almost every Spark owner is dealing with right now... Something I have been having troubles with is my steering alignment. It keeps going out of walk and pulling to the left when I level the steering wheel out with the dash. Just got it back yesterday and they told me its "dead on factory specifications" and I'm probably having issues with it on roads were there are wheel ruts from heavier trucks. Funny how it pulls on every road I go on... So I am keeping an eye on it. Those are the two big ones I am dealing with.

As for correcting them, both issues are still pending correction...

For alignment have you tried rotating your tires?

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That might be true but not for the Chevy Spark. This body and model has been in production world wide (except USA) since 2009. The only thing that changed for USA are safety standards, or you would think.

True I read that it's a Daewoo (I think it was?) repacked for the states but... and I'm a dummy on this so I may be wrong... if an issue is found that requires recall or a service bulletin, wouldn't they fix that as they roll more off the production line?

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That might be true but not for the Chevy Spark. This body and model has been in production world wide (except USA) since 2009. The only thing that changed for USA are safety standards, or you would think.

For me, the only problems are the AC and I feel the clutch pedal on the Manual transmission version goes down too far in comparison to the position of the Gas and break pedals. I've got my seat at a comfortable position to use the clutch but the break and gas petal seem really close to me. Maybe it's just me and I've been sitting too far away from the pedals in all the automatic cars I've driven.

Edited by Trancer07
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True I read that it's a Daewoo (I think it was?) repacked for the states but... and I'm a dummy on this so I may be wrong... if an issue is found that requires recall or a service bulletin, wouldn't they fix that as they roll more off the production line?

Yes they would. What is the production date in the door jamb. It's on the sticker with the vin. Just because it came off a truck sometimes doesn't mean it was just produced. Just check for your own knowledge.

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It has 2,500 miles on the car. I wouldn't think it's already time for tire rotation.

I'm not saying you need a tire rotation. But if you flop the fronts straight to the back you can rule out a tread problem. That would be my first try by myself after the dealer says nothing is wrong. You can do what you want and live with it but I would try. Very easy to do on these little cars.

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I'm not saying you need a tire rotation. But if you flop the fronts straight to the back you can rule out a tread problem. That would be my first try by myself after the dealer says nothing is wrong. You can do what you want and live with it but I would try. Very easy to do on these little cars.

Aww copy that. I will give that a try.

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I'm a lucky one with a decent a/c. I thought mine pulled to the left when I bought it, it was actually defective tires that wouldn't balance out, all 4 tires were replaced. I'm trying to decide if I want to replace my tires with a much better brand and tire, or wait for these to wear out. My only biggest gripe is those tires, and the speaker cover rattle, still love the car. I wish I waited for the '14, just for the auto on headlights.

Edited by austex04
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I'm a lucky one with a decent a/c. I thought mine pulled to the left when I bought it, it was actually defective tires that wouldn't balance out, all 4 tires were replaced. I'm trying to decide if I want to replace my tires with a much better brand and tire, or wait for these to wear out. My only biggest gripe is those tires, and the speaker cover rattle, still love the car. I wish I waited for the '14, just for the auto on headlights.

I love my 17 inch rims and Toyo tires. I have my brand new stock rims and tires if anyone wants to buy them.

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Yes they would. What is the production date in the door jamb. It's on the sticker with the vin. Just because it came off a truck sometimes doesn't mean it was just produced. Just check for your own knowledge.

Y'know it never dawned on me that it could've came off the production line months ago and just sat there. I'll have to check!

EDIT: You're right! Production was February! Good to know!

Edited by HappyMommy
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Y'know it never dawned on me that it could've came off the production line months ago and just sat there. I'll have to check!

EDIT: You're right! Production was February! Good to know!

Good to know. They can be sitting before shipment or dealer trade too. Sometime they can come from out of state if they are not selling too.

The easiest way to tell is just off truck from factory will have the white plastic all over the car for paint protection.

Edited by bluer101
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Good to know. They can be sitting before shipment or dealer trade too. Sometime they can come from out of state if they are not selling too.

The easiest way to tell is just off truck from factory will have the white plastic all over the car for paint protection.

Yeah this one was straight from factory, covered in the white plastic until the night before I bought it. When I got in it to test drive there were only 14 miles on it and those were put on by the guy who came the night before and test drove it. She was definitely "factory new" but obviously had sat for awhile waiting to be loaded on a truck and shipped to Monroe, NC! :)

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I wonder if they are transporting them by ship to the east coast now, that would explain the time delay from going down to Panama and then back up to the USA.

It'd certainly make sense and explain why it took 5 months to get here after it was made. Where is the production factory? I'm sure this is on the sticker too but I'm too lazy to go all the way back out to look. LOL!

Edited by HappyMommy
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