Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.
Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Spark, and it carries 1 recall. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 4 | 14% |
| Air bags | 3 | 10% |
| Power train | 2 | 7% |
| Air bags | 2 | 7% |
| Engine | 2 | 7% |
| Power train | 1 | 3% |
| Visibility | 1 | 3% |
| Power train | 1 | 3% |
| Power train | 1 | 3% |
| Electrical system | 1 | 3% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
My transmission has been acting up like other stated where it will rev the motor high and then jerk and shift hard. There are no recalls for it when there are known issues with the transmission for the 2017. I was dr
NHTSA complaint: Power train
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving at various speeds, the A/C was blowing out hot air. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the deal
NHTSA complaint: Visibility
When the car reaches a certain speed (50 mph plus) it jerks and jolts. The engine light is on and a P-code is present. Each mechanic says something different.
NHTSA complaint: Power train
I feel that there are issues with the transmissions on the 2017 Chevy spark. I noticed that there have been complaints in years such as 2014 and 2019. I find that my 2017 exhibits exact same transmission issues as years
NHTSA complaint: Power train
vehicle brakes went out suddenly after hearing a loud POP sound...brakes wouldn't respond and pedal hard, ran off road and could only glide to a roll stop and not really then...fortunately a repair shop adjacent so drove
NHTSA complaint: Service brakes
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Spark. The contact stated that on various occasions, and while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle shuddered while accelerating. The contact stated that the failure persisted wh
NHTSA complaint: Power train
Took the Car to Emissions wouldn’t pass because the check engine wouldn’t illuminate they gave me a recall paper related to the check engine light not illuminating MFR#N192268880/ Took car to Gateway Chevrolet at 9901 W
NHTSA complaint: Power train
105000 miles: Lost Brakes extremely hard to push brake pedal. Lost vacuum, enabling to stop car safely. Took brake vacuum line off vacuum pump and plug pump so oil don’t leak out pump. Then join the line to an existing v
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2017 Chevrolet Spark. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
General 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. As such, these ve
Risk: In the event of a crash with a frontal air bag deployment, an unbelted child in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for
| Reliability raw | 82 | excellent |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 79 | good |
| Maintenance | 84 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 78 | good |
| Performance | 39 | below average |
| Efficiency | 56 | average |
Percentile ranks against other compact cars in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and service brakes is the most reported area with 4 of them (14%). There is 1 recall on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 82/100 (excellent) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 79/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2017 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 74/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.