NHTSA Complaint #11233722 — 2014 CHEVROLET SPARK

IN JANUARY 2019, I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN APPOINTMENT BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. NO DEALERSHIP HAD APPOINTMENTS BECAUSE THERE WAS AN AIRBAG RECALL ON ANOTHER GM VEHICLE GOING-ON. THE FIRST AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT I COULD OBTAIN WAS IN APRIL, WHICH ENDED UP TURNING OUT TO BE A FEW DAYS AFTER MY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRED. MY STANCE IS THAT I WOULD HAVE TAKEN MY CAR IN THE DEALERSHIP IN JANUARY, HAD AN APPOINTMENT BEEN AVAILABLE. BASED UPON THIS, MY FEELING IS THAT GM SHOULD HONOR MY POWERTRAIN AND FIX MY TRANSMISSION UNDER THE WARRANTY. HOWEVER, GM WAS REFUSING TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION UNDER THE WARRANTY, AND I WAS GOING THROUGH THE BAR COMPLAINT PROCESS. ON JUNE 16TH, I WAS DRIVING ACROSS A BRIDGE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PETAL, THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE AND A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IT IS A MIRACLE THAT I WAS NOT RAN OVER BY THE SEMITRUCK THAT WAS BEHIND ME AND WAS ABLE TO SOMEHOW COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I ALMOST DIED! THIS CAR IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT THERE IS AN INTERNAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON MY VEHICLE AS GM KNOWS THAT THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR HAS A KNOWN HIGH TRANSMISSION FAILURE RATE AROUND 60K MILES. THIS CAR SHOULD BE RECALLED. ON JULY 8TH, I PAID TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED; HOWEVER THE CAR CONTINUES TO HAVE ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. WHEN TRYING TO DRIVE UPHILL, THE CAR SLOWS DOWN TO A MAX OF 45MPH. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE ON THE FREEWAY WHERE THE STANDARD SPEED IS 65MPH. IF YOU LOOK AT CARCOMPLAINTS.COM, THERE ARE OVER 200 PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION ISSUES WITH THE 2014 CHEVY SPARK.