
Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
Introduction 3
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: Shown when the owner ’s
manual has additional instructions
or information.
*: Shown when the service
manual has additional instructions
or information.
0: Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“see page.” Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. See the
features in this manual for
information.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I: Cruise Control
`:Do Not Puncture
^:Do Not Service
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
_: Flame/Fire Prohibited
.:Fuel Gauge
+: Fuses
3:Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: ISOFIX/LATCH System Child
Restraints

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
94 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 95
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 95
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 95
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . 96
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . 103
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 103
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 105 Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 105
Service Vehicle Soon Light . . . 107
Owner Manual Indicator . . . . . . 107
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Operate Pedal Light . . . . . . . . . . 108
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Power Steering Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 109
Ultrasonic Parking Sensor Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . 110
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 112
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 112
Immobilizer Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Reduced Engine Power Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 113 Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 113
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . 113
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 113
Hood Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages (Base LevelCluster) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Vehicle Messages (Uplevel Cluster) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 121
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . 121
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 121

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
108 Instruments and Controls
Warning (Continued)
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light will stay on if the parking
brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means there is a
brake problem. If the light comes on while driving,
carefully pull off the road and stop.
The pedal may be harder to push or
may go closer to the floor. It may
take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for
service. See
Towing the Vehicle
0 271.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the
engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally, the
indicator light then goes off.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the
ignition off. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system. If the ABS light
stays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the vehicle still has
brakes, but not antilock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, the vehicle does not
have antilock brakes and there is a
problem with the regular brakes.
See
Brake System Warning Light
0 107.
Operate Pedal Light
This light comes on when the clutch
or brake pedal needs to be applied
to start the vehicle.

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
164 Climate Controls
3. Open the filter cover byreleasing the tabs on both
sides and pulling up the cover.
4. Replace the air filter.
5. Close the air filter cover and tabs.
6. Reinstall the glove box.
See your dealer if additional
assistance is needed.
Air Conditioning Regular
Operation
To ensure continuous efficient
performance, operate the air
conditioning for a few minutes once a month. The air conditioning will
not operate if the outside
temperature is too low.
Caution
Damage caused by improper
refrigerant usage could lead to
costly repairs and may not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Refrigerant systems should only
be serviced by qualified
personnel. Always use the correct
refrigerant.
{Warning
Performing service work to the
climate control system could
cause personal injury or damage
to the vehicle. Climate control
systems are serviced by qualified
personnel only.
Service
All vehicles have a label underhood
that identifies the refrigerant used in
the vehicle. The refrigerant system
should only be serviced by trained
and certified technicians. The air
conditioning evaporator should
never be repaired or replaced by
one from a salvage vehicle.
It should only be replaced by a new
evaporator to ensure proper and
safe operation.
During service, all refrigerants
should be reclaimed with proper
equipment. Venting refrigerants
directly to the atmosphere is harmful
to the environment and may also
create unsafe conditions based on
inhalation, combustion, frostbite,
or other health-based concerns.

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
Driving and Operating 165
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 169
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 170
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 172
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 176
Ignition Positions (KeylessAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Ignition Positions (Key Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 186
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 188
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 192
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 197
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 204
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
168 Driving and Operating
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
. Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
. Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
. Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
. Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge. 3. Turn the steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
. Steering or Cornering Skid —
too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force.
. Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited to
existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible.

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
Driving and Operating 171
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0190.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0304. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe: .
Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See “Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0185.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.

Chevrolet Spark Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11348464) -
2018 - crc - 9/19/17
190 Driving and Operating
Shift Speeds
{Warning
If you skip a gear when
downshifting, you could lose
control of the vehicle. You could
injure yourself or others. Do not
shift down more than one gear at
a time when downshifting.
Up-Shift Light
Vehicles equipped with a manual
transmission may have an up-shift
light. This light indicates when to
shift to the next higher gear for
better fuel economy.For the best fuel economy,
accelerate slowly and shift when the
light comes on, and if the weather,
road, and traffic conditions allow.
It is normal for the light to go on and
off if the accelerator position
changes quickly. Ignore the light
during downshifts.
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has an Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the vehicle begins to drive
away, ABS checks itself.
A momentary motor or clicking noise
may be heard while this test is going
on, and it may even be noticed that
the brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See
Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
0 108.