Chevrolet has issued a recall for its Spark hatchbacks due to a faulty hood latch that causes the hood to open abruptly anywhere, at any time, even while the vehicle is in motion. According to the automaker, the recall campaign affected more than 120,000 Chevrolet Spark vehicles. The 2013-2015 Chevrolet Sparks and 2014-2015 Spark EVs are also affected. The latest recall affects 116,223 Chevrolet Sparks in the United States, as well as 4,465 Spark EVs.
In 2014, General Motors recalled 120,688 Chevrolet Spark models due to a flaw that caused the secondary hood latch lever to corrode prematurely. While Chevrolet addressed the issue at the time, it appears that the problem persists and could result in a fatal crash for the affected vehicles. Chevrolet has decided to replace the hood striker and latch assemblies on all affected vehicles.
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Chevrolet launched a new investigation into the problem in May of this year, and a new recall notice was issued on August 25th of this year. The investigation was launched in response to reports of corroded hood latches.
Chevrolet claimed to have reviewed data from warranty claims, legal claims, and other official sources and discovered 276 field reports worldwide relating to this condition. The US auto major discovered there were 22 crash allegations and one claimed minor injury relating to the issue. These incidents occurred between January 2, 2015 and May 25, 2022.
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Chevrolet claims to have decided to contact affected customers beginning October 10, 2022. They would be instructed to take their vehicles to nearby dealerships to have the hood striker and hood latches replaced as needed.
Chevrolet previously sold the Spark hatchback in India. However, it is not yet confirmed if the India-spec Chevy Sparks are covered under the recall programme.
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