IllustrationWHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20MPH HEARD A SOUND & WAS NOT ABLE TO STEER VEHICLE. THE WHEELS WOULD NOT TURN EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. IT FELT LIKE VEHICLE HAD A FLAT. LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE & HIT A POLE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THERE WAS A RECALL #90V191000. HOWEVER, VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL. *AK
1991 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1991 Geo Prizm do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 46.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Prizm years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 3 of 46 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
Wheels complaints
1 reportsOfficial recalls
190V191000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Nov 9, 1990
LUG NUTS THAT RETAIN WHEELS AND WHEEL COVERS MAY HAVE BEEN TORQUED TO LOWER THAN RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: INSUFFICIENT CLAMPING OF LUG NUTS RETAINING THE WHEELCOVER AND WHEEL COULD RESULT IN A LOOSE WHEEL THAT COULD FALL OFF WITH POTENTIALFOR LOSS OF CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy: REMOVE ORIGINAL WHEEL COVER, TORQUE LUG TO SPECIFICATION, AND INSTALL FULL WHEEL COVERS THAT ARE RETAINED BY SPRING CLIPS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.