IllustrationCHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND ENGINE "ALMOST STALLS." THE LIGHT COMES ON AND A DECREASE IN RPM AND ENGINE HESTITATION OCCURS. LIGHT DID STAY ON FOR 1 HOUR, BUT WHEN DEALER CHECKED THERE WERE NO CODES RECORDED. DEALER CHECKED CAR 2 SEPARATE TIMES WITH NO EVIDENCE OF ANY DEFECTS. *LA
1995 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1995 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: 4 of 96 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports1 fire reports22 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
5 reportsENGINE OVERHEATED CAUSING FAILURE OF ENGINE AND OTHER COMPONENTS.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO COMPLETE CYCLE, LEAVING DRIVER UNABLE TO SEE THROUGH WINDSHIELD.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, GOT OFF WORK, VEHICLE STARTED JERKING, NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM HOOD, SOMEONE NOTICED FIRE AND TOLD DRIVER TO GET OUT OF VEHICLE, FIRE DEPT WAS CALLED TO EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES.*AK
THE ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON DEALER CHECKED IT GO A WAYS BUT COMES BACK ON . TT
Official recalls
296V107000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Jun 20, 1996
IF LIQUID IS SPILLED IN THE CONSOLE BOX AREA, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAN ILLUMINATE AND STAY "ON" DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS LEAKAGE CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE AIR BAG TO INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE AIR BAG SENSOR TO PREVENT POSSIBLE MALFUNCTION CAUSED BY THE SPILLING OF LIQUID SUBSTANCES ON THE SENSOR. AIR BAG SENSORS DAMAGED BY PREVIOUS LIQUID SPILLAGE WILL BE REPLACED.
95V195002 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery
Oct 11, 1995
THE BATTERY CAN HAVE A DEFECTIVE WELD INSIDE THE POSITIVE AND/OR NEGATIVE TERMINAL ALLOWING THE CONNECTION INSIDE OF THE TERMINAL TO SEPARATE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN A NO-START CONDITION, OR A BATTERY EXPLOSION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE DEFECTIVE BATTERIES.
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
1EA97015 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Jul 22, 1997 · Closed Sep 21, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
There is no summary currently available