IllustrationWHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED DRIVERS RESTRAINT DOES NOT LOCKS. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
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
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
13 reportsTHE BRAKES MAKE HIGH PITCHED SOUNDS EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE NOT WORN OUT, THE CONSUMER CHANGED THE 2ND SET OF BRAKES BECAUSE SHE CAN NOT TAKE THE NOISE ANYMORE. *YH
WAS DRIVING VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 35MPH AND HAD REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN BRAKES HAD LOCKED. UPON IMPACT WITH OTHER VEHICLE, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
WOULD BE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHEN BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP WITHOUT BEING APPLIED. PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. COULD SMELL BRAKES BURNING. HAD MECHANIC LOOK AT BRAKES, AND THEY WERE COMPLETELY OVERHAULED. HAD AN ACCIDENT PREVIOUSLY WHEN BRAKES LOCKED UP. CURRENTLY, BRAKES BEING REPAIRED AGAIN AFTER BEING TEST DRIVEN &…
Read full complaint
WOULD BE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WHEN BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP WITHOUT BEING APPLIED. PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. COULD SMELL BRAKES BURNING. HAD MECHANIC LOOK AT BRAKES, AND THEY WERE COMPLETELY OVERHAULED. HAD AN ACCIDENT PREVIOUSLY WHEN BRAKES LOCKED UP. CURRENTLY, BRAKES BEING REPAIRED AGAIN AFTER BEING TEST DRIVEN & AND LOCKING UP ON MWCHANIC. *AK
MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 36,800 MILES, CAUSING BRAKE PEDAL TO DEPRESS LOWER THAN IT USUALLY DOES, RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKES. *AK
BRAKES WILL NOT STOP VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATED BRAKES WERE NOT OPERABLE. SHE HEARD SOME TYPE OF NOISE, AND THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED. *AK
THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN VEHICLE COLLISION, NO DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER AIR BAG, RESULTING IN INJURIES. *YC
WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MPH IN STOP & GO TRAFFIC. HAD REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER/PASSENGER SUFFERED WHIPLASH. TOOK TO DEALER TO CHECK VEHICLE. *AK
BRAKES DO NOT WORK PROPERLY, REPAIRS MADE HOWEVER NO IMPROVEMENT.
ABS BRAKES FAILED, RESULTING IN A CRASH. *AK
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