IllustrationWAS 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
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
What owners actually said
96 reportsWOULD 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 &…
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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
WHEN MAKING A TURN THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK. THERE WERE CHILDREN PRESENT, VEHICLE WAS RACING UP CURB. ANOTHER TIME ACCELERATER GOT STUCK CONSUMER WAS CHANGING LANES AND GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK AGAIN. CONSUMER TURNED OF KEYS, AND HIT A VAN WITH A PREGNANT WOMEN IN IT.*AK *SLC
DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLES STICK IN BUCKLE HOUSING. ALSO, REAR SEAT BELTS LOCKS IN RETRACTOR MECHANISM. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
BOTH SEAT BELTS IN MY CAR ARE CONSIDERED DEFECTIVE BY MY DEALER. GM AGREED TO PAY FOR THE NEW SEAT BELTS AFTER I ARGUED FOR AN HOUR WITH A REPRESENTATIVE ON THE PHONE AND THEN WENT DOWN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO ARGUE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. TO REPLACE TWO SEAT BELTS IN A 95 GEO PRISM THE COST IS UPWARDS OF $650. THE CUSTOMER SE…
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BOTH SEAT BELTS IN MY CAR ARE CONSIDERED DEFECTIVE BY MY DEALER. GM AGREED TO PAY FOR THE NEW SEAT BELTS AFTER I ARGUED FOR AN HOUR WITH A REPRESENTATIVE ON THE PHONE AND THEN WENT DOWN TO THE DEALERSHIP TO ARGUE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. TO REPLACE TWO SEAT BELTS IN A 95 GEO PRISM THE COST IS UPWARDS OF $650. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE FROM GM ACTUALY SIAD THAT I HAD BROKE THEM FROM "OVER-USAGE". I WONDER WHY IF IT IS A LAW THAT PEOPLE WEAR A SEAT BELT WHILE OPPERATING A CAR, WHY IT IS NOT A LAW THAT THE CAR MANUFACTURERS GUARANTEE THEIR SEAT BELTS FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR? MY SEAT BELTS WERE REPLACE FOR FREE IN PART BECAUSE I AM AGGRESSIVE, MOUTHY, AND I OUT-WIT BOTH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AND THE SERVICE MANAGER AT HALL CHEVROLET. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALY PAID TO GET THEIR DEFECTIVE SEAT BELTS FIXED?*AK
REAR SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR KEEPS GETTING JAMMED, AND DUE TO REPEATED UNJAMMING SEATBELT HAS PREMATURELY WORN OUT, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION. DEFECT HAS BEEN A REOCCURRING PROBLEM SINCE CONSUMER HAS OWNED VEHICLE. ALSO ,HAS A FILE WITH GM #C02879749.*AK
INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES ON FRONT DRIVER AND BOTH REAR DOORS ARE BROKEN. WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE, WITHOUT PINCHING THE HANDLE FRAME TOGETHER AT BOTTOM. *AK
CONCERNED FOR THE LOOSE SEATBELTS IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE WHICH BROKE BEFORE WARRANTY BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE FULL WARRENTY. I WAS JUST CHECKING TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE RECALLS FOR THE SEAT BELTS BECAUSE THEY BROKE AT THE SAME TIME.*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
WHILE STOPPING ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HEAD-0N AT 35 MPH. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *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