IllustrationSOMETIMES KEY WON'T TURN IN IGNITION, AND STEERING WHEEL WONT MOVE AND GEAR SHIFT WON'T MOVE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
1999 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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: 1 of 24 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 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
3 reportsTHE DRL MODULE FAILED, CAUSING SEVERAL LIGHTING ANOMILES AND ODD ENGINE REVVING FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE STOPPING. FOLLOWING THAT, THE ENGINE STARTED NORMALLY BUT DIED WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE MANUALLY ACTIVATED. AFTER THAT,THE CAR STARTED AND THE SAME LIGHTING ANOMOLIES REPEATED, THE ENGINE DIED AND THE LIGHTS WOULND'T TURN OFF. W…
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THE DRL MODULE FAILED, CAUSING SEVERAL LIGHTING ANOMILES AND ODD ENGINE REVVING FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE STOPPING. FOLLOWING THAT, THE ENGINE STARTED NORMALLY BUT DIED WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE MANUALLY ACTIVATED. AFTER THAT,THE CAR STARTED AND THE SAME LIGHTING ANOMOLIES REPEATED, THE ENGINE DIED AND THE LIGHTS WOULND'T TURN OFF. WITH THE DRL MODULE DISCONNECTED, THE LIGHTS DID NOT OPERATE. THE PART WASN'T IN STOCK AT THE DEALERSHIPS IN MY AREA AND IT HAD TO BE ORDERED. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FROM 5/17 UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OF 5/21.*AK
I WAS REARENDED IN AN ACCIDENT ON 10-11-00 AT A STOP LIGHT, WHICH IN TURN PUSHED ME INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, I WAS HIT AT 45 MILES AN HOUR, MY TRUNK WAS COMPACTED TO 6 INCHES. THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE HAS A 2 FOOT AREA THAT IS MISSING AND THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND YET MY AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. EITHER THE PASSENGER OR DRIVERS…
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I WAS REARENDED IN AN ACCIDENT ON 10-11-00 AT A STOP LIGHT, WHICH IN TURN PUSHED ME INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, I WAS HIT AT 45 MILES AN HOUR, MY TRUNK WAS COMPACTED TO 6 INCHES. THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE HAS A 2 FOOT AREA THAT IS MISSING AND THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND YET MY AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. EITHER THE PASSENGER OR DRIVERS. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAGS THAT COULD BE SEEN OR CHECKED. THIS IS VERY TRUBBLING TO ME.*AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.