IllustrationTHE REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE UNLATCHED DURING A CRASH, CAUSING THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT, WHICH WAS RESTRAINED BY SEATBELT, TO FLY ACROSS THE VEHICLE. LUCKILY, THE CHILD WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
1996 Geo Metro
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Geo Metro do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 36.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Metro 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: 5 of 88 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 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
27 crash reports5 fire reports18 injury reports
What owners actually said
88 reportsUPON COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, VEHICLE WAS AT A STAND STILL. ALSO, VEHICLE BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCELERATE FROM 0-15. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
CAME TO STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START BACK UP. LOW VOLTAGE READING OR DIM LIGHTS.CHANGED ALTERNATOR IN NOVEMBER. WAS TOLD THAT WAS THE WAY THE CAR WAS DESIGNED, AND THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT BIG ENOUGH. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. *AK
VEHICLE CUTS OFF WHEN STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT. THE WAY THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED, THE ALTERNATOR IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE A/C AND RADIO. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER. *YC
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 35 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED FACING UPHILL IN THE DRIVEWAY,THE PARKING BRAKE WAS APPLIED AND THE MANUAL TRANSMIISON WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND LOCKED AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 PM. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:10 PM THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN THE DRIVE AND ACROSS THE STATE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED AGAINST THE GUARDRAIL, BLOCKING TRAFFIC. M…
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VEHICLE WAS PARKED FACING UPHILL IN THE DRIVEWAY,THE PARKING BRAKE WAS APPLIED AND THE MANUAL TRANSMIISON WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND LOCKED AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 PM. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:10 PM THE CAR ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN THE DRIVE AND ACROSS THE STATE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED AGAINST THE GUARDRAIL, BLOCKING TRAFFIC. MY SON HEARD A COMMOTION AND NOTICING THE CAR, WENT TO MOVE IT OFF OF THE HIGHWAY. HE RETURNED TO THE HOUSE, GOT THE CAR KEY AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR BACK TO THE DRIVEWAY. HE NOTICED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT APPLIED AT THAT TIME. HE VERY RARELY DRIVES THIS CAR AND WOULD NOTICE THAT THE BRAKE WAS NOT ON. *AK
AIR BAG DID NOT INFLATE DURING A HEAD ON COLLISION.
AT 22,000 MILES I NOTICED SLIGHT CUPPING ON RIGHT REAR TIRE. ALSO VEHICLE WAS NOISY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE MCPHERSON STRUTS. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THIS WEAR PATTERN IS TYPICAL OF GEO METRO AND THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE STRUTS. THEY RECOMMENDED ROT…
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AT 22,000 MILES I NOTICED SLIGHT CUPPING ON RIGHT REAR TIRE. ALSO VEHICLE WAS NOISY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE MCPHERSON STRUTS. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THIS WEAR PATTERN IS TYPICAL OF GEO METRO AND THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE STRUTS. THEY RECOMMENDED ROTATING THE TIRES AT 3,000 MILE INTERVALS. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL 5,000 MILES THE OEM TIRE ON THE RIGHT REAR IS CUPPED SO BADLY THAT THE TREAD IS ENTIRELY WORN AWAY IN SOME SPOTS. THE LEFT REAR TIRE HAS BEGUN TO CUP ALSO. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET 800 SERVICE ASSISTANCE NUMBER (1-800-222-1020) AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY KNOW OF NO PROBLEM WITH THE METRO. IF THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE METRO, THERE SHOULD BE AN UPDATE PUBLISHED TO THE OWNERS MANUAL RECOMMENDING EXTREMELY FREQUENT TIRE ROTATION.
THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH CAUSED WIRES/CONNECTION AT FUSE BOX (UNDER DASH) TO BURN AND MELT. THE EFFECT OF THIS WAS THAT ONLY THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND PARKING LIGHTS WOULD WORK. THE HEADLIGHTS AND HIGH BEAMS WOULD NOT WORK. JUST WONDERING WHY A FUSE WOULD NOT BLOW TO INDICATE A PROBLEM INSTEAD OF W…
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THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH CAUSED WIRES/CONNECTION AT FUSE BOX (UNDER DASH) TO BURN AND MELT. THE EFFECT OF THIS WAS THAT ONLY THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND PARKING LIGHTS WOULD WORK. THE HEADLIGHTS AND HIGH BEAMS WOULD NOT WORK. JUST WONDERING WHY A FUSE WOULD NOT BLOW TO INDICATE A PROBLEM INSTEAD OF WIRES BURNING AND FUSE BOX BURNING?
VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING SIDE IMPACT ACCIDENT CAUSED INJURY TO PASSENGER.*ET
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.