IllustrationVEHICLE STALLS WHEN STARTING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. VEHICLE SOMETIMES DOES NOT START. SOMETIMES GOES AWAY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, THEN COMES BACK. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER TUNED UP VEHICLE TO FIX PROBLEM. BUT, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK THE MANUFACTURER HAD AGREED TO REPLACE THE FUEL INJECTION HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. *YH
1997 Geo Metro
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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: 4 of 63 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports
What owners actually said
63 reportsWHEN PLACING VEHICLE IN PARK SHIFT GEAR WILL NOT STAY IN PARK POSITION. THIS COULD CAUSE VEHICLE TO ROLL FREELY. ALSO, VEHICLE WILL NOT DISENGAGE OUT OF PARK POSITION. CONSUMER ALSO, RECALL 98V225001/MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 98052 DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS VEHICLE DUE TO VIN. *AK A DIAGNOSIS DETERMIND THAT THE SHIFTER CABL…
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WHEN PLACING VEHICLE IN PARK SHIFT GEAR WILL NOT STAY IN PARK POSITION. THIS COULD CAUSE VEHICLE TO ROLL FREELY. ALSO, VEHICLE WILL NOT DISENGAGE OUT OF PARK POSITION. CONSUMER ALSO, RECALL 98V225001/MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 98052 DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS VEHICLE DUE TO VIN. *AK A DIAGNOSIS DETERMIND THAT THE SHIFTER CABLE WAS DAMAGED DUE TO GEAR SHIFT MALFUNCTIONS. *YH
AFTER THE LEVER IS RELEASED FROM PARK AND PUT INTO REVERSE TO BACKUP THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CAN EASILY SLIDE INTO NEUTRAL AND SLIDE INTO DRIVE WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO TOUCH THE BUTTON. NLM
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A SNAPPING NOISE. FRONT WHEEL BROKE, AND VEHICLE ROLLED THREE TIMES AND LANDED ON ROOF UPSIDE DOWN, AND AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *AK
RADIATOR AND WATER PUMP FAILED PREMATURELY. NLM
DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER AIR BAG FAILURES ON THIS TYPE OF CAR. THANK YOU. *AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW HAS DIFFICULTY GOING UP. *SLC
CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP BROKE DOWN 10+TIMES IN TWO YEAR'S. EVERYTIME THEY SAY IT IS FIXED SOMETHING ELSE HAPPEN'S I AM HANDYCAP AND ON OXYGEN I HAVE GOT STUCK OUT IN MY CAR AT LEAST THREE TIMES WAITING FOR HELP. THE REASON I BOUGHT THE METRO IS FOR SAFETY I HAVE HAD NOTING BUT TROUBLE. ALL MY LIFE MY FAMILY HAS WENT TO CHEVROLE…
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CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP BROKE DOWN 10+TIMES IN TWO YEAR'S. EVERYTIME THEY SAY IT IS FIXED SOMETHING ELSE HAPPEN'S I AM HANDYCAP AND ON OXYGEN I HAVE GOT STUCK OUT IN MY CAR AT LEAST THREE TIMES WAITING FOR HELP. THE REASON I BOUGHT THE METRO IS FOR SAFETY I HAVE HAD NOTING BUT TROUBLE. ALL MY LIFE MY FAMILY HAS WENT TO CHEVROLET BUT NOW I AM WONDERING WHY, I AM AFRAID TO GET OUT IN MY CAR ALONE BECAUSE FOR THE LAST TWO WEEK'S I HAVE HAD IT A TOTAL OF ONE NIGHT.
THE REPAIRS WERE DONE AT MARK CHRISTOPHER CHEV. IN ONTARIO, CA IN THE BEGINNING AND NOW ALL BRAKE REPAIRS SINCE 8-31-98 HAVE BEEN DONE THROUGH PEP BOYS IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA. NOBODY CAN SEEM TO TELL ME WHY THE BRAKES ARE WEARING OUT AS FAST AS THEY ARE (BESIDES LAYING THE BLAME ON EACH OTHER). I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE NEW NO…
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THE REPAIRS WERE DONE AT MARK CHRISTOPHER CHEV. IN ONTARIO, CA IN THE BEGINNING AND NOW ALL BRAKE REPAIRS SINCE 8-31-98 HAVE BEEN DONE THROUGH PEP BOYS IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA. NOBODY CAN SEEM TO TELL ME WHY THE BRAKES ARE WEARING OUT AS FAST AS THEY ARE (BESIDES LAYING THE BLAME ON EACH OTHER). I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE NEW NOV. 1996 AND I HAVE HAD THE BRAKES REPAIRED 6 TIMES, GOING ON THE SEVENTH TIME ON AUGUST 19, 2000. THE LAST TWO HAVE BEEN SINCE AUGUST OF 1999 AND APRIL OF 2000. I PLACED A CALL TO MARK CHRISTOPHER TODAY AT 909-390-2900 TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE REGARDING THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THEY TOLD ME NO. PLEASE CONTACT ME REGARDING THIS PROBLEM, THANK YOU.
DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT AXLE KEEPS FALLING OFF WHICH MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. GM HAS NOT PROVIDED HELP. *AK *ML
Official recalls
198V225001 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch
Sep 21, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE. THE SHIFT LEVER APPEARS TO BE IN "PARK," BUT CAN EASILY BE MOVED FROM THE "PARK" POSITION WITHOUT THE USE OF THE KEY, TRANSAXLE LEVER DETENT BUTTON, OR DEPRESSING THE BRAKE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SHIFT LEVER WERE TO COME OUT OF "PARK" WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED ON A NON-LEVEL SURFACE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY. UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS SERVICED, OWNERS ARE ADVISED WHEN SHIFTING TO "PARK," ALWAYS APPLY THE PARK BRAKE BEFORE RELEASING THE SERVICE BRAKE.
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.