IllustrationWHEN STARTING VEHICLE THERE IS STRONG FUEL SMELL WHICH CAUSES OCCUPANTS TO FEEL SICK. *AK THE SMELL COMES THROUGH THE VENTS. GM SAID IT IS NORMAL ALL 98,99 AND 2000'S HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *YH
1999 Geo Metro
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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: 3 of 23 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.
- Power Train. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
23 reportsWHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH REAR ENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH DID NOT PROTECT OCCUPANTS IN THIS CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
EXCESSIVE WEAR OF BRAKE PADS. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT PADS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER A WARRANTY. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
I BELIEVE CRACKED HEAD ENGINE GASKET HAPPENED LONG AGO AND SIGNS ONLY SHOWED 5/16/2000. *AK
ORIGINAL TIRES FAIL PREMATURELY/FLAT, PREMATURE WEAR SHOWED AT 1,500 MILES. YH
ENGINE IDLES HIGH AND THE VEHICLE CRUISES WITHOUT APPLYING GAS. PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
VEHICLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM EXPERIENCES NOISE AND VIBRATION/PULLING, ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WITH UNEVEN WEAR OF THE TIRES, SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS, HOWEVER NO PROBLEM FOUND, DEFECTIVE STRUT AND MOUNT REPLACED ON TWO OCCASION HOWEVER DID NOT RECTIFY PROBLEMS. *MJS
THE PROBLEM WITH THE WINDOW WAS REPORTED YESTERDAY 11/12/1999. I FORGOT TO ADD THAT IT MAY NOT CAUSE SAFETY PROBLEMS NOW BUT MONTHS DOWN THE LINE AND DEPENDING ON THE TEMPERATURES, THE SEEPAGE OF THE SEALANT CAN CAUSE THE SEAL AROUND THE WINDOW TO BE INEFFECTIVE AND ULTIMATELY CAUSE WATER TO ENTER THROUGH THE CABIN AREA. WHEN …
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THE PROBLEM WITH THE WINDOW WAS REPORTED YESTERDAY 11/12/1999. I FORGOT TO ADD THAT IT MAY NOT CAUSE SAFETY PROBLEMS NOW BUT MONTHS DOWN THE LINE AND DEPENDING ON THE TEMPERATURES, THE SEEPAGE OF THE SEALANT CAN CAUSE THE SEAL AROUND THE WINDOW TO BE INEFFECTIVE AND ULTIMATELY CAUSE WATER TO ENTER THROUGH THE CABIN AREA. WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT COULD CAUSE SHORTAGE AND RISK TO MAJOR COMPONENTS. THE PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES ARE THAT THEY SHOWED PRE-MATURE UNEVEN WEARING ON THE OUTER TREADS OF ALL TIRES AT APPROXIMATELY 1,500 MILES. THIS WEARING CAN BE HAZARDOUS DURING WET DRIVING CONDITIONS AS THE GRIP OF THE TIRES TO ADHERED TO THE ROAD CAN BE LIMITED. I REPORTED 3 TIRES/FAILURES BECAUSE I HAD TO REPLACE ONE ORIGINAL BECAUSE OF A FLAT THAT WAS UNREPAIRABLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: 284 TIRE SIZE: P15580R13 )
THE LOCAL DEALER DECLINED TO REPAIR THE SPEEDOMETER. ON RECORD REPORTED "NO PROBLEMS FOUND" OFF THE RECORD THEY TOLD ME NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT. I FEEL THAT BY REPORTING INACCURATE SPEEDS BECAUSE THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FLUCTUATES EVEN WHEN GOING AT A CONSTANT (SAME) SPEED, THE DRIVER DOESN'T KNOW THE EXACT SPEED HE/SHE IS…
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THE LOCAL DEALER DECLINED TO REPAIR THE SPEEDOMETER. ON RECORD REPORTED "NO PROBLEMS FOUND" OFF THE RECORD THEY TOLD ME NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT. I FEEL THAT BY REPORTING INACCURATE SPEEDS BECAUSE THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FLUCTUATES EVEN WHEN GOING AT A CONSTANT (SAME) SPEED, THE DRIVER DOESN'T KNOW THE EXACT SPEED HE/SHE IS GOING. THE PROBLEM WITH THE WINDOW FOR THE REAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED 3 TIMES AND THE SEALANT (URATHANE) CONTINUES TO SEEP OUT BECAUSE OF OUTSIDE TEMPS. THE WINDSHIELD ALSO SHOWS EVIDENCE BUT NOT AS BAD AS THE REAR BACK WINDOW. MORE PROBLEMS ARE PRESENT WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THEY HAVE NOT YET CAUSE ANY SAFETY CONCERNS. *AK
ONGOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH ENGINE STALLING WHILE AT SLOW SPEED, IDLING WHILE COMING TO A STOP OR DRIVING DOWN A HILL. VEHICLE BEEN IN / OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. CAN NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER. *AK ALSO THERE WAS A GRENDING NOISE WHEN THE VEHICLE TURNS RIGHT. *YH
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.