IllustrationWHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A INTERSECTIONAL CRASH, VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG. THIS HAPPENED WILL TRAVELING ABOUT 45 OR 50 MPH. NOT SURE IF VEHICLE WILL BE TOTALLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
1994 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Prizm years
Owner complaints for the 1994 Geo Prizm are substantially higher than 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: 12 of 134 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 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 22 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.
38 crash reports6 fire reports34 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
50 reportsWHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S AIRBAG DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
I AM VERY DISAPOINTED WITH GM. THEY HAVE COMPLETELY IGNORED ME IN THIS MATTER. I WILL BE SENDING YU A COPY OF A COMPLAINT LETTER SENT TO GM
FALSE AND VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG CAUSED INJURY TO DRIVER (DISLOCATED JAW, EYE INFECTION FROM CHEMICALS, HEARING CHANGE IN LEFT EAR, CUTS AND ABRASIONS TO LEFT SIDE OF FACE AND NECK/SHOULDER/CHEST INJURY). NLM
CONSUMER WAS GETING ON THE HIGHWAY AND DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK
ON 3/25/99 AT 8:50 A.M. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN I SMELLED A HOT SMELL, STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, LOOKED AROUND TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF THE HOT SMELL, AND HAD THE DRIVER SIDE BAG DEPLOY IN MY FACE. A GAS STATION ATTENDANT RAN OUT INTO THE STREET AND HELPED ME OUT OF THE CAR. AFTER I WAS OUT OF THE CAR, THE PASSENGER SIDE BAG DEP…
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ON 3/25/99 AT 8:50 A.M. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN I SMELLED A HOT SMELL, STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, LOOKED AROUND TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF THE HOT SMELL, AND HAD THE DRIVER SIDE BAG DEPLOY IN MY FACE. A GAS STATION ATTENDANT RAN OUT INTO THE STREET AND HELPED ME OUT OF THE CAR. AFTER I WAS OUT OF THE CAR, THE PASSENGER SIDE BAG DEPLOYED. MULTIPLE SPRAINS AND ABRASIONS TO MYSELF. *AK
I HAVE BEEN CALLING ALL OVER THE PLACE TO TRY AND GET HELP FOR MY AIRBAGS TO GET REPLACED. SO FAR I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANYWHERE. THE VEHICLE RUNS FINE, I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THE AIRBAG SENSORS. NOBODY WAS REALLY INJURED, BUT IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR, ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF MY P…
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I HAVE BEEN CALLING ALL OVER THE PLACE TO TRY AND GET HELP FOR MY AIRBAGS TO GET REPLACED. SO FAR I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANYWHERE. THE VEHICLE RUNS FINE, I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THE AIRBAG SENSORS. NOBODY WAS REALLY INJURED, BUT IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR, ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF MY PASSENGER AND MYSELF. ALSO, WHEN THE AIRBAGS BLEW, I GOT BURNS ON MY HAND AND MY FACE AND SPRAINED MY RIGHT HAND. DUE TO THIS INCIDENT, I AM ALSO HAVING NIGHTMARES ABOUT THE AIRBAG EXPLODING IN MY FACE, AND AM VERY EDGY ABOUT BEING IN VEHICLES. IF YOU COULD SEND ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS TO WHAT TO DO, I WOULD BE VERY GRACIOUS SEEMING THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS BEEN ABLE TO. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING AIR BAG DEPOYED WITHOUT INDICATIONS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
DURING COLLISION NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG.
AIR BAG SENSOR MODULE FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON. THE MODULE WAS RECALLED IN 1996 DUE TO LEAKAGE.
Official recalls
196V107000 · 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.
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