IllustrationDRIVER'S SEAT BELT HAS GOTTEN STUCK IN THE RETRACTOR AND HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE SINCE VEHICLE PURCHASE. FIRST FAILURE AT 27000 MILES, AND SECOND FAILURE AT 88000 MILES.*AK
1997 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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: 11 of 50 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.
- Seat Belts. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 5 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 reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
50 reportsTHE DRIVER SEAT BELT LOCKED UP AND DID NOT RELEASE. (THE LOCK MECHANISM WAS BROKE) *TS. THE REAR SEAT BELT ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB
WHILE DRIVING DOWN MAJOR HIGHWAY, REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT ABOUT 25MPH. RESULTING IN MAJOR DAMAGE TO FRONT END, AND NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED!
NO SUMMARY. DT
AT 40MPH, BRAKES ENGAGE AND CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK CONSUMER ADDS BRAKE LINE, FRONT AND BACK BRAKES FAILED 8,000 MILES LATER RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED TO FLOOR IN ORDER TO STOP. MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED. *TT
THE BRAKES ENGAGED WOULD ENGAGE AND THEN DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING, AND AT ONE PINT WOULD NOT RELEASE, THE DEALER THEN REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, ON THE SECOND OCCASION CONSUMER'S DAUGHT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN SHE TRIED TO STOP, SHE PRESSED THE BRAKES BUT THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THEN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP, …
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THE BRAKES ENGAGED WOULD ENGAGE AND THEN DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING, AND AT ONE PINT WOULD NOT RELEASE, THE DEALER THEN REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, ON THE SECOND OCCASION CONSUMER'S DAUGHT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN SHE TRIED TO STOP, SHE PRESSED THE BRAKES BUT THEY WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THEN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP,
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT LOCKS AND DOESN'T RETRACT AS NORMAL. CONSUMER HAS TO PULL, INCHING THE STRAP OUT SO THAT IT WON'T LOCK UP. THIS WAS SECOND TIME SEAT BELT WAS REPAIRED.*AK
I PURCHASED FIRESTONE TIRES FROM SEARS, AFTER I HAD DRIVEN 70 MILES, ONE OF THE TIRES FAILED, I HEARD A LOUD POP, AN EXPLOSION. I WENT BACK TO THE STORE WHERE I PURCHASED THE TIRES. SEARS' SALESPERSON, AT FIRST, INSISTED THAT I PROBABLY HIT SOMETHING BEFORE FAILURE. I KNOW THAT I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35…
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I PURCHASED FIRESTONE TIRES FROM SEARS, AFTER I HAD DRIVEN 70 MILES, ONE OF THE TIRES FAILED, I HEARD A LOUD POP, AN EXPLOSION. I WENT BACK TO THE STORE WHERE I PURCHASED THE TIRES. SEARS' SALESPERSON, AT FIRST, INSISTED THAT I PROBABLY HIT SOMETHING BEFORE FAILURE. I KNOW THAT I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35-40 MILES PER HOUR AT THE TIME FAILURE OCCURRED. I REQUESTED THAT THE NEW FIRESTONE'S TIRES THAT I PURCHASED FROM SEAR BE REPLACE WITH TIRES OF DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER AND SEAR'S SALESPERSON COMPLIED.*AK (TIRESIZE: P17565S14)
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN IT WAS BROADSIDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD RUN A STOP SIGN WITH FRONT END. DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED MUSCLE INJUIRES.*AK
VEHICLE WAS IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPOLY . CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER DID NOT DO ANYTHING. ALSO, OWNS A 1996, GEO, PRIZM, AND SAME THING HAPPENED TO THAT VEHICLE. *AK *JB
Official recalls
197V043002 · Air Bags
Mar 20, 1997
IF THE AIR BAG COMPUTER IN A SUBJECT VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A MECHANICAL SHOCK (I.E., RAPIDLY MOVING THE FRONT SEAT BACK AGAINST THE STOPS OR A SUDDEN RELEASE OF THE PARKING BRAKE) WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED, THE AIR BAG CAN DEPLOY INADVERTENTLY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE AIR BAG COMPUTER.
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.