IllustrationA FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A PONTIAC VEHICLE IN WHICH BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED, AND UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER. *AK *JB
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 reportsOWNERS MANUAL STATES TOP TETHER HARDWARE IS AVAILABLE FOR FORWARD FACING CHILD RESTRAINT, HOWEVER BOTH DEALER AND MANUFACTURE DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH HARDWARE. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT WITHOUT TOP TETHER IF A CRASH OCCURS THIS MAY CAUSE NEEDLESS HEAD MOVEMENT TO OUR CHILD AND LIKELY CAUSE NEEDLESS INJURY.*AK
DRIVER'S/ PASSENGER'S AND REAR SEAT BELTS HAVE ALL BECOME JAMMED IN RETRACTING MECHANISM, AND WILL NOT RELEASE, CAUSING SEAT BELTS TO BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
UNDER HOOD FIRE DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. MANUFACTURERNOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS OUT OF ITS WARRANTY, AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON STARTING VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER OF A REPRESENTATIVE BEING SENT TO INSPECT VEHICLE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL CRASH AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DID NOT DEPLOY FAST ENOUGH, CAUSING DRIVER TO HIT HEAD ON STEERING WHEEL. VEHICLE WAS NOT TOTALLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
FRONT LEFT TIE ROD IS DEFECTIVE DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION.DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK TIE ROD COULD BREAK, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND SERIOUS ACCIDENT. DEALER REFUSED TO DO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. *YH
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKING UP. *AK
HAVING A PROBLEM FINDING A CAR SEAT THAT FITS IN THE BACK SEAT OF MY VEHICLE. *AK
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.