IllustrationTHE STEERING BECAME HEAVY WHILE MAKING A SLOW SPEED (25 MPH) TURN AND EVENTUALLY LOCK (WOULD NOT TURN FURTHER) AND POWER ASSISTING AGAINST MY TURN (DIRECTION). DEALER INVESTIGATION FOUND THE RACK SEALS BLOWN OUT AND IS REPLACING RACK ASSEMBLY.
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 reportsDASHBOARD COVER FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG APPEARS TO BE MELTED. *AK
VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM A STOP POSITION AND FORCED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE IN FRONT. SPEED OF IMPACT WAS UNDETERMINED, BUT BOTH AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPOLY. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME. *AK
SEAT BELT WON'T PULL OUT TO RESTRAIN DRIVER . *AK
THE ABS AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON RANDOMLY.
1ST INCIDENT - WIFE EXITED HIGHWAY ONTO RAMP AND WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, VEHICLE SPUN AROUND AND RR WHEEL STRUCK CURB CAUSING $350 IN DAMAGES. AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS DRIVER ERROR, BUT A MONTH LATER, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSIS AND REPLACEMENT OF MASTER CYLINDER AND 1 BRAKE CALIPER, IT WAS DE…
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1ST INCIDENT - WIFE EXITED HIGHWAY ONTO RAMP AND WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, VEHICLE SPUN AROUND AND RR WHEEL STRUCK CURB CAUSING $350 IN DAMAGES. AT THIS TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS DRIVER ERROR, BUT A MONTH LATER, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER EXTENSIVE DIAGNOSIS AND REPLACEMENT OF MASTER CYLINDER AND 1 BRAKE CALIPER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVE WAS FAULTY, SINCE AIR COULD NOT BE BLED FROM THE LF CALIPER. COST OF NEW VALVE FROM DEALER - $250. I THEN RESEARCHED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND FOUND AN ARTICLE ON TOYOTA'S SITE (GEO PRIZM'S ARE MADE IN THE SAME PLANT IN FREMONT, CA ALONGSIDE TOYOTA COROLLAS) STATING THAT THE "FACTORY SUPPLYING BRAKE PROPORTIONING VALVES TO TOYOTA'S AUTO PLANTS HAD A MAJOR FIRE ON 2/1/97" THE FIRE AT THIS COMPANY "AISIN" DESTROYED THE MACHINERY THAT FABRICATES PROPORTIONING VALVES. THEY THEN CONTACTED OUTSIDE COMPANIES (BROTHER INDUSTRIES, A SEWING MACHINE MANUFACTURER) TO MAKE THE PROPORTIONING VALVES DESPARATELY NEEDED BY TOYOTA. WHAT A COINCIDENCE THAT MY "AISIN" PROPORTIONING VALVE WAS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE KEPT THE VALVE AND ARTICLE. YOU MAY READ THE ARTICLE AS "HTTP://WWW.TOYOTA.COM/TIMES/MANU/FEATURE/NUMMI.HTML"
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 25MPH & WOULD BE TURNING CORNERS OR CURBS, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD JUST GO OUT. WOULD HAVE NO STEERING CONTROL. FELT AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS ON ICE. WOULD HAVE NO WARNING WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN. BEEN TO DEALER 3-4 TIMES FOR PROBLEM. MECHANICE REPLACED THE STEERING SENSORS AT LEAST 4 TIMES. ALSO…
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WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 25MPH & WOULD BE TURNING CORNERS OR CURBS, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD JUST GO OUT. WOULD HAVE NO STEERING CONTROL. FELT AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS ON ICE. WOULD HAVE NO WARNING WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN. BEEN TO DEALER 3-4 TIMES FOR PROBLEM. MECHANICE REPLACED THE STEERING SENSORS AT LEAST 4 TIMES. ALSO HAD THE STEERING PUMP REPLACED. *AK
TAIL LIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ARE WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. *AK
A VEHICLE 22 MONTHS OLD WITH LESS THAN 17,000 MILES USED IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS BY A DRIVER OF MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR 40 YEARS SHOULD NOT HAVE A CLUTCH FAILURE AND NEED *AK
WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT THE VEHICLE MAKES NOISES. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP TWICE, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *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.