IllustrationAIR BAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES PERIODICALLY. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS. DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
1999 Geo Prizm
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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: 1 of 24 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 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
14 reportsAIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT. I HAVE HAD THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ON SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR, AND THIS WOULD NOT PREVENT THE FRONT AIRBAGS FROM DEPLOYING. DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE DEFECT, BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT CORRECT THE WARNIN…
Read full complaint
AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT. I HAVE HAD THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ON SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR, AND THIS WOULD NOT PREVENT THE FRONT AIRBAGS FROM DEPLOYING. DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE DEFECT, BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT CORRECT THE WARNING LIGHT PROBLEM, AND THEY REMOVED THE SENSOR THAT WAS BAD (FOR THE SIDE AIR BAG), BUT DIDN'T HAVE ONE TO REPLACE IT WITH. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND THEY COULD NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. DANIEL'S TOLD ME THEY HAVE THREE OTHER PRIZMS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THEY CANNOT FIX. I FEEL THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO THE NON-FUNCTIONING SAFETY COMPONENT (FRONT AIR BAG) AND THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY BE INJURED FROM THE SAME PROBLEM. THE POLICEMAN THAT INVESTIGATED THE ACCIDENT ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT I FIND OUT WHY THE AIR-BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
AIR BAG LIGHT COMES AT ANY RANDOM TIME AND WILL NOT CUT OFF. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND PART WAS REPLACED. *AK
AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES INTERMITTENTLY. NLM
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.