NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Geo Prizm. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
MASTER CYLINDER FAILED.
ON COLD DAYS THE RIGHT AND LEFT TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERABLE UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS WARM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG CAUSED INJURIES TO CONSUMER. MJS
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING BETWEEN 35- 40 MPH WHEN SHE HIT A VEHCLE HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURIES. *AK
FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG RESULTING IN ACCIDENT AND INJURY TO CONSUMER (FACE AND RIBS).MJS
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. NLM
CLUTCH FAILED DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE PUSHROD DURING MANUFACTURING, CAUSING PRESSURE ON THE PLATE. YH
ON GEO PRIZMS AND TOYOTA COROLLAS FROM AT LEAST 1986-1996, THE LEVER THAT ALLOWS THE SEAT TO SLIDE BACK AND FORTH IS HAZARDOUS. IT CAN CATCH EITHER THE DRIVER'S PANT LEG OR, IN MY CASE, THE LOOP ON THE BACK OF MY SNEAKERS. IN SUCH INSTANCES, IT TAKES ME. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A SIDE COLLISION. DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BROKE, AND CONSUMER ENDED UP IN BACK SEAT OF VEHICLE.*AK
I GOT A REPORT FROM CARFAX AND FOUND OUT THAT THE CAR I BOUGHT TWO YEARS AGO HAD OVER 37,000 MORE MILES ON IT .THE DEALER SOLD ME THIS CAR KNOWING THAT THE ODOMETER HAD BEEN ROLLED BACK.BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS AGO,DO I STILL HAVE ANY RIGHTS?. *AK
CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE RAR SEAT BELTS.DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THE CALL. PH
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Sep 11, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.