There are 2 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 1997 Geo Prizm in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)A FEW MINUTES AFTER I STARTED MY 1997' GEO PRIZM ON THE EVENING OF 3/7/04, IT BEGAN TO MAKE A STRANGE NOISE. I DROVE THE CAR ABOUT SIX BLOCKS TO A SERVICE STATION; BY THE TIME I PULLED IN AND POPPED THE HOOD, IT STARTED TO SMELL HOT- ALTHOUGH TEMP GAUGE WAS STILL NORMAL. I POPPED THE HOOD, SAW SMOKE COMING FROM FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM, AND TRIED TO TURN VEHICLE OFF. I REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, BUT THE CAR KEPT RUNNING, AND TRYING TO CONTINUOUSLY RESTART ITSELF. I SEARCHED THE TRUNK FOR TOOLS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY; AT THIS POINT THE ENGINE IGNITED, AND THERE WAS SO MUCH SMOKE THAT I COULD NOT GET CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE SAFELY ANY LONGER. I CALLED 911 ON MY CELL PHONE, AND LESS THAN TEN MINUTES LATER, A FIRE TRUCK CAME AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. I AM TOLD THAT THERE IS ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE IN PARTS ALONE: MY STARTER, IGNITION SYSTEM, TWO OUT OF FOUR FUEL INJECTORS, THE ENTIRE WIRE HARNESS, COMPUTER, POSITIVE CABLE TO THE BATTERY, AND POSSIBLY THE BATTERY ITSELF WILL ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. ALL MAINTENANCE WAS CURRENT. *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
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
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.