Geo Prizm
Owners filed 602 complaints across 13 model years of the Geo Prizm. The 1994 drew the most (134).
Model years13
Complaints602
Recalls15
Fires18
Deaths2
Which Geo Prizm years should you avoid?
Going by 602 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Geo Prizm years to avoid are 1994.
- 1994134 complaints, 2.4× a typical Prizm year, most often about the airbags; and 2.2× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (6 fires, 39 crashes, 2 deaths).
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Geo Prizm model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Rearview Mirrors/Devices › Interior | Routine | |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | Suspension › Rear | Routine | |
| 2000 | 7 | 0 | — | — | Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner | Routine | |
| 1999 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 7 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 1998 | 11 | 0 | — | 1 | Suspension › Front › Stabilizer Bar | Routine | |
| 1997 | 50 | 2 | 2 | 13 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1996 | 61 | 1 | 2 | 22 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1995 | 96 | 3 | 1 | 27 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1994Avoid | 134 | 3 | 6 | 39 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 77 | 2 | 2 | 21 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1992 | 50 | 1 | — | 4 | Structure › Body › Door | Routine | |
| 1991 | 46 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Structure › Body › Door | Routine | |
| 1990 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 5 | Structure › Body › Door | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.