Complaints by model year
Each bar is one model year. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026
New York safety inspections
Share of first inspections failed on safety, by model year. Older cars fail more as miles build up, so compare each year with the average car of the same year. Best against its own year: 1996.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections, initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 |
| 2000 | 7 | 0 |
| 1999 | 24 | 0 |
| 1998 | 11 | 0 |
| 1997 Prizm | 50 | 1 |
| 1996 Prizm | 61 | 0 |
| 1995 Prizm | 96 | 2 |
| 1994 Prizm | 134 | 1 |
| 1993 Prizm | 77 | 1 |
| 1992 | 50 | 0 |
| 1991 | 46 | 1 |
| 1990 | 37 | 0 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Air bags164
- Seat belts103
- Structure62
- Engine and engine cooling59
- Service brakes, hydraulic53
- Electrical system41
- Visibility37
- Power train32
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 27 Prizm vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died, and 21 people died inside them. These are counts, not crash rates: a model with more cars on the road shows up more often, and people killed outside the vehicle are not counted here.
| Model year | Vehicles in fatal crashes | Deaths in the vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 4 | 3 |
| 1996 | 5 | 4 |
| 1995 | 6 | 2 |
| 1994 | 5 | 5 |
| 1993 | 4 | 4 |
| 1992 | 2 | 2 |
| 1990 | 1 | 1 |
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain) · how we count
Recalls
4 campaigns cover the Prizm.
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.
IF LIQUID IS SPILLED IN THE CONSOLE BOX AREA, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAN ILLUMINATE AND STAY "ON" DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS.
THE BATTERY CAN HAVE A DEFECTIVE WELD INSIDE THE POSITIVE AND/OR NEGATIVE TERMINAL ALLOWING THE CONNECTION INSIDE OF THE TERMINAL TO SEPARATE.
LUG NUTS THAT RETAIN WHEELS AND WHEEL COVERS MAY HAVE BEEN TORQUED TO LOWER THAN RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATIONS.
NHTSA recalls