RoadVitals

1996 Geo Prizm Seat belts Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
14
Latest Jun 4, 2004
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
23%
of 61 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
3

What this page shows

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Geo Prizm submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 14 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming seat belt

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Seat belts
Filed Jun 4, 2004

REAR SEAT BELTS WOULD UNLOCK FROM THE BUCKLE WITHOUT WARNING. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10075716
Incident
May 11, 2004
Mileage
109,132 mi
Seat belts
Filed Jun 1, 2004

THE SEAT BELTS LOCK IN THE RETRACTED POSITION THEY ARE UNABLE TO BE USED. THIS USUALLY STARTS WITH THEM STICKING WHEN YOU TRY TO PULL THEM DOWN TO BUCKLE. I HAVE TWO GEO PRIZMS A 1996 AND A 1997 THEY BOTH HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID
10074626
Incident
Jan 1, 1999
Seat belts
Filed Feb 25, 2004

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WILL NOT BUCKLE. THE BELT DOES NOT COME OUT OF HOLDER. *AK

NHTSA ID
10058976
Incident
Feb 20, 2004
Seat belts
Filed Nov 29, 2002

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE RAR SEAT BELTS.DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THE CALL. PH

NHTSA ID
8023461
Seat belts
Filed Jun 16, 2002

THE DRIVERS SEATBEALT COMPLETLY UNWOUND WHILE BUCKLED AND WILL NOT RETRACT. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT WILL NOT PULL OUT EASILY. IN ORDER TO GET IT BUCKLED IT MUST BE TUGGED CONTINUOSLY MOVING A QUARTER INCH AT A TIME.*AK

NHTSA ID
763135
Incident
Jun 15, 2002
Seat belts
Filed May 9, 2002

REAR LAP SEAT BELT IS INOPERATIVE, BELT WILL NOT LATCH. DEALER NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
8009532
Incident
May 7, 2002
Seat belts
Filed May 9, 2002

DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT AND REAR SHOULDER BELT WOULD TIGTHEN DOWN ON USERS WHILE DRIVING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND REPLACED SEAT BELT SYSTEM. AT PRESENT MILEAGE OF 71,000 MILES PROBLEM IS REOCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
8009529
Incident
Jul 15, 2000
Seat belts
Filed May 30, 2001

REAR BUCKLE WOULDN'T UNLOCK WHEN CONSUMER WAS TRYING TO TAKE CAR SEAT OUT. CONSUMER PURCHASED ANOTHER , AND DEALER COULDN'T COVER IT BECAUSE WARRANTY EXPIRED. *AK

NHTSA ID
889391
Incident
Apr 26, 2001
Seat belts
Filed May 7, 2001

CONSUMER STATES DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD LOCK UP AND NOT RELEASE PROHIBITING ONE FROM PUTTING IT ON, IT WOULD ALSO LOCK UP WHILE WEARING IT RESTRICTING MOVEMENT. *JB

NHTSA ID
561094
Incident
May 1, 1999
Seat belts
Filed Jan 14, 2001
Crash reported2 injuries reported

BOTH SEATBELTS WERE IN USE THE DRIVERS FAILED AS WELL, BY BREAKING FREE AT THE RETRACTOR.*AK

NHTSA ID
739338
Incident
Jan 12, 2001
Seat belts
Filed Jun 29, 2000

REAR LAP SEAT BELT WOULD NOT LATCH AND REAR DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER BELT WOULD NOT RETURN TO RETRACTOR. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A MANUFACTURER'S RECALL, AND ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER COST. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
864473
Incident
Jun 5, 2000
Seat belts
Filed Mar 6, 2000

SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY KEEPS BREAKING. *AK

NHTSA ID
858025
Incident
Feb 6, 2000
AirbagsSeat beltsSuspension
Filed Jan 14, 1998
Crash reported1 injury reported

SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK ON IMPACT.

NHTSA ID
528240
Incident
Jan 3, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Jul 22, 1997

DRIVER SIDE RESTRAINT BELT LOCKS UP. TOOK CAR TO DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WILL REPAIR. *AK

NHTSA ID
814682
Incident
Jul 22, 1997

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Airbags22

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .