Chevrolet Prizm 1999

Model Prizm made in 1999 by Chevrolet got 34 consumer complains there is 1 recall as well as 8 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, electrical system and engine and engine cooling. Technical service bulletines regarding engine and engine cooling, exterior lighting and fuel system, other. There was one recall concerning suspension . The car has one 1.8 engine.

Model 1999

Engine [L]CylindersTransmissionDriveEstimate MPG (city/highway/combined)Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined)FuelFuel costClassRelease date
1.8 4Lockup/automatic, 3 gearsF28/33/3030.9776/41.8686/35.0844Regular574COMPACT CARS
1.8 4Lockup/automatic, 4 gearsF28/36/3131.638/45.7891/36.7487Regular557COMPACT CARS
1.8 4Manual, 5 gearsF31/37/3334.2398/47.8579/39.268Regular523COMPACT CARS

Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
SUSPENSION
10E002000RIDE CONTROL, LLC E (Equipment)1265703/15/2010MFRGENERAL MOTORS CORP.02/11/201002/11/2010
Defect SummaryRide control is recalling certain front strut mounts branded as gabriel ride control or arvinmeritor, p/nos. 142435, 142193, 142305, 142303, sold as replacement equipment for the vehicles listed above. the affected front strut mounts did not contain a weld joint between the bearing housing and the rate plate.
Consequence SummaryThe absence of the weld can allow the strut to come out of its mounting position under certain extreme driving conditions which could cause damage to surrounding vehicle components increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective SummaryRide control will notify owners of record and replace the affected parts free of charge. the safety recall began on march 15, 2010. owners may contact ride control at 1-248-458-1396.
NotesThis recall only pertains to aftermarket gabriel ride control or arvinmeritor front strut mounts and has no relation to any original equipment installed on vehicles manufactured by general motors, nissan, or toyota.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov .

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
317410010596Service engine soon light due to dtcs p0440 p0441 and or p0446. *eh12/01/2004
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
304901/01/200410009655Crankshaft main bearing selection information. *tt10/14/2004
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
3170E10019186Ipc, interior lights and/or headlamps flicker. *ak fb202/16/2006
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
33363336A10014859Inaccurate tech 2 fuel tank pressure sensor readings - resolved in tech 2 version 25.002. *tt05/10/2005
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY - PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES
304601/01/200410009581Fuel tank pressure parameter information. *tt10/07/2004
INTERIOR LIGHTING
3170E10019186Ipc, interior lights and/or headlamps flicker. *ak fb202/16/2006
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
00060405412/01/2000619726Exhibiting check engine inidicator illumination and / or diagnostic trouble code p0446 may either be current or history. *tt06/25/2001
VISIBILITY - REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES - EXTERIOR
00085100109/01/20006092333Some customers may comment that the black plastic housing around the outside rear view mirror turns chalky or is dull in color. *tt12/05/2000

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
AIR BAGS
01/01/19991
 The air bag light has been flashing intermittently since purchase of the (new) vehicle. i brought it in to the dealer numerous times, but at best the problem will go away for a few months and then recur. now that the vehicle is out of warranty, gm refuses to cover the cost of diagnosing the problem.*ak
03/05/2003100000109/21/1999
 My airbags did not deploy during my mva,causing me extensive problems. *nlm
01/22/2000
 Airbag light was blinking and dealership was notified. it took several months for the part to come. dealership told consumer when the light was blinking the airbag wasn't working. the part came, and two days later, airbag light was still blinking. *ak
 Air bag light stays on, indictating a defect. dealer cannot determine cause. *ak
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL
02/20/200351000102/28/2002
 While driving on icy roads, the vehicle was rear ended. the vehicle was pushed into a embankment and hit a tree. the driver's side seat belt failed to restrain the consumer. upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to deploy. the driver's head went through the windshield and the consumers chest hit the steering wheel. the driver sustained spinal/facial, and head injuries. the vehicle was inspected, it was noted that frontal air bag sensors had been damaged in the crash. *ak *scc *jb
03/06/2001
 Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. upon impact, airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injury. *ak
05/14/1999
 Consumer was driving west when the other car was going east. the other car turned in front of consumer's vehicle, consumer hit othe rvehicle and started to spin around ,couldn't stop, resulting in a crash. upon impact, airbags didn't deploy. *ak
03/03/19995
 Aur bag warning light keeps coming on. had it repaired twice at dealership. was informed by mechanic tha t driver's side air bag failed, causing light to come on. possibly an electrical short in module. *ak
AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
05/12/2005110/01/1999
 Airbag light on and horn not working
03/23/1999411/24/1998
 Air bag warning light illuminated. nlm
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
01/09/20101
 1999 chevrolet prism had equipment failure. when consumer went to restart the vehicle it caught fire and was extinguished by passing motorists. *kb ohio traffic crash report # 10-0029-90 updated 04/15/10 *bf updated 05/24/10 *bf
09/09/200860040
 Tl*the contact owns a 1999 chevrolet prizm. the contact started the ignition and heard an excessively loud grinding noise. she turned off the vehicle, but the starter would not disengage and continued to run until the battery was drained. this was a continuous failure. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. currently, the vehicle is inoperable and has not been repaired. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 60,040.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
01/09/20101
 1999 chevrolet prism had equipment failure. when consumer went to restart the vehicle it caught fire and was extinguished by passing motorists. *kb ohio traffic crash report # 10-0029-90 updated 04/15/10 *bf updated 05/24/10 *bf
06/02/200789090105/15/2000
 The throttle on my car stuck at full or nearly full when i accelerated to pass a vehicle. i firmly depressed and held the brake pedal, then took the following actions: checked that cruise control was not active; checked that nothing was depressing the accelerator; pulled back on the accelerator; while continuing to press the brake pedal moved the shift lever to neutral and turned the ignition switch to acc; pulled off the highway and called for a tow truck. the mechanic at the garage stated that a pin had come off of the throttle assembly, excessive movement caused a daisy chain link to jam in the corner edge of the assembly holding the throttle open. an aftermarket cruise control system installed on the car in 2000 by the dealer was not working for at least two days prior to the incident. the mechanic inserted a cotter pin on the end of the throttle control arm, test drove the car and requested that i drive very little until i could return for a brake check when the garage reopened. *tr
08/11/20041
 Consumer noticed engine consumed every 1000 miles one quart of oil. consumer took vehicle to independent shop they didn't find anything wrong with the vehicle. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
09/01/20072
 At 80,000 miles, the check engine light came on indicating po 441: evap purge flow. this is getting way to common among these cars, please admit it is a design flaw and fix it. (toyota has admitted the problem on 1998 models, and has cut a deal with the government to retrofit old trucks and buses not even made by toyota to make up for the pollution they've caused, but that still leaves me paying to have this design flaw fixed). *tr
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
08/15/1999
 While driving vehicle stalls unexpectedly which may cause a crash. been to dealer several times,and dealer cannot determine the cause. problem still exists. please provide further information. *ak
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
03/08/20011
 Any time consumer starts vehicle headlights will come on automatically as day time running light will work. when headlights are on consumer assumes that tail lights are also on. but, in reality, they don't come on. comsumer has been stopped by police due to tail lights not being on.*ak tail lights do not come on but head lights turn on when the engine start running. *yh
06/01/1999
 Headlights on regular beam are hooded. visibility is approximately 2 car lengths and shadowed beyond that. shadow is not only distracting, but prevents sight of anything that may be in the road until you're on top of it.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TAIL LIGHTS
03/08/20011
 Any time consumer starts vehicle headlights will come on automatically as day time running light will work. when headlights are on consumer assumes that tail lights are also on. but, in reality, they don't come on. comsumer has been stopped by police due to tail lights not being on.*ak tail lights do not come on but head lights turn on when the engine start running. *yh
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL
03/15/199903/01/1999
 Turn signal indicator was not loud enough, and was unable to hear turn signal when used in noisy traffic and highway traffic. dealer notified and informed consumer that nothing could be done. *ak
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM - FUEL RAIL
01/20/200570000101/10/2003
 In approximately january 2005 i detected a gas smell when using the heater in my 1999 chevy prizm (70k miles). the smell was overwhelming and i had to roll down the window when driving or i would get headaches. i determined that the smell only occurred when using outside air for the heater a/c unit as i could not smell gas when the inside air switch was activated. using only the inside air switch, i foolishly waited nearly 12 months before taking it to a mechanic. in january 2006 the mechanic determined that the fuel rail was leaking at a significant rate and he indicated there was high risk of fire from the leak. he also indicated that when he purchased a new fuel rail from a denver, co distributor he was told that many new fuel rails were being purchased because of the same failure. with the new fuel rail installed there is no more leaking gas and no gas smells when i am using either outside or inside air. please investigate other chevy prizm/toyota corollas to see if there is a pattern in fuel rail failure. *jb
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH
08/16/200478500104/12/2000
 Driver's inside door handle housing and pin broke; door couldn't be opened from inside. parts dealer stated a number of these have broken on this model.*ak
SEAT BELTS - FRONT
02/20/200351000102/28/2002
 While driving on icy roads, the vehicle was rear ended. the vehicle was pushed into a embankment and hit a tree. the driver's side seat belt failed to restrain the consumer. upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to deploy. the driver's head went through the windshield and the consumers chest hit the steering wheel. the driver sustained spinal/facial, and head injuries. the vehicle was inspected, it was noted that frontal air bag sensors had been damaged in the crash. *ak *scc *jb
SEAT BELTS - FRONT - BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
07/19/200675000104/23/1999
 The driver's side seat belt fails to close. no amount of jamming the tongue into the receptor causes engagement. the car has approximately 75,000 miles. the dealer is replacing at a parts charge of $125 plus labor. *jb
SEATS
104/24/1999
 Seats are designed poorly/located too close to the sides of the car causing difficulty in reaching seat belts/head rest design protrude too far forward/seats do not adjust in height. mjs
SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER
05/09/2003101/05/1999
 I was in a car accident driving a 99 chevy prizm going approximately 45 mph. i was rear-ended on the passenger right side rear corner and then immediately again on the passenger front right corner. the driver's seat broke. it was all the way back in the reclined position. the only injury i experienced was whiplash. *jb
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
05/29/200003/22/2000
 Car shook very hard and heard a distinct rubbing noise from the rear end, after incident brakes were noisy and pulsated whenever they got hot, difficult to control car,pad and rotors are defective and warped.
STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK
02/01/2000006/25/1999
 Consumer hears a rubbing noise in steering rack when vehicle goes over rough pavement. dealer notified. *ak
TIRES
07/01/2000410/01/1998
 Tires are getting deep nasty cracks in my opinion too soon for such a new / low mileage car, woman driving little baby . *ak( dot number: tire size: 185/65/14 )
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
09/30/19999909/30/1999
 Vehicle surges or slows down at 45 mph on its own, unable to determine defect. *mjs
WHEELS - RIM
07/01/200674000408/08/1999
 The rims of the 1999 chevrolet prism bend and puncture the tires. they were brand new tires. i am afraid to drive the car with what a mechanic has said are soft rims. the tires could fail without me knowing it. i asked the service department for help in solving the problem. the manager said :what do you want me to do take the money out of my pocket. my main concern is to make the car safe. i travel with my grandchildren. my son in law suggested that the rims be exchanged for a safer rim. i have been driving for more than 30 years and i have never had a problem with bent rims in this models. i mainly am seeking a solution to the problem. *nm

Car dealers selling


StateCityZipNamePhone
KYLOUISARON PERRY CENTURY AUTO MALLNO LONGER IN BUISNES
MIROYAL OAKMATTHEW HARGRAVES
OHBURTON44021PRESTON CHEVROLET440-834-9700
PALANSDALE19446HARRIS OLDMOBILE215 368 8500
RIJOHNSTONHURD CHEVROLET