Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 3174 | 10010596 | Service engine soon light due to dtcs p0440 p0441 and or p0446. *eh | 12/01/2004 | ||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 3049 | 01/01/2004 | 10009655 | Crankshaft main bearing selection information. *tt | 10/14/2004 | |
| 3053A | 3053B | 10009598 | Hesitation on acceleration while the engine is cold and possible p0171 diagnostic trouble code. *tt | 10/08/2004 | |
| 02127 | 01/01/2004 | 10007803 | Service engine soon (ses) light due to a repeat p1349 diagnostic trouble code (dtc). *tt | 07/12/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 86000 | ||
| Got the car in 2004. in 2009 the check engine light came on, went to 3 mechanics to try and find the problem. none of them had a clear idea of what was wrong but they tried various things. it still never went off for more than 5 miles directly after servicing. for a while it was driving fine even though the light was on (over a year) but then it started deteriorating. it was very sluggish, did not drive well (shaking) when going over 35mph, and the check engine light started blinking for 5-15 seconds when i accelerated. mpg tanked, went from 35+ to 23-25. needless to say, i took it to another mechanic. they replaced the spark plugs and fuel injectors and the catalytic converter ($1300 fix on my then 10 year old car). car started running better, mpg slowly got higher, but after about 3 days out of the shop the check engine light came on again. mechanic was stumped, had no idea what was wrong, but he ok'd it for me to continue driving, so i have been doing so. it's still driving well, more or less, but the check engine light is still always on. around the same time as the 2009 engine light, i noticed the engine was drinking more and more motor oil. now (2012) i have to put in a quart every full tank of gas, just about. | |||
| 05/11/2005 | 53336 | ||
| Engine is eating oil!! -- i purchased an 18-month old chevy prizm lsi with a 1zz-fe 1.8l engine back in november 2002 with about 27k miles. this car is still in mint condition. it's garaged and i do all the routine maintenance and use pure synthetic engine oil since i purchased it. unfortunately at about 50k miles, my engine started eating up oil at about 1 quart per 200 miles. after researching the 1zz fe 1.8l engine block series, it appears this engine has piston and ring problems leading it to consume oil at a rapid pace. i keep a case of oil in the trunk for long trips and put in at least one quart each time i refill the tank. this engine can be found in at least 10 toyota and one chevy model (prizm). this is an excellent car, however i can't believe gmc hasn't issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) regarding excessive engine oil consumption problems. these cars can run for at least 250k miles if you make sure the engine has enough oil. buyer beware -- 1998-2002 chevy prizms and their simese twin, toyota corollas with the izz fe 18.l engine with more than 50k miles will consume much more oil and it is therefore imperative to ensure you have enough oil in the engine block to prevent engine seizure. gmc should issue a tsb for this problem. i realize this car is more than 10 years old, but there are millions of 1998-2002 prizms and corollas on the road. if you buy one, make sure the previous owner is honest with you regarding oil consumption, otherwise you may be buying a car with lots of engine problems. your engine may seize up on you and leave you stranded in timbuktu... | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/13/2010 | 200000 | ||
| I own a 2001 chevy prizm lsi. it has always experienced a number of annoying issues that i've had mechanics inspect/diagnose that never seems to get correctly diagnosed. it uses about a quart of oil a month (but never smokes out of the exhaust pipe), has always had a hesitation problem, and has a weird problem with noisy 'exhaust' sounds that sound like they are coming from the front of the car and are worse (very loud) in wet conditions. upon cold start, the engine hesitates pretty badly when pressing the accelerator pedal. the hestitation gets much better once the engine has warmed up, but still has minor hestitation upon initially pressing the accelerator pedal. mechanics have said they think the fuel pump may be starting to go out (i was told that 5 years ago and it has never gone out) and they said there was a 'lean mixture code' when my check engine light was on at one point but were unable to determine what the official cause of that code was and implied it was probably the fuel pump slowly going bad. they ran a carbon clean which shut off the service engine light but the hesitation and oil consumption has always remained. numerous times, the hesitation has been an issue in traffic when i press the accelerator pedal and the engine does nothing until i pump the pedal a few times to get it going...leading to a possibly safety hazard in certain traffic conditions. nobody has been able to figure out why it hesitates and fix the hesitation problem and i've read this is a very common problem along with the oil consumption problem for chevy prizms/toyota corollas (especially the 2001 model). mechanics have also inspected my exhaust system to try to find the issue with the noisy exhaust but have found no leaks. i'm hoping a recall can be issued to help fix some of these issues since mechanics can't seem to figure out these common problems. it seems that toyota and gm are both aware of most of these issues and have done nothing to resolve them. | |||
| 06/20/2005 | 45000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet prizm. the contact stated that the check engine indicator would not stop illuminating on the instrument panel. whenever the vehicle would approach a stop, it would stall. the dealer and several local repair shops performed a diagnostic, but were unable to find a defect. the vehicle has been experiencing the same failure for the past three years. recently, the contact drove to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the spark plugs and oxygen sensor were defective; however, only the spark plugs were replaced. immediately following the repairs, the failure recurred. the current mileage was 75,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. | |||
| 08/31/2006 | 70000 | 1 | 02/06/2002 |
| 2001 chevrolet prizm with toyota engine began burning excessive amounts of oil at 70,000 miles. now burning 1 quart of oil every 300-400 miles. toyota has admitted a problem with the engine, but gm refuses to do anything. *tr | |||
| 12/19/2007 | 63500 | 6 | 09/27/2004 |
| Excessive oil consumption (one quart low every 300-400 miles), worsening, appears to be known defect for toyota supplied engines in 2001 chevrolet prizm and possibly other years of this motor type (possible factory ring, valve early failure issues), no leaks or heavy smoke apparent, air filter normal with no apparent blow-by from rings at that point. regular oil and filter changes, car driven daily for local use, no other known defects or recurring problems, car operates normally other than high oil amounts used. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 50000 | 2 | |
| I own a 2001 and a 2002 chevy prizm. both cars are using excessive oil (several quarts every 100 miles each). dealer states this is a common problem due to carbon buildup in the cylinders. excessive oil consumption started around 50,000 miles. the chevy prizm is really a toyota corolla. toyota has had this problem and has warranted the repair. general motors is not assisting its customers with the repair. i guess that is why toyota is number one car maker and gm is number 2. i will never buy another gm product again. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 62000 | 1 | 03/01/2006 |
| Oil consumption in 2001 prism is overwhelming! *nm | |||
| 08/25/2004 | 25083 | 2 | 02/15/2002 |
| Dt: the consumer state his 2001 chevrolet prism was hesitating and stalling on a cold start. the vehicle was stalling in the mornings when the engine was cold and set overnight. the weather was not an issue with the car. the owner took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection. the owner did have a copy of tsb 1538049 which indicated procedures that could be done to help with vehicle performance. the owners vehicle has only 31,000 miles, and was about 4 | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/19/2007 | 63500 | 6 | 09/27/2004 |
| Excessive oil consumption (one quart low every 300-400 miles), worsening, appears to be known defect for toyota supplied engines in 2001 chevrolet prizm and possibly other years of this motor type (possible factory ring, valve early failure issues), no leaks or heavy smoke apparent, air filter normal with no apparent blow-by from rings at that point. regular oil and filter changes, car driven daily for local use, no other known defects or recurring problems, car operates normally other than high oil amounts used. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 60000 | 8 | |
| My 2001 chevrolet prizm, which has a toyota engine, stalls when accelerated just after starting. pumping the pedal a few times gets the car moving again normally. this typically happens after the car has been sitting idle for a while. the local chevrolet dealer looked at it and said there were no issues. the spark plugs were checked and found to be in good working condition. however, the problem still persists. *nm | |||
| 05/12/2005 | 76000 | 0 | 03/13/2001 |
| I was driving on the express way and experienced complete engine failure on my 2001 chevy prizm. as a result i had to have the whole engine replaced 2,500$-to say the least engine failure on any highway is an unsafe situation. this car was ourchased by me -brand new-and had been prooperly maintained. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 04/13/2007 | 43000 | ||
| 2001 chevy prism; check engine light continues to be on. i have put two oxygen sensors on at a cost of over $200.00, and light still comes on. mechanics tell me the code says lean mixture but don't know what is causing it. car hesitates when cold, almost throwing you into the windshield, unless you repeatedly pump the accelerator. mechanics told me that maybe fuel pump is going bad, but it's been three years now, and this hasn't happened. the head liner in vehicle has totally torn and disintegrated, even tho it has been garage kept. gm will not even consider investigating this problem. no more chevy's for me!! the hesitation in traffic could create a real safety issue. | |||
| 06/13/2010 | 200000 | ||
| I own a 2001 chevy prizm lsi. it has always experienced a number of annoying issues that i've had mechanics inspect/diagnose that never seems to get correctly diagnosed. it uses about a quart of oil a month (but never smokes out of the exhaust pipe), has always had a hesitation problem, and has a weird problem with noisy 'exhaust' sounds that sound like they are coming from the front of the car and are worse (very loud) in wet conditions. upon cold start, the engine hesitates pretty badly when pressing the accelerator pedal. the hestitation gets much better once the engine has warmed up, but still has minor hestitation upon initially pressing the accelerator pedal. mechanics have said they think the fuel pump may be starting to go out (i was told that 5 years ago and it has never gone out) and they said there was a 'lean mixture code' when my check engine light was on at one point but were unable to determine what the official cause of that code was and implied it was probably the fuel pump slowly going bad. they ran a carbon clean which shut off the service engine light but the hesitation and oil consumption has always remained. numerous times, the hesitation has been an issue in traffic when i press the accelerator pedal and the engine does nothing until i pump the pedal a few times to get it going...leading to a possibly safety hazard in certain traffic conditions. nobody has been able to figure out why it hesitates and fix the hesitation problem and i've read this is a very common problem along with the oil consumption problem for chevy prizms/toyota corollas (especially the 2001 model). mechanics have also inspected my exhaust system to try to find the issue with the noisy exhaust but have found no leaks. i'm hoping a recall can be issued to help fix some of these issues since mechanics can't seem to figure out these common problems. it seems that toyota and gm are both aware of most of these issues and have done nothing to resolve them. | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Leak from transaxle valve differential - plastic plug feel out. ruined transmission and engine. engine burning oil like mad. leaks oil all over the place. started at about 65,000. *tr | |||
| 04/17/2003 | 49385 | 1 | |
| Problems with fuel system on 2001 chevrolet prizm.*mr the vehicle's oxygen sensor, fuel filter inside the tank and spark plugs were replaced. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 80000 | 1 | |
| 2001 chevrolet prizm lsi. consumer requests reimbursement for replacement cost of the catalytic converter *tgw the consumer stated the catalytic converter had worn out and a rattle had developed on the inside. *jb | |||
| 12/10/2004 | 31550 | 1 | 07/31/2004 |
| 1 . loss of normal vehicle power 2. check engine light on 3. diagnostic check done stating oxygen sensors/ catalytic converter 4.vehicle has only 31,000 miles 5. dealer quotes $500.00 for repair not covered by warranty 6. 2001 chevy prizm. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 04/02/2008 | 61000 | 1 | 01/02/2004 |
| Emission vapor canister failure. *tr | |||