"How reliable is the 1999 Chevrolet Prizm?"

"Based on 47 NHTSA complaints, the 1999 Chevrolet Prizm has a median complaint mileage of 78000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 1999 Chevrolet Prizm?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1999 Chevrolet Prizm is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 47 total complaints filed."

1999 Chevrolet Prizm: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 47 complaints

Total Complaints

78,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

70,000 25th Percentile

78,000 Median Mileage

140,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Frontal

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Sensor/Control Module

Headlights

Exterior Lighting

Body

Tires

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"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"

"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"

"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."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 4 CA: 4 OH: 4 MA: 4 CO: 4 KS: 3 TX: 3 MD: 3 PA: 2 OR: 2

Who Files Complaints?

31.9%

Original Owners

68.1%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Prizm — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	33	-	Frontal	7
2000	32	50,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
2001	59	63,500	Engine And Engine Cooling	8
2002	20	67,000	Steering	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28