"How reliable is the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm?"

"Based on 59 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm has a median complaint mileage of 63500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 59 total complaints filed."

2001 Chevrolet Prizm: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 59 complaints

Total Complaints

63,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

49,385 25th Percentile

63,500 Median Mileage

93,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

STRUCTURE:BODY

SUSPENSION

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CAR SHIFTED WHILE TRAVELING 50 MPH DUE TO BOTH FLAT TIRES ON LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, PULLED CAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED AAA. TWO TIRES BLEW OUT AT THE SAME TIME."

"THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CONSUMER SUFFERED BACK INJURIES.*JB"

"IN MID DECEMBER WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE SHIFTED GEARS AFTER THE SHIFTER WAS VERY LIGHTLY BRUSHED WITH MY HAND AS I REACHED FOR SOMETHING. THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TWO OTHER TIMES SINCE THEN WHILE IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES."

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

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