Consumer Complaint Detail

GEO / PRIZM / 1997

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
Yes Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 004267794 Incident Date: Mar, 06 2004
Consumer's City: CHICO Consumer's State: CA
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: General Motors, LLC
Model Name: PRIZM Model Year: 1997
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Electrical system:ignition
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: Yes Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1Y1SK5268VZ Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Mar, 28 2004 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: Yes Purchase Date: Jan, 20 2001
Was Original Owner: No Anti-lock Brakes: No
Number of Cylinders: 4 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: A few minutes after i started my 1997' geo prizm on the evening of 3/7/04, it began to make a strange noise. i drove the car about six blocks to a service station; by the time i pulled in and popped the hood, it started to smell hot- although temp gauge was still normal. i popped the hood, saw smoke coming from fuel injection system, and tried to turn vehicle off. i removed the key from the ignition, but the car kept running, and trying to continuously restart itself. i searched the trunk for tools to disconnect the battery; at this point the engine ignited, and there was so much smoke that i could not get close to the vehicle safely any longer. i called 911 on my cell phone, and less than ten minutes later, a fire truck came and put the fire out. i am told that there is about a thousand dollars worth of damage in parts alone: my starter, ignition system, two out of four fuel injectors, the entire wire harness, computer, positive cable to the battery, and possibly the battery itself will all need to be replaced. prior to this incident, there was no indication that anything was wrong with my car. all maintenance was current. *ak