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Chevrolet PrizmModel year report

2001 Chevrolet Prizm Problems

Complaints
45filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
62,000miles, 37 complaints with mileage
Recalls
0campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
30 mpgcombined, 1.8L 4-cyl FWD · 26 city / 36 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 45 consumer complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm. The part named most often is engine cooling, with 15 complaints (33% of the total), followed by air bags (6) and electrical system (4). 37 of the complaints include a mileage, and 30% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 62,000 miles. Of all complaints, 7 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 5 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 0 recall campaigns and 247 technical service bulletins for this model year. Engine cooling complaints overlap with 37 technical service bulletins filed under the same part.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Latches, locks and linkages (2), Suspension (2), Vehicle speed control (2), Other or unknown (1), Seat belts (1), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (1).

Example complaints

Engine cooling: “I own a 2001 chevy prism 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. …”

NHTSA complaint #10336004, filed 2010-06, 200,000 miles

Air bags: “The car was hit on the back bumper causeing the car to go off the road and causing a it to roll over twice which totalled the car to this date the airbags have never deployed”

NHTSA complaint #10717518, filed 2015-05, 144,000 miles

Electrical system: “The driver's power window will not raise immediately after it has been fully retracted (such as at a drive-in window, or when the auto feature fully retracts it before I can stop it). It will eventually raise after a few minutes of inoperation; sometimes only partially at a time. If I have intentionally had the window down for an extended period of time, there is no problem - yet. This only occurs when the window is fully retracted, and regardless of weather conditions.”

NHTSA complaint #10619175, filed 2014-08, 150,000 miles

Engine: “My 2001 Chevrolet Prizm has been burning oil since around 60-70k miles and has only gotten worse. Chevrolet didn't build the engine right and the rings/heads I think need replaced (what I read on). And Chevrolet has not fixed this problem and its costly as it burns around a quart every 200 miles.”

NHTSA complaint #10790308, filed 2015-11, 65,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

30% of the 37 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 48,000 and 86,000 miles.

0%0–105%10–2524%25–5038%50–7514%75–10014%100–1505%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (37 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 62,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’036’05’07’09’11’14’20
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Prizm · sedan (side air bags) not rated4 / 4———
Prizm · sedan not rated4 / 4———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2001 Chevrolet Prizm version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Prizm FWD1.8L 4-cyl5-speed manual273731$2,150
Prizm FWD1.8L 4-cyl4-speed automatic263630$2,250
Prizm FWD1.8L 4-cyl3-speed automatic253027$2,500

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm in the data used here. A recall can apply to some vehicles of a model year and not others, so check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 247 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 247 bulletins →

Other model years of the Chevrolet Prizm

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20021967,0000—30—Stable
20014562,0000—30Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20002456,0000—28—Stable
19993678,0000—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199827128,9500—28Not compared (before 2008)Stable

All Chevrolet Prizm model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm have?

NHTSA recorded 45 consumer complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm as of Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm is reported most often?

Engine cooling is named most often, in 15 complaints (33% of the total), followed by air bags with 6.

Has the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm been recalled?

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year in the data used here. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm get?

The EPA rates the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm (Prizm, 1.8L 4-cyl) at 30 mpg combined, 26 city and 36 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,250 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2001 Chevrolet Prizm reported?

Among the 37 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 62,000 miles and the middle half falls between 48,000 and 86,000 miles; 30% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.