Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

1997 GEO Metro Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
11about this part
Share
17%of 63 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1997 GEO Metro, 17% of the 63 complaints for this model year. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The vehicle was parked, the emergency brake was engaged, vehicle rolled, jumped a parking block, uprooted a fence, the top of the fence hit the windhsield causing it to crack, the fence went up over the vehicle causing damage from the front, to the back. I have the estimate from the body shop that it was taken to. I also have witnesses that saw that the parking brake was engaged.”

NHTSA complaint #765427, filed 2002-08

“While parked and left in gear car rolls even on slight incline. It doesn't seem to matter what gear car is left in. In the reverse gear car makes small jumps, have to make sure parking brake is set even in freezing temps. I complained to dealer the car was difficult to shift into reverse at the 1000 mile checkup but was told they had checked it out and found no problem. I told them about the gears not holding and was told to use the emergency brake. I realize you have to be safe on a hill and set the brake but seems the gears should hold the car on approx. A 1-2% grade. …”

NHTSA complaint #701714, filed 1998-12

“When placing vehicle in park shift gear will not stay in park position. This could cause vehicle to roll freely. Also, vehicle will not disengage out of park position. Consumer also, recall 98v225001/manufacturer's recall 98052 does not include this vehicle due to VIN. A diagnosis determind that the shifter cable was damaged due to gear shift malfunctions.”

NHTSA complaint #881254, filed 2001-02

“A couple of months back consumer complained to the dealer about the gear shift lever being able to move into gear while the vehicle is not on, or not applying the brakes. Consumer was told that this is normal operation. Currently, consumer has received a recall notice about the same problem. Dealer has not been contacted.”

NHTSA complaint #830370, filed 1998-11

“One of the wheel hub caps came off and the tread of two tires began peeling off. A ticking sound was heard while the vehicle was being driven and getting louder every day. The transmission fluid appeared brown instead of pink. The vehicle was leaking oil. The spark plugs were worn out. The distributor cap cracked, the oil switch was bad, and the pcv valve was bad. The engine was replaced. The engine stalled when the vehicle reacheed the 25 MPH mark. No check engine light comes on. The vehicle will not restart.”

NHTSA complaint #10110924, filed 2005-01

Related recalls

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2001117%
2000211%
1999626%
1998412%
19971117%
199645%
199544%
199423%
199312%
1992611%
198914%

Other parts of the 1997 GEO Metro

Engine cooling
14 complaints
Brakes
9 complaints
Air bags
8 complaints
Fuel system
5 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
Seats
4 complaints
Body and structure
4 complaints
Vehicle speed control
4 complaints
Other or unknown
3 complaints
Seat belts
3 complaints
Suspension
3 complaints
Tires
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 1997 GEO Metro

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.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology