1979 Chevrolet Impala Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1979 Chevrolet Impala, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Fuel system150.0%
- Suspension150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
CARBURETOR LEAKED GAS ON MANIFOLD CAUSING VEHICLE FIRE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE PROBLEM IS IN A NEW HITCH I JUST PURCHASED MANUFACTURED BY VALLEY INDUSTRIES, OF LODI, CALIFORNIA. KIT CAME WITH TWO 7/16" SQUARE U-BOLTS, WHICH REQUIRED DRILLING HOLES INTO THE FRAME TO INSTALL. THE INSTRUCTIONS CALLED FOR THE NUTS ON THE SQUARE U-BOLTS TO BE TIGHTEN TO A FORCE OF 55 FT.LBS. THE BOLTS PROVIDED, WILL NOT HOLD THAT FORCE. INSTEAD THEY NECKED AND BROKE AT SLIGHTLY OVER 40 FT. LBS. I FEEL THEY HAVE PROVIDED A MILD STEEL BOLT INSTEAD OF A GRADE #0, 1, OR 2. INSTEAD OF THE GRADE OF A #5 WHICH WOULD HAVE HELD THIS KIND OF FORCE. I CALLED THE MANUFACTER A COUPLE OF TIMES ABOUT THIS TODAY 11/4/02 AND FINIALLY TALKED TO ENGINEERING, WHO TOLD ME THAT ALL THE U-BOLTS ARE MILD STEEL, YOU CAN'T GET U-BOLTS IN A HARDEN STEEL, IN AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS. THEY (THE COMPANY), DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE BOLTS WOULD BREAK, BUT THEY WOULD SEND ME OUT SOME NEW ONES. IT IS MY CONTENTION THAT THEY KNEW ALL ALONG THAT THE GRADE OF BOLTS THEY WERE PROVIDING CAN NOT BE TORQUED DOWN TO THE 55 FT LBS. SINCE MOST PEOPLE DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETELY, AND JUST TIGHTED UNTIL THEY FEEL ITS TIGHT ENOUGH. THEY GET AWAY WITH SUPPLING A LOWER QUALITY U-BOLTS THEY MAYBE TELL GOVENMENT AND SAFTEY BOARDS. THEY MAY SAVE $ .70-1.00 ON A INSTALLATION KIT SUPPLYING LOWER GRADES OF BOLTS. THIS ALONE IS NOT MUCH MONEY, BUT IF THEY DID THIS TO 100,000 HITCHES THATS NOW A LOT OF SAVING. IS THIS A SAFTEY PROBLEM? IT MAYBE, DUE TO A COUPLE OF THINGS. 1. IF THE HITCH WAS RATED AND TESTED FOR USE WITH A HIGHER GRADE BOLT, THAT IS WHAT SHOULD BE USED IN THE INSTALLATION KIT. (WOULD IT MEET A CLASS LL RATING WITH MILD STEEL BOLTS?) 2. SOME ONE MAY FOLLOW DIRECTION SUCH AS I DID BY NECKING AND SNAPING THE BOLTS, OR WORST STOP TIGHTEN WHEN THEY FELT IT NECKING LEAVING THE U-BOLT IN A WEAKED AND DAMAGED CONDITION. DT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .