Defect
EXCESSIVE ENLARGEMENT OF THE WHEEL CYLINDER PILOT HOLE IN THE REAR BRAKE BACKING PLATE COULD ALLOW THE WHEEL CYLINDER TO ROTATE AND CAUSE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. CONSEQUENCE OF…
Remedy
ADD A PART TO PREVENT WHEEL CYLINDER FROM ROTATING.
1978 Chevrolet El Camino Recalls
Recalls on record Updated July 2026
The 1978 Chevrolet El Camino has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 11,064,779 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the tires. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
Defect
REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE AXLES THAT WERE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. THIS CONDITION MAY RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE AXLE SHAFT AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY FROM THE VEHICLE.
Remedy
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE REAR AXLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT WAS MANUFACTURED AT THE BUFFALO PLANT. IF SO, THEY WILL MAKE AXLE MEASUREMENTS AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE OR MODIFY AFFECTED AXLE COMPONENTS WITHOUT CHARGE.
Defect
THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM TO THE FRAME MAY FRACTURE. THE REAR CONTROL ARM SUPPORTS AND POSITIONS THE REAR AXLE. FRACTURE OF THE BOLTS WOULD ALLOW THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP FREE.
Remedy
BOTH REAR CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT BOLTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE.
Defect
THE HUB PORTION OF THE FAN BLADE ASSEMBLY COULD CRACK DUE TO HIGH STRESS LEVELS GENERATED DURING ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS. EVENTUALLY, THE BLADE COULD BREAK APART AT THE HUB AND BLADE PIECES COULD BE PROPELLED INTO THE ENGINE. IF THE HOOD IS OPEN WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, THE FRAGMENTS WOULD BE FREE TO FLY FROM…
Remedy
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE FAN BLADE ASSEMBLY WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Complaints by component
TIRES
Total complaints1
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Consumer was unable to balance tires on a 1978, chevrolet, el camino. Aftermarket equipment; p205/75r14; dot# unavailable. *ak both left and right front tires could not be balanced and are causing the vehicle to vibrate. The problem was solved by replacing the tires. *yh”
Defect investigations
Investigation EA86006 Opened 1985-11-27 · closed 1988-11-28
BRAKE BACKING PLATE
SUMMARY:GM IS CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY RECALL CAMPAIGN (85V-048)INVOLVING 2,136,826 VEHICLES. THE RECALL IS LIMITED TO VEHICLES BUILT ATCERTAIN ASSEMBLY PLANTS WHICH, ACCORDING TO GM, OVERTORQUED THE BRAKEPIPE NUT,THEREBY OVERSTRESSING THE WHEEL CYLINDER SUPPORT AREA OF THEBACKING PLATE.ANALYSIS:FRONT BRAKES PROVIDE…
Sources & methodology
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1978 Chevrolet El Camino as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.