With the 1980 X-Car series, General Motors introduced a new generation of front-wheel drive, fuel-efficient compact passenger cars. The letter X designated a generic chassis type that was manufactured into a particular model through styling and features. All X-Cars were tested and met all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, but during the development of the vehicles it was found that certain manual transmission X-Cars required more aggressive rear brake shoes to meet parking brake standards.
In 1979 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation after receiving complaints that some X-Car rear brakes locked up on lower friction surfaces while the front tires were still rolling. In January 1983 NHTSA made a finding of defect in 320,000 of the 1980 X-Cars. Three weeks later GM announced the recall of 240,000 X-car vehicles to replace rear brake system components. In February, bypassing the normal procedures of the Highway Traffic Safety Act, the NHTSA sought an order directly from the court to take X-Cars off the road.
Although a NHTSA administrator was unable to articulate a specific theory of defect in court, the NHTSA raised questions about: the friction characteristics of the rear brake shoes, the balance of front and rear brakes, parking brake application, and engine torque to a front-wheel drive car. Some combination of these factors allegedly produced a tendency for the rear wheels to lock up under braking, leading in turn to the rear of the car slewing sideways, loss of directional control, and/or spinning.
During trial, it was learned that some NHTSA engineers had recommended closing the case in 1982, on the grounds that consumer complaints had dropped 75 percent after GM voluntarily changed the proportioning valves on 47,000 manual transmission 1980 X-Cars. Using real-world accident data, further evidence concerning its superior safety record convinced the judge in 1987 to throw out the allegations of a safety defect in the 1980 X-Car.
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