Introduced into a weak market, the Citation nevertheless sold a staggering 810,000 units in it first year. GM factories couldn't keep up with demand, and the Citation was named Car and Driver's Car of the Year. Car makers like to call everything they make "revolutionary", but the Citation could actually make some claim to that title. Lightweight and fuel efficient, the front-wheel drive Citation was completely different from what Detroit had been selling.
Then the problems began. GM's existing 4-cylinder engine was ill-suited for the Citation. The cars became subject to constant recall, and, from Car and Driver,
"While staring down 60-month payment books, Citation owners were having trim bits fall off in their hands, hearing their transmissions groan and seize, and finding that if they listened closely enough they could hear their cars rust. At times it seemed the suspension in some X-cars wasn’t even bolted in correctly, as the ride motions grew funkier and funkier while the steering developed an oceanic on-center dead spot.
As GM’s first front-drive compacts, the X-cars were significant vehicles: They slaughtered GM’s reputation for a whole generation."
Furthermore, Wikipedia, regarding the Citation's early, very positive reviews notes that,
"Car and Driver and several other car magazines at the time were duped when GM lent them specially modified versions of the X-body vehicles in which heavy torque steer (for which they became infamous) had been engineered out. Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver said that they were completely surprised by this when they drove a production version some time later." More here.
On top of all that, as soon as this car was introduced in 1979, GM began getting complaints of rear brake lock-up and cars spinning-out in sudden stops or on wet roads. GM finally issued a recall of 1980 X-cars to fix the problem... in 1983. One has to wonder what percentage of 1980 Chevy Citations were even still on the road by that late date.
Indeed, the Citation caused many to abandon American makes for good just when the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord were redefining what high-quality, inexpensive cars could be.
Even 25 years ago, it was uncommon to see a Citation on the street. It must take real mad courage to try and keep one running now.
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