ChevroletCaprice1973Overview/chevrolet/caprice/1973/base/

1973 Chevrolet Caprice

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1973 Caprice.

The 1973 Chevrolet Caprice occupies a place in the nameplate's history prior to the documented complaint era, with specific details regarding its body configuration, underlying platform, and engine specifications absent from the available dataset. When contextualized against the model's later reliability history—tracked from 1990 through 2011, a period that saw complaint volumes peak at 196 for the 1994 model year and bottom out at merely 1 for 2003—this 1973 edition predates the recorded reliability window entirely. Consequently, its standing within the model's durability narrative remains unmeasured by these metrics, existing outside the scope of the documented grievance data.

Model year201420132012199619951994199319921973

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Caprice of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

8.0–12.6 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 8.00 sec — 1968 Coupe
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
1977Classic Sport Coupe 5.7L V89.80 sec16.80 sec170 hpRWD
1977Classic Sedan 5.7L V810.80 sec18.20 sec170 hpRWD
1977Classic Sedan 5.0L V811.80 sec17.90 sec170 hpRWD
1968Coupe 7.0L V88.00 sec16.20 sec385 hpRWD
1980Classic Coupe 5.0L V810.90 sec18.10 sec150 hpRWD
1965Custom Sedan 6.5L V88.90 sec16.70 sec250 hpRWD
1982Caprice Classic Sedan 5.0L V812.60 sec18.90 sec150 hpRWD

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
0
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

No owner complaints on record with NHTSA for this vehicle.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

74V027000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:VacuumReported 15/02/1974

Remedy:

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Caprice. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1973 Caprice have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.