diff --git a/gv.c b/gv.c
index 2f75f25c7d..89bd964776 100644
--- a/gv.c
+++ b/gv.c
@@ -1212,13 +1212,7 @@ Perl_gv_fetchmethod_pvn_flags(pTHX_ HV *stash, const char *name, const STRLEN le
 
     gv = gv_fetchmeth_pvn(stash, name, name_end - name, 0, flags);
     if (!gv) {
-        /* This is the special case that exempts Foo->import and
-           Foo->unimport from being an error even if there's no
-          import/unimport subroutine */
-        if (strEQ(name,"import") || strEQ(name,"unimport")) {
-            gv = (GV*)sv_2mortal((SV*)newCONSTSUB_flags(NULL,
-                                                NULL, 0, 0, NULL));
-        } else if (autoload)
+        if (autoload)
             gv = gv_autoload_pvn(
                 ostash, name, name_end - name, GV_AUTOLOAD_ISMETHOD|flags
             );
diff --git a/lib/UNIVERSAL.pm b/lib/UNIVERSAL.pm
index 96ecfe6e43..5e9537daae 100644
--- a/lib/UNIVERSAL.pm
+++ b/lib/UNIVERSAL.pm
@@ -1,19 +1,9 @@
 package UNIVERSAL;
 
-our $VERSION = '1.15';
+our $VERSION = '1.16';
 
-# UNIVERSAL should not contain any extra subs/methods beyond those
-# that it exists to define. The existence of import() below is a historical
-# accident that can't be fixed without breaking code.
-
-# Make sure that even though the import method is called, it doesn't do
-# anything unless called on UNIVERSAL.
-sub import {
-    return unless $_[0] eq __PACKAGE__;
-    return unless @_ > 1;
-    require Carp;
-    Carp::croak("UNIVERSAL does not export anything");
-}
+# UNIVERSAL.pm should not contain any methods/subs, they
+# are all defined in universal.c
 
 1;
 __END__
diff --git a/pod/perldiag.pod b/pod/perldiag.pod
index 38aa9c550a..698817d5d6 100644
--- a/pod/perldiag.pod
+++ b/pod/perldiag.pod
@@ -1256,6 +1256,14 @@ a string overload and is also not a blessed CODE reference. In short the
 C<require> function does not know what to do with the object.
 See also L<perlfunc/require>.
 
+=item Attempt to call undefined %s method with arguments via package
+"%s" (perhaps you forgot to load the package?)
+
+(F) You called the C<import()> or C<unimport()> method of a class that
+has no import method defined in its inheritance graph. This is very
+often the sign of a mispelled package name in a use or require statement
+that has silently succeded due to a case insensitive file system.
+
 =item Can't locate package %s for @%s::ISA
 
 (W syntax) The @ISA array contained the name of another package that
diff --git a/t/op/universal.t b/t/op/universal.t
index 4c277c3e39..cbd2b79ef0 100644
--- a/t/op/universal.t
+++ b/t/op/universal.t
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ like $@, qr/^Invalid version format/;
 
 my $subs = join ' ', sort grep { defined &{"UNIVERSAL::$_"} } keys %UNIVERSAL::;
 if ('a' lt 'A') {
-    is $subs, "can isa DOES VERSION";
+    is $subs, "can import isa unimport DOES VERSION";
 } else {
-    is $subs, "DOES VERSION can isa";
+    is $subs, "DOES VERSION can import isa unimport";
 }
 
 ok $a->isa("UNIVERSAL");
@@ -160,11 +160,10 @@ eval "use UNIVERSAL";
 ok $a->isa("UNIVERSAL");
 
 my $sub2 = join ' ', sort grep { defined &{"UNIVERSAL::$_"} } keys %UNIVERSAL::;
-# XXX import being here is really a bug
 if ('a' lt 'A') {
-    is $sub2, "can import isa DOES VERSION";
+    is $sub2, "can import isa unimport DOES VERSION";
 } else {
-    is $sub2, "DOES VERSION can import isa";
+    is $sub2, "DOES VERSION can import isa unimport";
 }
 
 eval 'sub UNIVERSAL::sleep {}';
@@ -198,10 +197,12 @@ ok $x->isa('UNIVERSAL');
 ok $x->isa('UNIVERSAL');
 
 
-# Check that the "historical accident" of UNIVERSAL having an import()
-# method doesn't effect anyone else.
 eval { Some::Package->import("bar") };
-is $@, '';
+my $err= $@;
+$err=~s!t/op!op!;
+is $err, "Attempt to call undefined import method with arguments"
+       . " via package \"Some::Package\" (Perhaps you forgot to load"
+       . " the package?) at op/universal.t line 200.\n";
 
 
 # This segfaulted in a blead.
diff --git a/universal.c b/universal.c
index 20a36fae85..fd654f4920 100644
--- a/universal.c
+++ b/universal.c
@@ -454,6 +454,29 @@ XS(XS_UNIVERSAL_isa)
     }
 }
 
+XS(XS_UNIVERSAL_import_unimport); /* prototype to pass -Wmissing-prototypes */
+XS(XS_UNIVERSAL_import_unimport)
+{
+    dXSARGS;
+    dXSI32;
+
+    if (items > 1) {
+        char *class_pv= SvPV_nolen(ST(0));
+        if (strEQ(class_pv,"UNIVERSAL"))
+            Perl_croak(aTHX_ "UNIVERSAL does not export anything");
+        /* _charnames is special - ignore it for now as the code that
+         * depends on it has its own "no import" logic that produces better
+         * warnings than this does. */
+        if (strNE(class_pv,"_charnames"))
+            Perl_croak(aTHX_
+                "Attempt to call undefined %s method with arguments via package "
+                "%" SVf_QUOTEDPREFIX " (Perhaps you forgot to load the package?)",
+                ix ? "unimport" : "import", SVfARG(ST(0)));
+    }
+    XSRETURN_EMPTY;
+}
+
+
 XS(XS_UNIVERSAL_can); /* prototype to pass -Wmissing-prototypes */
 XS(XS_UNIVERSAL_can)
 {
@@ -1287,6 +1310,8 @@ static const struct xsub_details these_details[] = {
     {"UNIVERSAL::isa", XS_UNIVERSAL_isa, NULL, 0 },
     {"UNIVERSAL::can", XS_UNIVERSAL_can, NULL, 0 },
     {"UNIVERSAL::DOES", XS_UNIVERSAL_DOES, NULL, 0 },
+    {"UNIVERSAL::import", XS_UNIVERSAL_import_unimport, NULL, 0},
+    {"UNIVERSAL::unimport", XS_UNIVERSAL_import_unimport, NULL, 1},
 #define VXS_XSUB_DETAILS
 #include "vxs.inc"
 #undef VXS_XSUB_DETAILS