1990 Buick Riviera

Routine

Owners filed 16 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. It has been recalled 5 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip3
000
Air Bags › Frontal3
100
Structure › Frame and Members1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000
Power Train1
000
Exterior Lighting › Turn Signal1
000
Exterior Lighting › Headlights1
000
Exterior Lighting1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling1
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Seat Belts › Front › Webbing95V110000
Filed May 31, 1995113,343 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. THE FRONT OUTER SHOULDER BELT WEB SEW STOP CAN BECOME STUCK IN THE RETRACTOR. THE BELT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PULL OUT OF THE RETRACTOR AND SOME OCCUPANTS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FASTEN THE BELT.

Risk. THIS CONDITION CAN PREVENT A PERSON FROM USING THEIR RESTRAINT SYSTEM RESULTING IN AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IN AN ACCIDENT.

Remedy. DEALER WILL INSTALL A WEBBING STOP BUTTON IF THE CUSTOMER REQUESTS REPAIR.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Brake Fluid Low Warning › Lamp91V158000
Filed Sep 13, 199118,904 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT MAY NOT LIGHT WHEN IGNITION IS IN THE "ON" POSITION, THE PARKING BRAKE IS APPLIED, AND THE SHIFT SELECTOR IS IN THE PARK OR NEUTRAL GEAR RANGE.

Risk. VEHICLES WOULD NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 101AND 105.

Remedy. REPLACE THE PROM IN THE BODY COMPUTER MODULE TO PREVENT THIS CONDITION FROM OCCURRING.

Air Bags › Frontal90E043004
Filed Oct 30, 199039 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. THREADED INFLATOR COMPONENTS MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY WHICH MAY ALLOW COMPONENTS TO SEPARATE WHEN INFLATOR RECEIVES A SIGNAL TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAG.

Risk. INFLATOR COMPONENT SEPARATION ALLOWS HOT COMBUSTION GASESTO ESCAPE INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURIES TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

Remedy. REPLACE AIR BAG MODULES CONTAINING POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE INFLATORS.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Lever and Linkage › Floor Shift90V164000
Filed Sep 6, 199063,964 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. TRANSAXLE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE MAY DISENGAGE FROM THE FROM THE FLOOR SHIFT CONTROL WITH LOSS OF GEAR INDICATOR REFERENCE AND SHIFT SELECTOR OPERATION.

Risk. DRIVER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE ACTUAL GEARPOSITION THE TRANSAXLE IS IN, WHICH COULD RESULT IN UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENTAND AN ACCIDENT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy. INSTALL A TRANSAXLE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE RETAINING CLIP TO PREVENT CABLE DISENGAGEMENT.

Seat Belts › Front › Retractor90V028000
Filed Feb 12, 199010,166 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. MISALIGNED REAR SEAT SAFETY BELT SHOULDER RETRACTOR ASSEMBLIES COULD CAUSE PENDULUM INTERFERENCE, CAUSING THE BELT TO REMAIN IN LOCKED POSITION OR TO TRAVEL FREELY WITHOUT LOCKING.

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A PANIC STOP OR ACCIDENT, IF THE BELT RETRACTOR INERTIA LOCK DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE REAR SEAT OCCUPANT WOULD HAVE AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF INJURY.

Remedy. REALIGN REAR SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Sep 13, 2004100,000 milesCA

VEHICLE HESITATE D BEFORE ACCELERATING. DEALERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components
Filed Mar 11, 2002MI

ABS BRAKING PROBLEM, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS NOISE AND LESS BRAKING POWER. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Jan 30, 2001NY

WHILE DRIVING AND UPON ATTEMTPING TO STOP, BRAKE PEDAL GOT VERY HARD, CAUSING COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. THIS CAUSED CONSUMER TO SKID OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER HAS REPLACED PART NUMBER 1646523, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Oct 7, 1999OR

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES CONTINUALLY FAILING, SEVERAL REPLACEMENTS HOWEVER CONTINUES TO FAIL, ALMOST RESULTING IN VEHICLE ACCIDENTS DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL. MJS

Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Jul 29, 1998WI

CONSUMER HAS A COMPLAINT CONCERNING DEALER/MANUFACTURER'S. REFUSAL TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE DRIVER'S AIR BAG. *AK

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Oct 7, 1997CO

THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. *AK

Exterior Lighting
Filed Sep 30, 1997CO

VEHICLE LOST ALL LIGHTING WHILE DRIVING CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF SIGHT.

Structure › Frame and Members
Filed Sep 14, 1997IL

RIGHT ENGINE CRADLE RUSTED.

Power Train
Filed Jul 14, 1997MD

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY ON HIS VEHICLE COMES AND GOES . WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER GOES THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING THE SPEED OF VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED. *AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Mar 26, 1997IL

OWNER STATES THAT VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG. OWNER QUESTIONS THE SAFETY OF THE AIRBAGS. *AK

Exterior Lighting › Turn Signal
Filed Dec 31, 1996NJ

WHILE DRIVING AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO SMOKE. REPLACED TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Oct 9, 1996NJ

PURCHASED CAR NEW, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AND SECOND TRANSMISSION STILL SLIPS OUT OF GEAR . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK

Electrical System
Filed Aug 28, 1996CA

VEHICLE'S DASHBOARD BECOMES INOPERATIVE INTERMITTENTLY DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT THE DLR CANNOT LOCATE.THIS OCCURS WITH PRIOR WARNING.*AK

Electrical System › Horn
Filed Oct 31, 1995FL

THE HORN BUTTONS FELL OFF AND NOW THE DRIVER HAS NO HORN. BUICK HAS REDESIGNED THE HORN MECHANISM. TT AT FIRST THE HORN WAS REPAIRD WITH SUPER GLUE. AFTER A YEAR, BOTH BUTTONS WERE REPLACED. *YH

Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Oct 30, 1995TX

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, DUE TO AIR BAG BEING INOPERATIVE, PRIOR TO RECALL.(90E043004) *DSH

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Aug 8, 1995VA

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TRY TO STOP THERE IS A SLOW PROCESS IN STOPPING HAVE ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM . TT

16 of 16 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1995
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
19996000Routine
199829020Routine
199743050Routine
199644210Routine
1995130141Fatalities reported
19935101Fatalities reported
199212210Routine
19918100Routine
1990 — this page16500Routine

Compare every Riviera year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 31, 1995. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.