1990 Buick Riviera: problems, recalls and reliability

5 recalls and 16 owner complaints on record; most reports concern service brakes, hydraulic.

Data updated weekly · latest recall May 1995

recalls

owner complaints

fire reports

typical failure mileage, mi

All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.

Among the quietest Riviera years (#5 of 6 by complaints, age-adjusted)No fire reports

Common problems Recalls Specs Other years FAQ

Common problems

Computed from 16 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.

Limited data: only 16 complaints on record for this model year - too few for percentage statistics. Bars show raw report counts; read them as individual owner reports, not reliability rates. For a fuller picture, check nearby model years.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic (brakes)4 complaints

Exterior Lighting (headlights, taillights)3 complaints

Air Bags (airbags and crash sensors)3 complaints

Power Train (transmission, axles, driveline)2 complaints

Electrical System (battery, wiring, electronics)2 complaints

Structure (body, frame, doors, rust)1 complaint

“Anti-lock brakes continually failing, several replacements however continues to fail, almost resulting in vehicle accidents due to loss of control. Mjs”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Aug 1998

“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”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 1997

“While driving an electrical short in the turn signal indicator, caused the steering column to smoke. Replaced turn signal indicator.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Dec 1996

Show 5 more owner reports

“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”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 1994

“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”Owner report · Air Bags

“Purchased car new, the transmission was replaced by dealer and second transmission still slips out of gear . Please describe .*ak”Owner report · Power Train

“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”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

“Vehicle's dashboard becomes inoperative intermittently due to an electrical short that the dlr cannot locate.this occurs with prior warning.*ak”Owner report · Electrical System

When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.

Recalls - 5 campaigns

Lamp (service brakes, hydraulic)91V158000 · Sep 1991

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.

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

Floor shift (power train)90V164000 · Sep 1990

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

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

Frontal (air bags)90E043004 · Oct 1990

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.

Remedy: REPLACE AIR BAG MODULES CONTAINING POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE INFLATORS.

Webbing (seat belts)95V110000 · May 1995

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.

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

Retractor (seat belts)90V028000 · Feb 1990

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.

Remedy: REALIGN REAR SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY.

Specifications

Factory options offered for the 1990 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.

Body stylesCoupe

How other years compare

1990 (this page)solid year16 complaints · 5 recalls 1992solid year12 complaints · 2 recalls

Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Riviera years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.

Check your exact Riviera by VIN

Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.

Open VIN decoder

Frequently asked questions

Is the 1990 Buick Riviera reliable?

NHTSA has 16 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 1990 Buick Riviera. The most complained-about area is service brakes, hydraulic.

Does the 1990 Buick Riviera have open recalls?

5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.