Total Complaints
15 filings
BUICK ELECTRA · model year
1986 BUICK ELECTRA
15 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986BUICKELECTRA carries 15 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1986 ELECTRA is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 3 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (2) and electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1986 ELECTRA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
15
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20001026ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE CRANK SENSOR-WHICH CONTROLS ENGINE TIMING-THE BRACKET ITS HOUSED IN CAN WORK LOOSE DURING NORMAL DRIVING CAUSING THE SENSOR TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE MAGNET CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL W/NO WARNING. IT HAPPENED FIRST LASTE YEAR IN JULY-99 HAD IT REPLACED BY DEALER USING OE PART. WORKED LOOSE THIS YEAR OCT-00, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL ON BUSY STREET AND BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE. CONTACT DEALER-WOULD NOT REPLACE PART-MADE US BUY ANOTHER....
19980624SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST
DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH POWER ASSIST WITHIN BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO PULL EMERGENCY BRAKE IN ORDER TO AVOID ACCIDENT. DEALER HAD REPLACED BRAKE SYSYTEM, BUT DEFECT HAS REOCCURRED WITHIN 150 MILES. *AK
19980420SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE 87V613000, ABS BRAKES. TOOK VEHICLE FOR REPAIRS. WORK WAS DONE. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. TOOK VEHICLE BACK. MECHANIC SAID SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE. ORDERED ANOTHER FROM MANUFACTURER. REPLACED SWITCH AGAIN, WAS ALSO DEFECTIVE. REPLACED OLD SWITCH THAT WORKED W/SWITCH THAT DIDN'T. THEN REPLACED NEW W/OLD SWITCH. NOT SATISFIED W/RECALL. *AK
19980420SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
BRAKE SENSOR REPAIRED UNDER RECALL WORK DONE, HOWEVER NEW SENSOR WAS DEFECTIVE CAUSING BRAKE PUMP TO FAIL.
19980204POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION FAILURE, TWICE.
19970627SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
BRAKES FAILED.
19951211SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
WHILE DRIVING BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON AT THIS TIME THERE ARE NO BRAKES, NO WARNING, FIXED 5 DIFFERENT TIMES STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
19951207SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
RECEIVE RECALL LETTER DEALER FIXED IT CONSUMER HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM . TT
19950919SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER FAILURE, REPLACED TWO TIMES, BRAKE PEDAL BECAME HARD TO APPLY. TT
19950905STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
THE REAR DOORS WILL NOT OPEN IF NOT USED VERY OFTEN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
19950614SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM
BRAKE POWER BOOSTER FAILURE, LOSS OF BRAKING, INVOLVED IN RECALL 87V93000. TT
19950223SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED, ALSO BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY PRIOR TO RECALL (87V-093). *AK
19950223ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
FUSE FOR BRAKES BLOWS OUT REPEATEDLY.
19950223ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
REPLACED OXYGEN SENSOR.
19950223VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
ADJUSTED IDLE SPEED CONTROL UNIT.
Compare 1986BUICKELECTRA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 BUICK ELECTRA have?▼
The 1986 BUICK ELECTRA has 15 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 BUICK ELECTRA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 BUICK ELECTRA is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS.
Is the 1986 BUICK ELECTRA safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.