Total Complaints
10 filings
BUICK ELECTRA · model year
1990 BUICK ELECTRA
10 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990BUICKELECTRA carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1990 ELECTRA is vehicle speed control with 2 filings, followed by unknown or other (2) and steering: steering wheel/handle bar (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1990 ELECTRA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
10
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 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 |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20160222ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. MOVING.
Mileage: 90,000
20160222VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. MOVING.
Mileage: 90,000
20160222UNKNOWN OR OTHER
SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. MOVING.
Mileage: 90,000
20000623UNKNOWN OR OTHER
BECAUSE OF THE DARK BLUE PRIMER USED THAT YEAR ON ALL BUICKS MY CAR LOOKS LIKE IT IS STARTING TO MELT, I HAVE TROUBLE SELLING THE CAR BECAUSE OF THIS, THERE IS NO RUST OR ANY OTHER PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS MAKE/MODEL I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. GETTING A WHOLE NEW PAINT JOB WILL COST MONEY I DON'T HAVE.NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
19980323STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
POWER STEERING HOSE FAILED.
19980323ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
ALTERNATOR FAILED.
19980323ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
WATER PUMP FAILED.
19980323POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
19970430STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
OWNER STATES WHILE DRIVING THEIR IS WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUM AREA. OWNER ALSO NOTES THAT THIS IS A INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. OWNER IS CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY. *AK
19950512CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL RUNNING WILD HITTING BUILDING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Compare 1990BUICKELECTRA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 BUICK ELECTRA have?▼
The 1990 BUICK ELECTRA has 10 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 BUICK ELECTRA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 BUICK ELECTRA is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR.
Is the 1990 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1990 BUICK ELECTRA; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.