Total Complaints
3 filings
BUICK ESTATE · model year
1986 BUICK ESTATE
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986BUICKESTATE carries 3 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 ESTATE is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components with 1 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:power assist (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:hydraulic (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 ESTATE. 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.
3
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:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:HYDRAULIC | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040802SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:HYDRAULIC
CURRENTLY OWN 1986 BUICK ESTATE EQUIPPED WITH "POWER MASTER" BRAKE UNIT. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FACTORY BRAKE UNIT FOR THIS AUTOMOBILE. THE PRESSURE SWITCH DEVELOPED A CRACK, ALLOWING THE BRAKE FLUID TO BE PUMPED OUT. MY FATHER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME, AND MANAGED TO GET THE CAR STOPPED AND OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT CRASHING. NEVERTHELESS, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH DIFFERENT. WHAT'S MORE, I KNOW NOW THAT GM HAS LONG BEEN AWARE OF THIS DEFECT. SINCE THIS OCCURED, I HAVE LEARNED THAT GM WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR PART (PRESSURE SWICTH) AS WELL AS FOR THE DIVIDER VALVE. UPON CONTACTING THE LOCAL GM DEALER (DALLAS AUTOMOTIVE GROUP, JACKSON, OH.) I WAS INFORMADE THAT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL. IN FACT, I WAS TOLD THAT IT ONLY APPLIED TO 2 VIN! FINDING IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED, BUT FOR ONLY 2 VEHICLES, I CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE. I TALKED WITH GREG MARTIN, CUSTOMER RELA
Mileage: 74,000
19990503SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST
UNDERSTAND GM HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS POWERMASTER BRAKES
19980224SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES TO MAKE A STOP THE VEHICLE CONTACTED TO TRAVEL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Compare 1986BUICKESTATE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1986 BUICK ESTATE have?▼
The 1986 BUICK ESTATE has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 BUICK ESTATE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 BUICK ESTATE is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:HYDRAULIC.
Is the 1986 BUICK ESTATE 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.