PlainCars

BUICK REATTA · model year

1989 BUICK REATTA

11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1989BUICKREATTA carries 11 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, 2 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 1989 REATTA is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 6 filings, followed by exterior lighting:headlights (1) and tires (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 1989 REATTA. 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.

11
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

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

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP6
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
TIRES1
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER1

Recent Complaints

20001213SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE ABS BRAKES ON BUICK REATTA. *AK

20000822SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

I HAVE HAD CONSTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES OF MY REATTA. THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER ($1200) THEN THE ACCUMALATER ALONG WITH SEVERAL TRIPS TO MY MECHANIC BECAUSE THE BRAKES WILL STILL GO TO THE FLOOR IF PRESSED HARD OR AT A STOP. IF I DIDN'T LIKE THE CAR SO MUCH I'D SELL BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE DEFINITLY NOT UP TO PAR. WHEN I GO THE THE REATTA CLUB PAGE IT SEEMS EVERY ONE HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. PEASE TRY TO MAKE BUICK FIX THIS PROBLEM. *AK

20000822SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

I HAVE HAD CONSTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES OF MY REATTA. THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER ($1200) THEN THE ACCUMALATER ALONG WITH SEVERAL TRIPS TO MY MECHANIC BECAUSE THE BRAKES WILL STILL GO TO THE FLOOR IF PRESSED HARD OR AT A STOP. IF I DIDN'T LIKE THE CAR SO MUCH I'D SELL BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE DEFINITLY NOT UP TO PAR. WHEN I GO THE THE REATTA CLUB PAGE IT SEEMS EVERY ONE HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. PEASE TRY TO MAKE BUICK FIX THIS PROBLEM. *AK

20000725SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

PLEASE ADVISE IF GENERAL MOTORS HAS HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS MATTER ...I FEEL THERE SHOULD SOME TYPE OF REFUND REASON BEING I DID HAVE ONE BOLT BACK ON THE FRONT BRACKET WHICH IN TURN COULD HAVE BODILY INJURY TO MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE.*AK

20000623SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OTHER REATTA OWNERS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING ON SEVERAL REATTAS, AND I AM AFRAID OF THIS HAPPENING TO MY CAR WHILE IT IS BEING DRIVEN. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED, I BELIEVE THIS IS WORTH AN INVESTIGATION. *AK

20000531SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS ON THIS CAR, THE BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, , ALL COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND MANY REPLACED AT COST OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, AND TO THIS DAY THE PROBLEMS STILL EXIST, NOT ONE MECHANIC CAN FIGURE OUT WHY. I KNOW OF SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THESE CARS. *AK

20000304SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

REPAIR:RETIRED G.M. MECHANIC TRIED FOR 1 MONTH TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX PROBLEM. HE GAVE UP! I TOOK CAR TO G. M. BUICK DEALER WHO REPORTED "BAD ACCUMULATOR" BUT DIDN'T PERFORM CORRECT PROCEDURE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM.ABS ACCUMULATOR REPLACED BUT DID NOT SOLVE PROBLEM!*AK

19981112VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

THE METAL SUPPORTING THE SUNROOF IS DETERIORATING & COMING APART, CAUSING THE SUN ROOF HEAD LINING TO DROP DOWN. *AK

19960711CrashTIRES

GOODYEAR TIRE BLEW OUT, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURIES. *SD

19950622SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

THE ABS VALVE BLOCK MADE THE CAR PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE DRIVER HIT THE BRAKES. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

19950428EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

HEADLIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE; WHILE DRIVING, LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT; CAUSE UNKNOWN; REPAIR EFFORTS MADE BY DEALER; DROVE HOME WITH PARKING LIGHTS ONLY. TT

Compare 1989BUICKREATTA to Similar Vehicles

REATTA vs FORDF-150 → REATTA vs FORDEXPLORER → REATTA vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → REATTA vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations

DP87017Defect PetitionClosed

82 BUICK SEAT DISLODGEMENT

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1989 BUICK REATTA have?▼
The 1989 BUICK REATTA has 11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 BUICK REATTA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1989 BUICK REATTA is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS and TIRES.
Is the 1989 BUICK REATTA 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

Understanding NHTSA Complaints → Vehicle Recalls Explained → Safest Car Brands 2026 → Most Reliable Used Cars → Lemon Law Guide →

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.