BUICK RIVIERA · model year

1982 BUICK RIVIERA

1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1982BUICKRIVIERA carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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 1982 RIVIERA is suspension:front with 1 filings. 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 1982 RIVIERA. 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.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 filings

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

ComponentCount
SUSPENSION:FRONT1

Recent Complaints

20040108SUSPENSION:FRONT

THE CONSUMER HAD AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK DONE ON THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE, THE MECHANIC STILL WASN'T ABLE TO DEFINE THE PROBLEM. *LA THE CONSUMER HAD ANOTHER MECHANIC LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND HE DETERMINED THAT THE TORSION BAR WOULD NOT WORK AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE FRONT END COMPONENTS. CONSUMER FEELS THAT GM NEEDS TO CHECK THE CARS FOR INSULATION. THE VEHICLE IS NOW REPAIRED. *CB *JB

Compare 1982BUICKRIVIERA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1982 BUICK RIVIERA have?
The 1982 BUICK RIVIERA has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1982 BUICK RIVIERA?
The most-complained component for the 1982 BUICK RIVIERA is SUSPENSION:FRONT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1982 BUICK RIVIERA 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.