Total Complaints
16 filings
BUICK RIVIERA · model year
1990 BUICK RIVIERA
16 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990BUICKRIVIERA carries 16 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, 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 1990 RIVIERA is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 3 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (3) and electrical system:horn (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 1990 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.
16
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
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 |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 3 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040913ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
VEHICLE HESITATE D BEFORE ACCELERATING. DEALERSHIP WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
Mileage: 100,000
20020311SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
ABS BRAKING PROBLEM, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS NOISE AND LESS BRAKING POWER. *AK
20010130SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING AND UPON ATTEMTPING TO STOP, BRAKE PEDAL GOT VERY HARD, CAUSING COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. THIS CAUSED CONSUMER TO SKID OUT INTO TRAFFIC. IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER HAS REPLACED PART NUMBER 1646523, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
19991029SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES CONTINUALLY FAILING, SEVERAL REPLACEMENTS HOWEVER CONTINUES TO FAIL, ALMOST RESULTING IN VEHICLE ACCIDENTS DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL. MJS
19980729AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
CONSUMER HAS A COMPLAINT CONCERNING DEALER/MANUFACTURER'S. REFUSAL TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE DRIVER'S AIR BAG. *AK
19980429EXTERIOR LIGHTING
VEHICLE LOST ALL LIGHTING WHILE DRIVING CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF SIGHT.
19971204STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
RIGHT ENGINE CRADLE RUSTED.
19971007EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. *AK
19970714POWER TRAIN
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAY ON HIS VEHICLE COMES AND GOES . WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER GOES THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING THE SPEED OF VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED. *AK
19970326CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
OWNER STATES THAT VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG. OWNER QUESTIONS THE SAFETY OF THE AIRBAGS. *AK
19961231EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
WHILE DRIVING AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR, CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN TO SMOKE. REPLACED TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR.
19961009POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
PURCHASED CAR NEW, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AND SECOND TRANSMISSION STILL SLIPS OUT OF GEAR . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
19960828ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VEHICLE'S DASHBOARD BECOMES INOPERATIVE INTERMITTENTLY DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT THE DLR CANNOT LOCATE.THIS OCCURS WITH PRIOR WARNING.*AK
19960314AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, DUE TO AIR BAG BEING INOPERATIVE, PRIOR TO RECALL.(90E043004) *DSH
19951031ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
THE HORN BUTTONS FELL OFF AND NOW THE DRIVER HAS NO HORN. BUICK HAS REDESIGNED THE HORN MECHANISM. TT AT FIRST THE HORN WAS REPAIRD WITH SUPER GLUE. AFTER A YEAR, BOTH BUTTONS WERE REPLACED. *YH
19950808SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TRY TO STOP THERE IS A SLOW PROCESS IN STOPPING HAVE ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM . TT
Compare 1990BUICKRIVIERA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 BUICK RIVIERA have?▼
The 1990 BUICK RIVIERA has 16 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 BUICK RIVIERA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 BUICK RIVIERA is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN.
Is the 1990 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.