MYRModel Year Report

1990 Buick Riviera

○ Not enough data
1990 Buick Riviera
RENDERED 2026-11-01T14:45:32.494Z

Only 16 complaints on file — too few for a fair verdict.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

Only 16 complaints on file — too few for a fair verdict. The data below is complete but unranked.

How is this computed?

Complaints
16

Too few to rank

Recalls
5

Campaigns on file for 1990

Investigations
1

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
—

Not enough data

Complaints per year

1982: 1 complaint 1982 1983: 1 complaint 1984: 0 complaints 1985: 2 complaints 1985 1986: 2 complaints 1987: 5 complaints 1988: 1 complaint 1989: 9 complaints 1990: 16 complaints 1990 16 1991: 8 complaints 1992: 12 complaints 1993: 5 complaints 1995: 130 complaints 1995 1996: 44 complaints 1997: 43 complaints 1998: 29 complaints 1998 1999: 6 complaints 2000: 0 complaints
1982: 1 complaint 1982 1983: 1 complaint 1984: 0 complaints 1984 1985: 2 complaints 1986: 2 complaints 1986 1987: 5 complaints 1988: 1 complaint 1988 1989: 9 complaints 1990: 16 complaints 1990 16 1991: 8 complaints 1992: 12 complaints 1992 1993: 5 complaints 1995: 130 complaints 1995 1996: 44 complaints 1997: 43 complaints 1997 1998: 29 complaints 1999: 6 complaints 1999 2000: 0 complaints
1982: 1 complaint 1982 1983: 1 complaint 1983 1984: 0 complaints 1984 1985: 2 complaints 1985 1986: 2 complaints 1986 1987: 5 complaints 1987 1988: 1 complaint 1988 1989: 9 complaints 1989 1990: 16 complaints 1990 16 1991: 8 complaints 1991 1992: 12 complaints 1992 1993: 5 complaints 1993 1995: 130 complaints 1995 1996: 44 complaints 1996 1997: 43 complaints 1997 1998: 29 complaints 1998 1999: 6 complaints 1999 2000: 0 complaints 2000

1990: 16 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19810
19821
19831
19840
19852
19862
19875
19881
19899
199016
19918
199212
19935
1995130
199644
199743
199829
19996
20000

Known problem areas

Only 16 complaints on file for this model year — too few to rank by share. Raw counts only, below.

Service brakes

4 of 16 total reports mention: service brakes, most commonly citing hydraulic.

Air bags

3 of 16 total reports mention: air bags, most commonly citing frontal.

CRASH
Show complaint excerpts

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.

NHTSA ODI report, 1997-03-26

Exterior lighting

3 of 16 total reports mention: exterior lighting, most commonly citing turn signal and headlights.

Power train

2 of 16 total reports mention: power train, most commonly citing automatic transmission.

Electrical system

2 of 16 total reports mention: electrical system, most commonly citing horn.

Show complaint excerpts

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.

NHTSA ODI report, 1995-10-31

Safety timeline

5 recalls · 1 investigation · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. R
    1990-03-12Seat belts90V028000 Misaligned rear seat safety belt shoulder retractor assemblies could cause pendulum interference, causing the belt to remain in locked position or to travel freely without locking.

    Remedy: Realign rear shoulder belt retractor assembly.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  2. R
    1990-10-05Power train90V164000 Transaxle shift control cable may disengage from the from the floor shift control with loss of gear indicator reference and shift selector operation.

    Remedy: Install a transaxle shift control cable retaining clip to prevent cable disengagement.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  3. R
    1990-12-07Air bags90E043004 Threaded inflator components may have been damaged during assembly which may allow components to separate when inflator receives a signal to deploy the air bag.

    Remedy: Replace air bag modules containing potentially defective inflators.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  4. R
    1991-11-27Service brakes, hydraulic91V158000 Brake indicator light may not light when ignition is in the "On" Position, the parking brake is applied, and the shift selector is in the park or neutral gear range.

    Remedy: Replace the prom in the body computer module to prevent this condition from occurring.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  5. I
    1994-02-28Engineering analysisClosed 1995-06-16 Seat belt retractor fails
  6. R
    1995-06-21Seat belts95V110000 The front outer shoulder belt web sew stop can become stuck in the retractor. The belt can be difficult to pull out of the retractor and some occupants may not be able to fasten the belt.

    Remedy: Dealer will install a webbing stop button if the customer requests repair.

    Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

1990 Buick Riviera — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Service brakes: 4 reports on file for this year.
  • Air bags: 3 reports on file for this year.
  • Exterior lighting: 3 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 90V028000 · Seat belts
  • Recall 90V164000 · Power train
  • Recall 90E043004 · Air bags
  • Recall 91V158000 · Service brakes, hydraulic
  • Recall 95V110000 · Seat belts
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

FAQ

Is the 1990 Buick Riviera reliable?
There isn't enough NHTSA complaint data on file yet to give this model year a verdict.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Buick Riviera?
The most-reported component is service brakes, accounting for 25% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 1990 Buick Riviera have?
5 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-31 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.