Owners have filed 246 complaints on the Buick Riviera, covering 1982–1999. The system named most often is Service Brakes (33 reports). Worst years by volume: 1995, 1996, 1997; cleanest: 1982, 1983, 1986. 12 reports describe a crash, 9 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 6.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Buick Riviera
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 246 Riviera complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 33 Read
ABS braking system failed while braking, resulting in a crash
No summary listed for this vehicle
Rotors on disc brakes are rusting and warping causing improper brake action and caused one near accident incident where my wife was unable to bring the vehicle to a complete stop before bumping the car in front of her. The rotors have been replaced 3 times in the first 15,000 miles. Buick has stated the problem is…
Steering 32 Read
Steering wheel control arm bolt came loose, causing the vehicle to face the right wheel, and lost control and went into ditch. Consumer has asked dealer to replace vehicle
Daughter was traveling approx. 45mph, according to police report, had lost control of vehicle after swerving. Hit enbankment on driver's side. Upon impact, air bag did not deploy. Vehicle flipped end over end. Driver died
Consumer stated that while driving at 45mph the steering wheel would start to shake. Ts dealer claimed this was normal. Alarm system goes off and locked doors. Transmitter replaced. Hesitation on acceleration at 35-40 mph. Dealer reported normal. Rubbing noise when backing up. No problem found
Engine And Engine Cooling 28 Read
As I turned the switch on, the car back fired and then smoke started coming in the car and it was smoking from under the hood. The car was parked in the driveway, I immediately got out. My husband who had heard the back fire from inside the house, opened the hood, and the fire was already blazing. We tried to put the…
Exhaust leak compromised the power steering line, resulting in a fire
While driving, a fire started in the engine compartment, local fire department arrived to extinguish fire. Cause of the fire was not determined. Dealer and manufacturer were notified
Electrical System 23 Read
This morning I tried to start the car to get my kids to school, I turn the key but the engine didn't start, immediately a big loud explosion (the car never started), then smoke came out from under the hood, I got out to open the hood and fire was coming out of the engine right next dashboard near the driver…
Well for starters the car has 131,000 miles on it and clean interior. But....the drivers side power seat incline doesn't work, the blend box or an actuator is bad, the cruise control doesn't work, and the AC compressor is locked up. But.... The worst part is the oil leak coming from the front valve cover. It is…
Intermittently horn became inoperable, obstructing the driver's safety. Dealer could not find cause of the problem
Power Train 21 Read
The car was shut off and parked with keys out. The car began to roll with no occupant and eventually hit a truck. The keys will come out of the ignition in any gear causing the car to roll if not completely in park, a very dangerous situation. The manufacturer was contacted and they say it is a maintenance issue. In…
Transmission failed, causing accident
Vehicle was not able to shift properly due to gears grinding in transmission. Engine was super charged, but not transmission. At transmission center, consumer was informed bearings were failing and caused the grinding. *ak
Seat Belts 20 Read
Drivers seat belt stitching coming apart and will not hold in a accident. Thread used either rotted or defective. Armstrong service dept sent me to a auto upholstery shop to have it repaired, they refused to do it stating that it was against the law for them to work on it and to return to the dealership. The…
No summary listed for above vehicle
The drivers' side seat belt buckle will not latch and must be replaced
Fuel System 17 Read
The contact owns a 1996 buick riviera. While driving approximately 45 mph the engine started hesitating. He pulled over to the side of the road, and noticed an engine compartment fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage center. The vehicle was…
Consumer keeps a close eye on gas gauge. When consumer got out it was on a 1/4 tank, when she got back in and started it up, it jumped to 3/4 tank. Several days later, gas gaufe was on 1/4 tank and it jumped to full. Consumer took vehicle to gmc dealer, and service man showed a memo that indicated same problem because…
The sending unit failed three times. The first time at 44,000 miles, second time at 67,000 miles, and third time at 80,000 miles. The unit was replaced. Consumer did not know how much gas was actually in the vehicle. *ak the sending unit had bare and melted components
Air Bags 12 Read
Airbag did not deploy during front end accident; vehicle hit telephone pole. Tt
Brakes failed, causing accident/injury
Vehicle was involved in a head-on collision at 30 mph and the airbag did not deploy. The manufacturer has been notified
Riviera years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Electrical System,unknown Or Other,engine | — | — | |
| 1998 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 1991 | Parking Brake | — | — | |
| 1990 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1988 | Structure | — | — | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1986 | Steering | — | — | |
| 1983 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 1982 | Suspension | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 136 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.8 |
| Worst single series | 10 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.0 years |
A model average of 1.8 hides a worst series at 10. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Riviera?
By complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 1997 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Riviera years are the cleanest?
1982, 1983, 1986 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Buick Riviera have?
246 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1982–1999. Of those, 12 describe a crash and 9 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.