1992 Buick Riviera Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1992 Buick Riviera, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags318.8%
- Driver assistance212.5%
- Brakes212.5%
- Engine16.3%
- Exterior lighting16.3%
- Seat belts16.3%
- Steering16.3%
- Suspension16.3%
- Tires & wheels16.3%
- Visibility16.3%
- Heating & air conditioning16.3%
- Electrical16.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE TRAVELING AT 30 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT ILLEGALLY, AND CONSUMER HIT OTHER CAR ON REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED BUICK. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION AT 30 MPH AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE DID NOT DEACCELERATE AFTER RELEASING ACCELERATOR PEDAL, INSTEAD, ACCELERATED HIGH SPEED, DRIVER KEPT BRAKES APPLIED TO AVOID HIGH SPEED, NO WARNING, TWO OCCURRANCES WITHIN 10 DAYS, CAUSE UNKNOWN.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS SKIP ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD, CUTTING THE VISION IN HALF, DEALER SAID WIPER DESIGN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TT TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE GAUGE RED LINE APPEARED AND THE BRAKES BECAME VERY SPONGY. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, RESULTED IN LOSS OF CONTROL. CONSUMER SAID THAT WITH REDUCED TRAFFIC AND INCREASED SPEED, COOLING OCCURED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL EFFECTIVENESS RETURNED. CONTACTED DEALER. *ML
INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR, AND CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER REPLACED WITH A "NEW" MASTER CYLINDER. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE GAUGE RED LINE APPEARED AND THE BRAKES BECAME VERY SPONGY. WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, RESULTED IN LOSS OF CONTROL. CONSUMER SAID THAT WITH REDUCED TRAFFIC AND INCREASED SPEED, COOLING OCCURED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL EFFECTIVENESS RETURNED. CONTACTED DEALER. *ML
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
PURCHASE CAR NEW THE SENTINEL LIGHT DOESN'T WORK . TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER SEAT BELT CATCHES AND WILL NOT FEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO MENTIONED, NHTSA RECALL # 113343 PERTAINING TO THE SEAT BELT WEBBING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. UPDATED 9/27/2006 - THE VEHICLW WAS ALSO NOT INCLUDED IN THE STEERING SHAFT COUPLER RECALL 91V-157000. THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WOULD NOT LOCK UP. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER SEAT BELT CATCHES AND WILL NOT FEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO MENTIONED, NHTSA RECALL # 113343 PERTAINING TO THE SEAT BELT WEBBING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. UPDATED 9/27/2006 - THE VEHICLW WAS ALSO NOT INCLUDED IN THE STEERING SHAFT COUPLER RECALL 91V-157000. THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WOULD NOT LOCK UP. *NM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
WINDSHIELD WIPERS SKIP ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD, CUTTING THE VISION IN HALF, DEALER SAID WIPER DESIGN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TT TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
COOPER TIRE LIFE LINER, CLASSIC II, 205/70R15 WAS ON A BUICK, RIVIERA, 1992. WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED RIGHT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY EXPLODED, CAUSING TREAD TO SEPARATE FROM SIDEWALL. THIS HAPPENED AFTER TRAVELING A SHORT DISTANCE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
WINDSHIELD WIPERS SKIP ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD, CUTTING THE VISION IN HALF, DEALER SAID WIPER DESIGN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. TT TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
EVAPORATOR CORE FAILED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .