FaultScore report
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the 1989 Buick Reatta with NHTSA between 1995 and 2000. The largest single group is the brakes.
11
Complaints
1
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
1 crashes, 0 fires
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
FRONT BRAKE STEERING PULL
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.
Brakes
ON VEHICLES WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKES (ABS), THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE LINE COULD CONTACT THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BRACKET. OVER TIME, THIS CONTACT COULD CAUSE THE BRAKE LINE TO WEAR THROUGH RESULTING IN BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE AND PARTIAL BRAKE LOSS. THIS WOULD RESULT IN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES AND A POSSIBLE CRASH. CORRECTION: THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE PIPE ASSEMBLY WILL BE REPLACED.
Brakes
ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKES (ABS), ONE OR BOTH ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT MOUNTING BOLTS MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SEATED. THIS COULD CAUSE INCREASED PEDAL TRAVEL AND/OR POOR PEDAL FEEL IF THE ATTACHMENT LOOSENS. ALSO, THE ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT COULD SEPARATE FROM ITS MOUNTING BRACKET RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKES AND A POSSIBLE VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CORRECTION: ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT MOUNTING BOLTS WILL BE REPLACED.
Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
TIRES
GOODYEAR TIRE BLEW OUT, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURIES.
NHTSA complaint #488927 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE ABS BRAKES ON BUICK REATTA.
NHTSA complaint #737205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
I HAVE HAD CONSTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES OF MY REATTA. THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER ($1200) THEN THE ACCUMALATER ALONG WITH SEVERAL TRIPS TO MY MECHANIC BECAUSE THE BRAKES WILL STILL GO TO THE FLOOR IF PRESSED HARD OR AT A STOP. IF I DIDN'T LIKE THE CAR SO MUCH I'D SELL BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE DEFINITLY NOT UP TO PAR. WHEN I GO THE THE REATTA CLUB PAGE IT SEEMS EVERY ONE HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. PEASE TRY TO MAKE BUICK FIX THIS PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #725641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
I HAVE HAD CONSTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES OF MY REATTA. THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER ($1200) THEN THE ACCUMALATER ALONG WITH SEVERAL TRIPS TO MY MECHANIC BECAUSE THE BRAKES WILL STILL GO TO THE FLOOR IF PRESSED HARD OR AT A STOP. IF I DIDN'T LIKE THE CAR SO MUCH I'D SELL BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE DEFINITLY NOT UP TO PAR. WHEN I GO THE THE REATTA CLUB PAGE IT SEEMS EVERY ONE HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS. PEASE TRY TO MAKE BUICK FIX THIS PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #725641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
PLEASE ADVISE IF GENERAL MOTORS HAS HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS MATTER ...I FEEL THERE SHOULD SOME TYPE OF REFUND REASON BEING I DID HAVE ONE BOLT BACK ON THE FRONT BRACKET WHICH IN TURN COULD HAVE BODILY INJURY TO MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE.
NHTSA complaint #725206 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OTHER REATTA OWNERS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING ON SEVERAL REATTAS, AND I AM AFRAID OF THIS HAPPENING TO MY CAR WHILE IT IS BEING DRIVEN. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED, I BELIEVE THIS IS WORTH AN INVESTIGATION.
NHTSA complaint #724138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS ON THIS CAR, THE BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, , ALL COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND MANY REPLACED AT COST OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, AND TO THIS DAY THE PROBLEMS STILL EXIST, NOT ONE MECHANIC CAN FIGURE OUT WHY. I KNOW OF SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THESE CARS.
NHTSA complaint #722930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
REPAIR:RETIRED G.M. MECHANIC TRIED FOR 1 MONTH TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX PROBLEM. HE GAVE UP! I TOOK CAR TO G. M. BUICK DEALER WHO REPORTED "BAD ACCUMULATOR" BUT DIDN'T PERFORM CORRECT PROCEDURE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM.ABS ACCUMULATOR REPLACED BUT DID NOT SOLVE PROBLEM!
NHTSA complaint #719667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
THE METAL SUPPORTING THE SUNROOF IS DETERIORATING & COMING APART, CAUSING THE SUN ROOF HEAD LINING TO DROP DOWN.
NHTSA complaint #830670 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES
GOODYEAR TIRE BLEW OUT, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURIES.
NHTSA complaint #488927 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
THE ABS VALVE BLOCK MADE THE CAR PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE DRIVER HIT THE BRAKES. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
NHTSA complaint #967561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
HEADLIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE; WHILE DRIVING, LIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT OUT; CAUSE UNKNOWN; REPAIR EFFORTS MADE BY DEALER; DROVE HOME WITH PARKING LIGHTS ONLY. TT
NHTSA complaint #964536 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.