The 1990 Buick Reatta has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 83,725 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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.
VEHICLES WOULD NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 101AND 105.
REPLACE THE PROM IN THE BODY COMPUTER MODULE TO PREVENT THIS CONDITION FROM OCCURRING.
TRANSAXLE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE MAY DISENGAGE FROM THE FROM THE FLOOR SHIFT CONTROL WITH LOSS OF GEAR INDICATOR REFERENCE AND SHIFT SELECTOR OPERATION.
DRIVER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE ACTUAL GEARPOSITION THE TRANSAXLE IS IN, WHICH COULD RESULT IN UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENTAND AN ACCIDENT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
INSTALL A TRANSAXLE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE RETAINING CLIP TO PREVENT CABLE DISENGAGEMENT.
THE FORWARD SENSOR FOR THE AIR BAG MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY CONSTRUCTED WITH PART OF THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE SENSOR REVERSED.
THE REVERSAL OF THE WIRES COULD CAUSE DELAY IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG AND INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF THE OF INJURY TO AN UNBELTED DRIVER IN AN ACCIDENT.
REPLACE FORWARD DISCRIMINATING SENSOR AS NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“We have had the car over 10 years and it had a hard pedal when you first start it up then as we use the brakes they work better”
“Complete failure of anti brake system on my 1990 buick reatta also-- as specifically reported from other reatta owners. Dealer states there are problems --- reatta internet sites states there are major problems --- nhtsa website list several complaints / personal accounts of abs failure. How many…”
“There is a serious design problem with the 1990 buick reatta. The car has an automatic heating and air conditioning system. This system will not allow you to turn on the defroster to clear the windshield from fogging up when the outside temperature is above 39 degrees fahrenheit if the car is low…”
“Failure of hydralic/abs brake system on my 1990 buick reatta convertible requiring replacement of entire brake master cylinder and abs system. *ak”
“Brakes would not stop car while backing down driveway. Intermittent problem. Also have had brake failures at road speed where car swerves when brakes applied. Have taken car to dealer many times and they can't find anything wrong. Have contact with many reatta owners who have this same dangerous…”
“Both times we experienced total brake failure. The brake pedal was "hard" (would not move). Both times there was no warning ie. No abs light on dash and no brake light on dash. Both time the failure occured while driving at a low rate of speed so there was no damage to the car or diver.”
“Brake boost failed only once, after 500 miles of driving, then worked okay again for another 50 miles. No panel indicators showed. When braked hard I was able to slow the car down enough to make the curve at roadway exit. During this slow deceleration a whine or screech came out from under the…”
“In bumper/bumper traffic, 97 degrees, stop and go, abs brakes failed without warning. No lights on dash. At time was just barely moving. Checked fluid levels, okay, no leaks. Abs brakes just stopped working with no warning lights or other hints. Glad I was behind the wheel and not my wife.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Buick Reatta as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.