The 1989 Buick Riviera has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 11,169 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
LEFT FRONT BRAKE PIPE MAY CONTACT THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BRACKET.
BRAKE LINE COULD WEAR THROUGH CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKEFLUID AND PARTIAL LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY; THIS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLECRASH.
REPLACE LEFT FRONT BRAKE PIPE ASSEMBLY.
ONE OR BOTH ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT MOUNTING BOLTS MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SEATED AND COULD LOOSEN.
THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO SEPARATION OF THE ABSHYDRAULIC UNIT FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKET AND RESULT IN LOSS OF BRAKE FUNCTIONAND A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
REPLACE BOTH ABS HYDRAULIC UNIT MOUNTING BOLTS.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1989 buick riviera. On november 7, 2007, the brakes failed after the vehicle was started. The contact stated that the check abs light had been illuminating intermittently for a couple of weeks prior to the failure. When he checked the brake fluid, it was leveled; however,…”
“Please reference nhtsa recall no. 97v058/gm recall of buick regals sold in illinois 1998 - 1991. My tire technician noted that the cradle bolts and retainers on my 1989 buick riviera were totally corroded and that they could fail at any time. This was confirmed by my genral motors dealer who…”
“At the time of the repair/replacement of the fuel pump, fittings, lines... Costing $467.00 on 11/23/99 -- the mechanic and manager informed us of the imminent dangers of the loss of steering control due to the severity of the of "rusted-through cradle arm and breaking, rusty bolts pertaining to…”
“At the time of the repair/replacement of the fuel pump, fittings, lines... Costing $467.00 on 11/23/99 -- the mechanic and manager informed us of the imminent dangers of the loss of steering control due to the severity of the of "rusted-through cradle arm and breaking, rusty bolts pertaining to…”
“Recall ? Very unsafe !! Both front "hydraulic" (rusty, and not working)seat mechanisms (that look like 2 black shaped "pistons") that engage with each end of the bottom rear part of the two front seats to "work" seating positions back and forth does not "engage" the seats -- so that the back part…”
“Total brake failure. Vehicle has been inspected and repaired on two occasions. The defective design of the motor module for the abs system is the cause of the failure. Can nhtsa help in this matter or provide further information. *ak”
“Cradle that holds engine corroded and rusted to the point it was about to fall out causing steering to become impossible”
“The computer screen on instrument panel kept blinking off & on. Took to mechanic & was informed that an electrical short was the cause. Vehicle had not been taken to a dealer as of yet.*ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Buick Riviera as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.