Certain replacement fuel filters, fram brand name p/n g3727, with date codes x52911 through x60801 sequentially or x600141 and a mexico country or origin marking on the fuel filter housing manufactured from october 18, 2005, through march 21, 2006, sold for...
1966-1999 · 29 model years
Buick Riviera Problems by year
Owners have filed 319 complaints about the Buick Riviera across 29 model years, and it has 33 recalls. The 1995 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (130), while 1973, 1982, 1988 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the engine & cooling, followed by the brakes.
- Complaints
- 319
- Recalls
- 33
- Crashes
- 21
- Fires
- 16
- Injuries
- 19
- Deaths
- 3
Riviera complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common Riviera problems
Buick Riviera recalls 33
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The rear shoulder belt(s) do not retract. A retainer could separate from a rear seat shoulder belt retractor which results in the retractor return spring becoming disengaged.
A backfire during engine starting can cause breakage of the upper intake manifold.
These vehicles were assembled with a malfunction alarm, lighting and locking (mall) module that can contain a damaged capacitor. If the capacitor is damaged, the "key in the ignition" warning chime and the driver seat belt unbuckled warning chime and...
The front outer shoulder belt web sew stop can become stuck in the retractor. The belt can be difficult to pull out of the retractor and some occupants may not be able to fasten the belt.
The intermediate shaft to steering rack lower coupling pinch bolt may be missing.
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.
Threaded inflator components may have been damaged during assembly which may allow components to separate when inflator receives a signal to deploy the air bag.
Transaxle shift control cable may disengage from the from the floor shift control with loss of gear indicator reference and shift selector operation.
Misaligned rear seat safety belt shoulder retractor assemblies could cause pendulum interference, causing the belt to remain in locked position or to travel freely without locking.
A small nylon bushing in the cruise control servo bail may slip out of place, causing intermittent and unexpected increases in engine speed or dieseling (engine run on with ignition off).
Left front brake pipe may contact the cruise control servo bracket.
Latest Riviera complaints
About two months ago, when fueling my vehicle, I noticed a puddle of gasoline in the vicinity of the left rear wheel, inline with the fuel filler door. I had noted the check engine light subsequently came on and code 0440 (or a variant of that, I cannot recall with 100% certainty. When I had some free time, I started investigating the emissions code and decided to check the fuel system from the rear of the vehicle working forward. While looking at the fuel filler neck, I noted a glint of fresh steel behind the...
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tire. Upon removing the tire, I noted a hole in the filler neck the size of a us quarter. Since it's a fuel system component, I investigated whether I could get a replacement part (to no avail). My field expedient fix was to wrap the fuel filler intake steel pipe with a copious amount of duct tape as a temporary fix until I could see if a junkyard would yield a new pipe. No such luck in find a part that didn't have a hole of sorts (see enclosed photo's of 'replacement' offerings. My investigation led me to conclude the wear in the pipe was caused by wheel hop, primarily when rolling over speed bumps at a speed higher than recommended, causing the rear wheel to "hop upwards" and come in contact with the pipe. Given the amount of speed bumps in residential neighborhood, the likelihood of this happening is consistent the location of the damage and the inner edge of the left rear wheel. I've enclosed pictures of a 'replacement' pipe that will have to be epoxied to contain vapors and prevent fuel spillage unless a pristine pipe is found. Given the emissions issue along with fuel spillage when fueling the vehicle, there's a high likelyhood of further damage and possible fire hazard. I'd recommend a metal shield be retrofitted to prevent contact from the left tire and the fuel filler neck
It started out as a small oil leak, but I recently noticed the leak has expanded significantly. It's difficult to pinpoint the leak, but an oil pan under the car shows significant puddling of oil. A sealer/conditioner doesn't appear to have been affected. While online, I noted that the 3800cc 3.8L engine seems notorious for this problem, and other models of gm cars appear to be subject to a recall. Not so the buick, which to me, has the same engine. Given that is is known now, I'm concerned that this low production vehicle was left out of the recall and should be included. Puddle of oil photo enclosed. This condition is most noticeable while the vehicle is stationary.
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 spilling out on my exhaust manifold and smokes badly. I just read gm has a recall on all the l67 3.8L supercharged motors in grand prix and regals amongst other models with the 3.8L but not the rivieras. Can...
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the riv get some love too. I like the car but all these problems and a highway shudder at 65-73.....👎👎😢😢👎👎👎😩😩😩😩😩
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick riviera. While entering the vehicle, the contact noticed engine oil on the ground under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,513. Updated 04/29/16*lj *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick riviera. While stopped, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact was a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000. Updated 04/07/16*lj *js
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick riviera. While the vehicle was parked, there was a puddle of oil dripping near the engine area. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300,000.
Questions about the Buick Riviera
Which Buick Riviera years have the most problems?
Which Buick Riviera years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Buick Riviera problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the engine & cooling (53), brakes (49), seats & seat belts (40) most often.
How many recalls does the Buick Riviera have?
NHTSA lists 33 recalls across all Buick Riviera model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data