1990 Buick Reatta

ONE SIDE BRAKES HARDER THAN THE OTHER CAUSING CAR TO SWERVE. HAVE CHECKED THE BUICK REATTA CLUB HOME PAGE AND THIS IS A TOO COMMON PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT EVERY TWO WEEKS FOR YEARS. WE HAVE PROPERLY MAINTAINED THE CAR, BUT THE DEALERS ARE AT A LOSS OF WHAT TO DO. THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND NO CODES SET IN THE COMPUTER. I THINK THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, AND BUICK SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO AT LEAST RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND COME UP WITH A FIX. I WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY AS I DON'T WANT TO DIE IN MY CAR.*AK

I'M WRITING A SECOND TIME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE I READ THE COMPLAINTS SECTION OF YOUR WEBSITE AND FOUND TWO MORE INCIDENTS SUSPICIOUSLY SIMILAR TO MY OWN. I ALSO WROTE ABOUT IT ON THE BUICK REATTA DISCUSSION PAGE ON THE INTERNET AND ONE OTHER PERSON WROTE IN TO SAY HE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. SINCE THIS IS A CATASTROPIC FAILURE OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM WITH NO WARNING, I FIGURE YOU GUYS WOULD WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. I THINK THAT THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO REATTAS BUT WOULD AFFECT EVERY BUICK/GM VEHICLE WITH THE SAME ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED ABS SYSTEM. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A BAD SWITCH THAT CONTROLS THE ELECTRIC PUMP. THE PUMP BURNED OUT. THERE SHOULD'VE BEEN A DASHBOARD WARNING ABOUT THE PROBLEM WHEN ONLY THE SWITCH WAS BURNED OUT, BUT THE SENSOR READING THE SWITCH HAD ALSO FAILED!!! THAT LEFT ME WITH NO BRAKES AND NO WARNING. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL CHANGE IN HOW THE BRAKES FELT UNTIL THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM!!! SINCE THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 4,000 REATTAS PRODUCED IN 1990, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE INCIDENCE OF THIS PROBLEM IS WAY TOO HIGH TO BE IGNORED. IF OTHER BUICKS AND GM VEHICLES HAVE THE SAME SYSTEM, YOU ARE LOOKING AT A POTENTIALLY HUGE PROBLEM OUT THERE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. *AK

I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE BRAKE SYSTEM CAN FAIL IN THESE CARS WITH NO WARNING. THE MECHANIC THINKS THAT A SWITCH BURNED OUT, WHICH LET THE ELECTRIC PUMP RUN CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL IT BURNED OUT. THERE'S A SENSOR THAT'S SUPPOSED TO NOTIFY THE DRIVER OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT THE SENSOR IN MY VEHICLE IS APPARENTLY NON-OPERATIVE. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN HOW THE BRAKES "FELT" WHEN APPLIED UNTIL THE MOMENT THEY SIMPLY FAILED. THE LACK OF A SENSOR HAS LED TO AN EXTREMELY COSTLY REPAIR (ESTIMATED AT $2000 PARTS & LABOR). MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT ALLOWED A SITUATION WHEREIN THE BRAKES COULD FAIL WITH NO DASHBOARD WARNING TO THE DRIVER. I TOOK A COMPLETE LOSS ON THIS CAR IN TRADING IT IN. I WAS PLANNING TO SELL IT ANYWAY, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THE CASH TO FIX THIS HUGE PROBLEM, SO I JUST TRADED IT TO THE DEALER UNREPAIRED. BECAUSE OF THE NON-OPERATIVE BRAKES, I RECEIVED $800 FOR A CAR WITH A BLUE BOOK VALUE OF AROUND $6,000. I WANT BUICK MOTOR COMPANY TO BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND MAKE SURE EVERY REATTA ON THE ROAD DOESN'T HAVE A SIMILARLY FAULTY SENSOR THAT COULD LET THESE OTHER SYSTEMS' FAILURES GO UNDETECTED. *AK