Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Seat Belts. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

130 reports

45,100 miles · Feb 24, 2003

Structure

Read full complaint

PAINT BUBBLING UP AND PEELING - ALL AREAS OF VEHICLE. PROBLEM STARTED ON FRONT END AND HAS NOW SPREAD FROM BUMPER TO BUMPER. PAINT SLIDES OFF WHEN IT RAINS, WHEN I DRIVE DOWN THE STREET AND NEW CRACKS ARE APPEARING WITH INTENSIVE REGULARITY. ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY BEGINNING IN 1999 (ACCORDING TO OWNER'S MANUAL WAS SIX YEARS FOR PAINT) ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FROM TWO GM DEALERSHIPS AND TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED - PAINT WAS NOT COVERED THIS LONG PERIOD. PAINT IS ORIGINAL PAINT JOB. FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GAIN GM DIRECT CONSUMER NUMBER AND SPOKE WITH AMANDA IN DEC 2002 - FIRST WAS TOLD THAT VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD TO REPORT DAMAGES. WHEN REMINDING HER THAT PEELING STARTED DURING WARRANTY PERIOD SHE THEN INFORMED ME THAT IF I'D BEEN PARKING THE CAR OUT IN THE SUNSHINE AT ANYTIME (REGARDLESS OF FACT THAT VEHICLE WAS GARAGED AT HOME) THAT 'EXPOSURE TO SUNSHINE' WOULD CAUSE THIS AND WAS THEREFORE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. FOUR YEARS AND THE PAINT BEGINS TO SEPARATE FROM THE PRIMER? I'VE HAD TWENTY YEAR OLD CARS WITH ORIGINAL PAINT JOBS THAT LOOKED BETTER THAN THIS 'LUXURY' CAR DID AT FOUR YEARS. THE INCIDENT DATE SHOWN IS THE ORIGINAL DATE I FIRST NOTICED THE PEELING. THE DEALER WAS FIRST CONTACTED SHORTLY AFTER.

NHTSA ODI #10008022

125,000 miles · Feb 20, 2003

Electrical System

THE HORN FAILED TO WORK.*JB

NHTSA ODI #10008953

Mileage unknown · Feb 4, 2003

Electrical System

HORN WORKS INTERMITTENTLY AFTER A FEW MONTHS HORN BEGAN TO "BLOW" WITHOUT WARNING. CURRENTLY, HORN HAS COMPLETELY FAILED. DEALER NOTIFIED. PH. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10006371

Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2002

Fuel System, Gasoline

AFTER SMELLING RAW GAS FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH OUT FINDING A LEAK, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR INSPECTION. THERE, THEY FOUND THAT THE MAIN FUEL FEED LINE HAD CRACKED AND WAS SPRAYING GASOLINE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE HOOD. *JG

NHTSA ODI #567885

Mileage unknown · Apr 10, 2002

Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL START TO ACCELERATE, AND THEN DECELERATE. OTHER TIMES VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT. CONTACTED DEALER ,AND THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE CAUSE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #8007318

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2002

Power Train

TRANSMISSION WOULD HESITATE AND LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8006051

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2002

Engine And Engine CoolingVisibility

HEATER/AIR CONDITIONING AND ENGINE COOLING FAN WERE NOT OPERATING, CAUSING VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8006044

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2002

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ABS LIGHT REMAINS ON WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE DELAYED BEFORE STOPPING. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8006036

Mileage unknown · Mar 13, 2002

Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingFire

WHILE DRIVING, A FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO EXTINGUISH FIRE. CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS NOT DETERMINED. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #8005584

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2002

Air BagsCrash

WHILE TRAVELING AT 20-25 MPH CONSUMER HAD REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. IT BURSTED THROUGH WINDSHIELD AND LANDED ON HOOD OF VEHICLE . PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8001789

Official recalls

00V057000 · Seat Belts:front:webbing

Feb 28, 2000

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IN A CRASH, AN OCCUPANT MAY RECEIVE MORE SEVERE INJURIES IF THERE IS EXCESSIVE SLACK IN THE SHOULDER BELT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH REAR SHOULDER BELT RETRACTORS FOR CORRECT FUNCTION AND INSTALL A SPRING COVER RETAINING STRAP TO EACH RETRACTOR. IF A RETRACTOR DOES NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY, IT WILL BE REPLACED.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA00006 · Rear Seat Belt Retractor

Opened Feb 22, 2000 · Closed Mar 6, 2000

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:rear/other

IN ITS LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 25, 2000 TO NHTSA, GENERAL MOTORS STATED THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF 85,253 MODEL YEAR 1995 BUICK RIVIERA AND OLDSMOBILE AURORA VEHICLES FOR THE DEFECT IN THE OUTBOARD REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTOR ASSEMBLIES.

PE99059 · Rear Seat Belt Retractor

Opened Sep 15, 1999 · Closed Feb 22, 2000

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:rear/other

COMPLAINTS GENERALLY STATED THAT ONE OR BOTH OUTBOARD REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT AT ALL AND ARE USELESS.IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT PROVIDE ANY TENSION AND HAVE EXCESS SLACK.THE RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY HAS A PLASTIC COVER NEXT TO THE RETRACTOR RETURN SPRING.ACCORDING TO GENERAL MOTORS (GM), HEAT MAY SOFTEN, WARP AND DEFLECT THE PLASTIC SPRING COVER ALLOWING THE RETURN SPRING TO DISENGAGE THROUGH AND JAM IN THE SPRING COVER ACCESS HOLE RENDERING THE RETURN SPRING NONFUNCTIONAL.TO ELIMANATE THE PROBLEM, GM CHANGED THE SPRING COVER MATERIAL AND ACCESS HOLE AT THE BEGINNING OF PRODUCTION OF MODEL YEAR (MY) 1996 BUICK RIVIERA AND OLDSMOBILE AURORA VEHICLES.BOTH COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS HAVE DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM MY 1995 SUBJECT VEHICLES TO MY 1996 VEHICLES.