AI DamageBuick Electra: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Buick Electra across 12 model years: 38 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 24% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 16% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 16% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 6 Seats 11% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 8% of all complaints
- 8 Tires 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 9 complaints (24% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (16% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 6 complaints (16% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 5 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (11% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1985
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1985–1990
- 4.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1984
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1984
- 4.3 L · diesel · 6 cyl 1984–1985
- 5.7 L · diesel · 8 cyl 1984
- automatic, 4-speed 1984–1990
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 38 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Consumer while parked with car running. Put foot on brake and started to put car in drive, when wheels started spinning, engine was revving. Consumer had both feet on brakes, and vehcile took off, flying into the other vehicle in front, pushing that vehicle into another vehicle.
Vehicle accelerated out of control running wild hitting building. Please describe details. Tt
The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and fuel was leaking underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the starter was replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,645.
Vehicle 2009 buick enclave. Keeps turning on the light engine and at the dealership they keep telling me that is because I don't close the gas knob correctly. When the engine light turns on while im driving it gives me a message of power engine reduce and it reduce my speed and I can't continue driving.
Within a 2-3 week time period, three of the four tires formed bubbles and then blew out. The contact noticed the bubbles on one of the tires prior to the blowout. Both rear tires and the front passenger side tire blew out, but no crash occurred. The latest failure occurred while driving approximately 15 mph.
A few weeks later while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. The driver tried to restart the vehicle and was able to do so. The vehicle was taken back to the garage for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the accelerator cable needed to be replaced again. Please provide further details.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.