AI DamageBuick Roadmaster: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Buick Roadmaster across 9 model years: 332 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 8% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 58 complaints (17% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 40 complaints (12% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 37 complaints (11% of all).
- Suspension: 34 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 28 complaints (8% of all), 24 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1991–1992
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1992–1996
- automatic, 4-speed 1991–1996
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 332 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 | 58 | 7 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 40 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 34 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 28 | 24 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| Visibility | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 9 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Buick roadmaster sedan traveling at 30 mph on a clear dry day on a paved smooth road around a curve, the lower ball joint severed causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a large yard. The ball joint was from a foreign manufacturer.
The contact stated that the antilock brake system (abs) modulator caused the crash since it was corroded and leaking fluid from the brake circuit. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was 17 years old and there was nothing they could do to repair it. The contact is responsible for paying the repair costs.
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 10 mph, the vehicle accelerated while the brake pedal was being depressed on 3 occasions. The contact thought the problem could be with the cruise control and had the cruise control disconnected.
I was backing my 95 buick roadmaster station wagon from a parking lot at a retirement center when I depressed the brake to allow me to shift from park to reverse, the car suddenly accelerated and shot back across the parking lot, nearly a hundred feet before I was able to turn the wheel and veer it away from a crowded…
96 buick roadmaster wagon driver's side door catches fire and destroys car! Internal door fire.
While pulling into a parking lot and pressing on brakes vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a pole. Vehicle was totaled. The consumer claims to have been injured when the air bag deployed.
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.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
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.