1991 Buick Reatta Problems: Brakes (2 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1991 Buick Reatta is Brakes (50% of 2 owner reports). There are 0 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Brakes — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 2 complaints · 0 recalls

What problems show up on the 1991 Buick Reatta?

1 of 2 filings named Brakes (50% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Body / frame (1 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 1990 has 29 reports on file; this year has 2. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1991 Buick Reatta

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov even if this page lists none.
  2. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  3. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  4. Skim a few owner reports below for Brakes. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  5. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Brakes 1 complaints · 50.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 0
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) appears in 1 of 2 owner complaints (50.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 1 complaints, 50.0% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 · 50.0% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 1 complaints, 50.0% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 · 50.0% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 50.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 50.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2001. 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2001 Oct 2014
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (0)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

No safety recalls are on file for this model year in this snapshot.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 2 of 2 complaints · page 1 of 1
2014-11-18Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 10659048
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 BUICK REATTA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
2001-01-22Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
NHTSA ODI 878671
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH CAR SUDDENLY JUMPED TWO LANES TO LEFT, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL. DEALER FELT THAT ENGINE CRADLE BOLTS A ROTTED OUT. THERE IS RECALL 00V189000/ ENGINE CRADLE BOLTS FAILURE ON BUICK, REGAL 1990. *AK THERE WAS DAMAGE TO RIGHT SUSPENSION DUE TO A ROTTED OUT ENGINE CRADLE, RIGHT DRIVE AXLE AND DRIVE BELT. *YH

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1991 Buick Reatta?

Owners named Brakes most often — 1 of 2 reports (50%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1991 Buick Reatta?

NHTSA lists 0 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1991 Buick Reatta?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources