Buick Roadmaster Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
452 NHTSA complaints (1989–1999).Complaint rate: 4808.5 per 1,000 vehicles.
Should I buy a Buick Roadmaster?
Quick answer from 452 NHTSA complaints · 1989–1999
Buick Roadmaster reliability depends heavily on the model year.
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1994 Buick Roadmaster. The 1991 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Buick Roadmaster Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 36 | 13.9% |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 29 | 93.1% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 22 | 31.8% |
| Automatic Transmission | 18 | 5.6% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 16 | 0.0% |
| Visibility:Windshield | 12 | 8.3% |
| Structure:Body:Door | 11 | 0.0% |
| Suspension:Front | 10 | 0.0% |
| Suspension Failures | 9 | 11.1% |
| Seat Belts:Front:Retractor | 9 | 0.0% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (452 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Buick Roadmasteraccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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