The 1990 Buick Riviera has 6 recalls, the most serious involving the airbag system and the transmission shift cable: the driver's airbag inflator can separate during deployment, venting hot gases into the cabin instead of inflating the bag, and the shift cable can detach from the floor shifter, leaving the driver unable to tell what gear the transmission is actually in, which can cause unexpected vehicle movement.
On the restraint side, two recalls cover seatbelts. The rear shoulder belt retractor can stick in the locked position or fail to lock at all, either of which reduces protection in a hard stop or crash. A separate issue affects the front outer shoulder belt, where the web's sew stop can jam in the retractor and make the belt difficult or impossible to pull out and fasten. There is also a brake warning light issue: the indicator lamp may not illuminate when the ignition is on, the parking brake is applied, and the shifter is in park or neutral, meaning the driver loses a standard reminder that the parking brake is engaged.
At a glance
What can fail
The front shoulder belt's webbing stop can get stuck in the retractor, making the belt hard to pull out. Some occupants may not be able to fasten their belt.
What the fix does
A webbing stop button will be installed to prevent the webbing from getting stuck in the retractor.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
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At a glance
What can fail
The brake indicator light may fail to illuminate when the ignition is on, the parking brake is applied, and the shift selector is in park or neutral.
What the fix does
Replace the PROM (programmable read-only memory) in the body computer module.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The driver's side airbag inflator module may separate during a crash, preventing the airbag from inflating properly. The separation could also release hot gases into the cabin, risking burn injuries to occupants.
What the fix does
The airbag inflator modules will be replaced with new ones.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
Threaded parts in the air bag inflator may have been damaged during manufacturing, allowing components to separate when the air bag deploys.
What the fix does
Replace the air bag modules that contain the potentially defective inflators.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The cable connecting your floor shift to the transmission may come loose, causing your gear indicator and shift selector to stop working.
What the fix does
A retaining clip will be installed on the shift control cable to keep it from disconnecting.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The rear seat safety belt shoulder retractor may be misaligned, which can interfere with the locking mechanism and cause the belt to either stay locked or fail to lock.
What the fix does
The rear shoulder belt retractor assembly will be realigned to correct the positioning.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
