1990 Buick Lesabre problems & reliability
46 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Buick Lesabre. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1990 Buick Lesabre vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 12 | 26% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 15% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 13% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 11% |
| Seats | 5 | 11% |
| Steering | 4 | 9% |
| Visibility | 3 | 7% |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The front mounting bracket nearest to the door, for the drivers power seat fractured around the mounting bolt. This allowed the seat to rotate backward. *jb”
Seats · filed Oct 30, 2006
“This all happened over a period of the past 5 years, I didn't know this site was available, so submitting now. *jb”
Wheels · filed Sep 5, 2004
“While the engine is running there is a constant sound of air escaping. There is an anticipation of the vehicle back firing at all times. Also, intermittently vehicle will stall, and use twice as much fuel.*ak”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Aug 2, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE CALIPER CORROSION
Preliminary Evaluation PE92039 · opened Apr 15, 1992 · closed Aug 14, 1992
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Buick Lesabre in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Buick Lesabre?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.