Most common 1996 Buick Roadmaster problems
Share of the 52 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Buick Roadmaster complaints by model year
1996 Buick Roadmaster recalls (2)
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
The wheel lug nuts were not tightened to the proper specification during assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will tighten the vehicle's wheel lug nuts to the proper specification.
Air bags
These vehicles were shipped with both the supplemental inflatable restraint caution label and a roof rack caution label installed on the same side of the sun visor. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no.208, "occupant crash protection."
Remedy: A new roof rack caution label, with installation instructions, will be sent directly to owners. Owners will install the label or have their dealer install the label for them.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1996 Buick Roadmaster:
Rear wheel separation
GM notified odi that they are conducting a recall to retorque the wheel lug nuts on vehicles built between August and September of 1995.it is anticipated that most vehicles will require the wheel lug nuts to be retorqued to 135 n.m(100 lb.
What 1996 Buick Roadmaster owners say
Steering
The contact owns a 1996 Buick Roadmaster. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel was steering to the left while the vehicle was going to the right as well as while steering to the right the vehicle was going to the left. The dealer or independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 137,831. Invalid VIN provided.
Car all of a sudden darts left then has a large amount play in steering . Then it May not do it for four or five days then it May go the other way. This is a high mileage car but I see where there is another one listed as doing the same thing.
Suspension
I was on the way home the car started to make a grinding type of noise as well as a bounce and came to a stop a a red light to turn left and as I was turning left my right front tire fell off bouncing away bent my front passenger fender as well as trim I had to pay a tow truck $150 to take my car to my house to fix all 5 wheel studs also when I bought the car the seat belt doesn't click to stay in position the interior lights don't turn off I have to disconnect the battery so the car won't die over night and now the engine doesn't not want to turn over as it did before I have changed the distributior cap spark plugs and wires complete oil change engine transaction transfer case oil in the rear axel and oxygen sensors and the car is still haveing trouble to turn and stay on just in idel and on top of that the cluster doesn't not mark my speed and the gas meter is more or less a quarter …
The lower control arm ball joint broke off when I started to drive the car in a parking lot on October 31, 2006. I had to have a new lower arm and ball joint installed on the car since a bolt had sheared holding the ball joint to the arm. Buick had a previous recall on this, but my car was supposedly built with a later serial number. I have the broken assembly stored in my garage.
Wheels & tires
I was on the way home the car started to make a grinding type of noise as well as a bounce and came to a stop a a red light to turn left and as I was turning left my right front tire fell off bouncing away bent my front passenger fender as well as trim I had to pay a tow truck $150 to take my car to my house to fix all 5 wheel studs also when I bought the car the seat belt doesn't click to stay in position the interior lights don't turn off I have to disconnect the battery so the car won't die over night and now the engine doesn't not want to turn over as it did before I have changed the distributior cap spark plugs and wires complete oil change engine transaction transfer case oil in the rear axel and oxygen sensors and the car is still haveing trouble to turn and stay on just in idel and on top of that the cluster doesn't not mark my speed and the gas meter is more or less a quarter …
Left rear tire lost a large section of the tread layer causing minor damage to the vehicle, as tire was being replaced consumer was told that another tire was showing signs of tread separation as well, consumer had all 5 continental general seal tires (225/75/15) be replaced including spare tire.
1996 Buick Roadmaster engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 24 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Buick Roadmaster a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the Roadmaster to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Buick Roadmaster?
The steering — 8 complaints, 15% of all complaints for this model year, most often about hydraulic power assist › pump. Next are the suspension (6) and wheels & tires (6).
How many recalls does the 1996 Buick Roadmaster have?
There are 2 recalls for the 1996 Buick Roadmaster, the most recent from December 10, 1996 (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 1996 Buick Roadmaster problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 84,000 miles; 30% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.