Buick›Riviera›1995›Overview/buick/riviera/1995/base/

1995 Buick Riviera

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1995 Riviera.

Transmission Automatic 4-spd

The 1995 Buick Riviera, built on the platform that defined the model’s full‑size personal luxury segment, is equipped with a four‑speed automatic transmission and requires a 4.0‑quart fill of 10W‑30 API engine oil, while its EPA fuel‑economy ratings read 17 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and a combined 20 mpg. Its powertrain and chassis were engineered for smooth cruising, but the year also recorded the highest tally of owner complaints—148 in total—most frequently centered on seat‑belt issues and prompting a single recall. Compared with the broader 1990‑1999 Riviera complaint history, 1995 stands out as the peak of reported problems, a fact that researchers should weigh against the model’s otherwise solid mechanical design when assessing long‑term reliability.

Model year1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1993 1992 1991 1989

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.0 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type10W-30 APIOEM · verified

Lug nut torque100 ft-lbsOEM · verified

EPA fuel economy17/26/20 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 76 · 970 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731175. Note the factory fuel filter and front wiper blades are now discontinued — plan on a superseded or quality aftermarket equivalent, which the part pages below list where known. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 76 · 970 CCAOEM · verified

Tire sizeP225-60R16OEM · verified

Wheel / rim6.5-JJ inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	12731175
Engine air filter	19259030
Fuel filter	25121293 discontinued
Spark plug	19355202 alt 19302723
Front wiper blades	25689175 discontinued
Thermostat	24505924 alt 24506985

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

Transmission

Automatic 4-spd

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	207.1 in
Overall width	75.2 in
Overall height	55.1 in
Wheelbase	113.4 in
Curb weight	3770 lb
Track (front / rear)	62.2 / 62.2 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	62/38

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined	17 / 26 / 20 mpg
Drivetrain	Front-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuel	Regular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Riviera of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

7.2 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 7.20 sec — 1995 Supercharged Coupe

Year	Trim / engine	0–60	¼ mile	HP	Drivetrain
1995	Supercharged Coupe 3.8L Supercharger V6	7.20 sec	15.60 sec	225 hp	FWD
1996	Supercharged Coupe 3.8L Supercharger V6	7.10 sec	15.40 sec	225 hp	FWD
1989	Coupe 3.8L V6	9.90 sec	17.40 sec	165 hp	FWD
1986	T-Type Coupe 3.8L V8	11.30 sec	18.23 sec	165 hp	FWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.0 qt of 10W-30 API engine oil. Torque lug nuts to 100 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Engine Coolant	ETHYLENE GLYCOL
Engine Oil	10W-30 · API
Engine Oil Capacity	4.0 qt

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)	4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)	6.2 ft-lbs
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Bolt(s)	15 ft-lbs
Oxygen (O2S) Sensor Bolt(s)	31 ft-lbs
Knock Sense (KS) Bolt(s)	13 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	Lower: 11 ft-lbs; Upper: 7.4 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	22 ft-lbs
Oil Pan to Block Bolts	10 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts

100 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order	1-6-5-4-3-2
Spark Plug Manufacturer	AC Delco
Spark Plug Type	AC 41-921
Spark Plug Gap	0.060 in
Spark Plug Torque	11.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	2.00 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Capacity	8.00 oz
Standard BCI Group Number	76
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	970 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test	15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	195 °F
Engine Compression	100

Brakes

Torque to Knuckle	38 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Rotor Max Parallel Variation	0.0005 in
Rotor Runout Limit	0.002 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From	1.26 in / 0.433 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness To	1.26 in / 0.433 in
Rotor Minimum Machining	1.25 in / 0.423 in
Rotor Discard at or Under	1.209 in / 0.374 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages

74 ft. lbs., Step 2: 105

74 ft. lbs

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

1	37 ft. lbs.	37 ft. lbs
2	120 degrees	120 degrees
3	turn 30

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 3 stages

1	37 ft. lbs.	37 ft. lbs
2	120 degrees	120 degrees
3	turn 30

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 30,000 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 7,500 mi	Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 7,500 mi	Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Parking Brake Cable (lubricate) · Shift Linkage (inspect) · Steering Linkage (inspect)
Every 15,000 mi	Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 30,000 mi	Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Fuel Line (inspect) · Fuel Tank (inspect) · Fuel Tank Filler Cap (inspect) · Spark Plug Wires (inspect)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 1995 Buick Riviera stands out as a sharp anomaly in the generation’s federal record, with 148 complaints—more than eight times the average of the preceding years (1990–1993, which ranged from 7 to 17) and far above the subsequent decline (55 in 1996, down to 6 by 1999). While the single recall for 1995 is in line with the generation’s generally low recall counts, the 29 technical service bulletins and 2 investigations signal a high volume of documented issues that were not elevated to recalls. The top complaint areas—seat belts (20), engine and engine cooling (16), steering (12), and service brakes (11)—along with 8 crash and 4 fire complaints, point to concentrated owner dissatisfaction in critical safety and mechanical systems, though the data does not specify root causes. This year marks the peak of a complaint trend that subsides in later models, implying that 1995 Rivieras may carry a disproportionate burden of unresolved problems. Given this spike, a 1995 Riviera is a risky choice compared to later years in the generation.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

148

Owner complaints

8 involved a crash · 4 a fire

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’90 ’91 ’92 ’93’95’96 ’97 ’98 ’99

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 148 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Seat Belts20

Engine & Engine Cooling16

Steering12

Service Brakes, Hydraulic11

Electrical System10

Power Train10

Structure8

Air Bags7

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

00V057000Seat Belts:Front:WebbingReported 28/02/2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE REAR SHOULDER BELT(S) DO NOT RETRACT. A RETAINER COULD SEPARATE FROM A REAR SEAT SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR WHICH RESULTS IN THE RETRACTOR RETURN SPRING BECOMING DISENGAGED. Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH REAR SHOULDER BELT RETRACTORS FOR CORRECT FUNCTION AND INSTALL A SPRING COVER RETAINING STRAP TO EACH RETRACTOR. IF A RETRACTOR DOES NOT FUNCTION…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 29 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
PIP4723D	2020-01-31	Electrical System	This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or…
PIC4696E	2019-11-22	Equipment	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how…
17NA073	2019-09-18	Equipment	This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action…
PIC4696D	2019-09-05	Equipment	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how…
17NA073	2019-02-15	Equipment	This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Riviera. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 76 battery Vehicles taking 4.0 qt Engine oil filter 12731175 Engine air filter 19259030 Fuel filter 25121293 Spark plug 19355202

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1995 Riviera take?

4.0 qt of 10W-30 API, per the factory manual.

Does the 1995 Riviera have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Riviera get?

EPA figures are 17 city / 26 highway / 20 combined mpg.