Owners have filed 2,659 complaints on the Buick Regal, covering 1982–2020. The system named most often is Service Brakes (469 reports). Worst years by volume: 2011, 1998, 1999; cleanest: 1982, 1983, 2020. 133 reports describe a crash, 235 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 7.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Buick Regal
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,659 Regal complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 469 Read
The contact owns a 2018 buick regal. The contact purchased the vehicle in february of 2018, but did not obtain it until june 15, 2018. While in a drive-thru line, the contact removed his foot from the brake pedal and the vehicle lurched forward and crashed into a pole. The front driver side fender, bumper, and…
September 10, 2022 I was backing out of my driveway, but the car would not slow down, and I hit a tree on my neighbor's easement across the street. After a minute, I decided to move the car, put the car in drive, and again the car would not slow down, and wound up hitting the porch of my neighbor 2 houses over. I have…
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard as the vehicle rear-ended another vehicle. It was unknown if any warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that no injuries were sustained. A police report was filed.…
Electrical System 392 Read
While normally driving on an interstate highway and attempting to pass a semi truck, the vehicle suddenly went out of control. The vehicle went to maximun acceleration and the brakes and steering both failed to respond. The vehicle went into a spin and crashed into the semi truck's rear trailer wheels. The truck ran…
I've had for the last few years had issues with my 2013 buick regal turning off while driving causing a few accidents that has nearly cause me my life. The car has had multiple electrical issues I've tried getting fixed and I've dealt with damage to my vehicle due to this. Car has turned off on me while in motion.…
[XXX] my car failed to let me use the brake, i was going about 45mph and when i went to apply brake pressure the pedal was so stiff i couldnt use the brake. Causing from end collision, when i made a trip to springdale to have my car inspected it didnt make it, started backfiring and dying around 65 mph then the motor…
Steering 260 Read
The contact owns a 2013 buick regal. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle loss acceleration, steering wheel became difficult to turn. In another when turn off the engine, the vehicle failed to start. A warning light illuminated roll driver side window up, the trunk open and the windshield wiper…
While in motion at about 25-30 miles per hours, slightly stepping on the brake to slow down, the car just… wouldn’t, I was forced to swerve, preventing damage to cars ahead, I went over a curb
The contact owns a 2011 buick regal. The contact stated that the vehicle would loose power sporadically. The contact stated the check transmission light or stability control light would illuminate on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The vehicle never stalled, but the contact would loose power steering…
Engine 256 Read
The contact owned a 2015 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while powered off, a civilian observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the vehicle then exploded. The contact stated that a vehicle parked next to the vehicle had damage from the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown.…
The contact owned a 2004 buick regal. The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that prior to the fire, the temperature gauge showed that the engine was overheated. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. It was unknown if a police report was filed or…
The contact owns a 2004 buick regal. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked. The contact saw smoke escape from underneath the hood of the vehicle as it entered into the cabin of the vehicle. The contact's friends attempted to extinguish the fire, but were unsuccessful. There were no injuries. The…
Engine And Engine Cooling 253 Read
The contact owns a 2003 buick regal. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V118000, NHTSA action number ea07008 (engine and engine cooling). The failure occurred before the vehicle could be taken to the dealer. While driving 35 mph, the driver noticed smoke coming out of the dashboard.…
The contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After driving the vehicle and parking, the driver noticed a burning odor. The driver lifted the hood and discovered flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called to the home. The cause of the…
The contact owns a 2002 buick regal. While the vehicle was parked for ten minutes, the engine caught fire. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire and received burns to his hands. The police and fire report numbers were unavailable. The fire department towed the vehicle to a tow yard. The current and failure…
Exterior Lighting 152 Read
The contact owns a 2013 buick regal. The contact stated that the driver's side head light failed while driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the wiring had melted and the connector was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted and the same failure occurred with the…
I previously reported an issue with a he condensation in the driver side headlight which every one of these models with the hid headlights has this issue. Now it is becoming a safety issue as both headlights are doing it and are randomly going off while driving I almost hit a telephone pole with my infant in the car…
Stop light lens (red) above rear seat in back window melted and the fabric around it melted
Power Train 136 Read
I am in army & while driving to work one morning at 5:30 am my van slowly started accelerating the more I pressed the brake the faster the van went, by the time I reached the street the van was up to 50 mph I was afraid so I call my husband, told him the situation & the street I was traveling, he was on the way. By…
Vacuum Pump blew up forcing cam shaft sensor to blew out of engine and caused my brakes to fail. This happened at a stop sign. I proceed through the stop in front of a semi-tractor. Fortunately it was in front of the police station in(30mph) town zone and he was able to brake before killing me. My vehicle stopped…
The contact owns a 2013 buick regal. While the driver attempted to parallel park, the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into two parked vehicles. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was damaged and was driven to the contact's residence. The…
Air Bags 103 Read
I was driving on a rural road (about 40-45 mph) and missed a stop sign at a t intersection, went straight ahead and struck a guide wire, a large bush, then a block wall, and came to a stop after passing through the wall and entering the building. The car never veered but went straight as it struck these structures.…
I hit a deer going 60 mph and the airbag didn’t deploy, the service airbag light came on after I hit it. I’d assume that means the airbag tried to deploy but ran into an issue
Eastbound floating bridge road st joe county michigan swerved to miss small animal exited right side of road struck a tree driver taken to hospital cdr system indicated that the driver (me) was not wearing a seat belt I was! Air bags did not deploy driver sustained smashed right shoulder and ankle. Ambulance 4…
Regal years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2018 | Electrical System,service Brakes | 4 | — | |
| 2017 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Child Seat | 3 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 7 | 7 | |
| 2004 | Electrical System | — | 2 | |
| 2003 | Electrical System | 4 | 13 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags,structure,engine | 2 | 21 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 3 | 44 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 7 | 26 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 6 | 38 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 6 | 33 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 3 | 16 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 10 | 13 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 13 | 3 | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 1993 | Electrical System | 5 | 3 | |
| 1992 | Electrical System | 7 | 3 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 13 | 2 | |
| 1990 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 8 | 2 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | 6 | 1 | |
| 1987 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | — | |
| 1986 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | — | |
| 1985 | Electrical System | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,081 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.5 |
| Worst single series | 19 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.1 years |
A model average of 2.5 hides a worst series at 19. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Regal?
By complaint volume, 2011, 1998, 1999 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Regal years are the cleanest?
2020, 1986, 1985 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Buick Regal have?
2,659 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1982–2020. Of those, 133 describe a crash and 235 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.