Buick Regal Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
4,440 NHTSA complaints (1982–2020).Complaint rate: 648.5 per 1,000 vehicles.
Should I buy a Buick Regal?
Quick answer from 4,440 NHTSA complaints · 1982–2020
Buick Regal shows elevated crash or fire rates — buy with caution. 5.0% of reported complaints involved a crash — above the ~4% mainstream average. Most complaints relate to engine problems. Inspect carefully or consider a different model in the same class.
- 2010 Buick Regal· 2 complaints
- 2020 Buick Regal· 3 complaints
- 2017 Buick Regal· 26 complaints
- 2011 Buick Regal· 438 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- engine problems — 422 complaints (1.2% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 363 complaints (1.9% involved a crash)
- service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip — 150 complaints (9.3% involved a crash)
- engine & cooling — 149 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
- headlight/taillight failures — 146 complaints (1.4% involved a crash)
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1998–2001 Buick Regal. The 2014–2020 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Engine.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Buick Regal Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Problems | 422 | 1.2% |
| Electrical Faults | 363 | 1.9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 150 | 9.3% |
| Engine & Cooling | 149 | 0.0% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 146 | 1.4% |
| Steering Defects | 134 | 4.5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Caliper | 112 | 3.6% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 101 | 26.7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor | 101 | 2.0% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 100 | 5.0% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983NO DATA | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1984NO DATA | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1985NO DATA | — | 10 | 2 | — | View → |
| 1986NO DATA | — | 14 | 2 | 3 | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 28 | 3 | — | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 181 | 13 | 1 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | — | 150 | 9 | 3 | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 107 | 7 | 1 | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | — | 303 | 23 | 7 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | — | 204 | 12 | 6 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 118 | 8 | 3 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 146 | 9 | 3 | View → |
| 1995AVOID | — | 218 | 19 | 5 | View → |
| 1996AVOID | — | 273 | 19 | 22 | View → |
| 1997 | — | 174 | 3 | 19 | View → |
| 1998AVOID | — | 376 | 8 | 47 | View → |
| 1999AVOID | — | 301 | 8 | 51 | View → |
| 2000AVOID | — | 245 | 19 | 35 | View → |
| 2001AVOID | — | 229 | 7 | 55 | View → |
| 2002 | — | 150 | 4 | 26 | View → |
| 2003 | — | 139 | 7 | 18 | View → |
| 2004 | — | 94 | 0 | 2 | View → |
| 2005NO DATA | — | 8 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2010NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2011AVOID | — | 438 | 13 | 14 | View → |
| 2012 | — | 137 | 5 | 4 | View → |
| 2013 | — | 130 | 9 | 4 | View → |
| 2014GOOD | — | 50 | 3 | — | View → |
| 2015GOOD | — | 50 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 2016GOOD | — | 61 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2017GOOD | — | 26 | 1 | 3 | View → |
| 2018GOOD | — | 33 | 8 | — | View → |
| 2019GOOD | — | 29 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2020NO DATA | — | 3 | 0 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (4,440 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Buick Regalaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
Buying a Buick Regal?
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