What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Buick Regal problems by year
Owners have filed 2,637 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Buick Regal across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1998 for steering complaints, 1999 for engine complaints and 1996 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2009 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 1996
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2009, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 26371990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998298 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 130253 fires · 131 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 82kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 116Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | 7 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (42) | |
| 200 | 14 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (114) | |
| 144 | 11 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (54) | |
| 85 | 7 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (40) | |
| 110 | 6 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (25) | |
| 173 | 16 | 8 | Air bags (49) | |
| 203 | 14 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (39) | |
| 136 | 3 | 8 | Steering (37) | |
| 298 | 7 | 7 | Steering (76) | |
| 244 | 8 | 8 | Engine (47) | |
| 182 | 12 | 10 | Electrical system (42) | |
| 178 | 4 | 8 | Engine (46) | |
| 114 | 2 | 5 | Electrical system (35) | |
| 99 | 5 | 5 | Electrical system (35) | |
| 63 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (33) | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | Suspension (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 196 | 4 | 4 | Engine (76) | |
| 39 | 0 | 7 | Engine (12) | |
| 37 | 4 | 6 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 21 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | Wipers and visibility (3) | |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | Brakes (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | Seats (1) |
What fails on the 1998 Buick Regal
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 26% |
76 | 2 | Shop steering parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 18% |
55 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
48 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 9% |
27 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
27 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
24 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
21 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
12 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1998 Buick Regal |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Dt*: the contact stated while making left turns, the steering became hard. The vehicle was not inspected. There was a NHTSA recall, # 03v527000, regarding the rack and pinion. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
-
On 9/1/16, the engine caught on fire while parked, turned off, and unoccupied. Half the car burned--total loss. I learned shortly after that it was under recall for under hood fires--do i have any way to recover my losses from GM? I only had liability coverage, so there won't be any insurance money.
-
ABS lights flickered on/off intermittently. Vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the rear disc brakes. After repairs were done the rear disc brakes were replaced again. Also power steering fluid leak. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Buick Regal years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 1996 carry the most filings on the Buick Regal. The 1998 alone has 298 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Buick Regal problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 76 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Buick Regal problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Buick Regal complaints that include mileage is about 82,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.