Owners have filed 441 complaints
about the 2011 Buick Regal with NHTSA between 2010 and 2026.
The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
Across this model's run it ranks 5 of 21 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 100
Against the median year of the Buick Regal. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 42
8.2% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 37
21% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
Under 1,000 miles
113.5%
1,000 – 9,999 miles
113.5%
10,000 – 24,999 miles
288.8%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
5216.4%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
8326.2%
75,000 – 99,999 miles
6219.6%
100,000 – 149,999 miles
5417.0%
150,000+ miles
165.0%
NHTSA crash tests
The agency crash-tested this model year itself. These are its own
photographs and star ratings.
Configuration
Overall
Front
Side
Rollover
2011 Buick Regal 4 DR AWD
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2011 Buick Regal 4 DR FWD
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When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jul 2010peak 15May 2026
Recalls on the 2011 Buick Regal
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
United States — NHTSA
16V517000
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011 Buick Regal vehicles manufactured November 3, 2009, to March 25, 2011, equipped with 8-way power adjustable front seats. The power seat wiring harness may contact the seat frame, causing the wires to chafe.
Risk: Chafed harness wires may cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
16V502000
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
14V447000
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
12V484000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Buick Regal and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with two turn signal bulbs in each front turn signal. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, there is no indication to the driver. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the driver is not aware that a turn signal is not functioning properly, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle. If half of a front turn signal is not illuminating, other driver's may not be aware that the affected vehicle is turning, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 20163503,344 units in Canada
Electrical
On certain vehicles equipped with 8-way power adjustable front seats, the wiring harness of the power seats may contact the seat frame and chafe. Over time, chaffed wires could cause an electrical short which could result in inoperative power seat adjustments, flickering lights on the instrument panel, sparking, smoke and potentially cause a fire which would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect, repair and secure the wiring harness as necessary.
Recall 201431129,555 units in Canada
Seats And Restraints
On certain vehicles equipped with power height adjustable front seats, a bolt securing the adjuster mechanism may loosen and fall out. This would cause the seat to drop to the lowest vertical adjustment position, which could affect the driver's ability to safety operate vehicle controls as well as cause reduced driver visibility. These issues could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the bolt.
Recall 20143106,809 units in Canada
Lights And Instruments
Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 - Lighting System and Retroreflective Devices. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, no indication would be provided to the driver, which is contrary to the requirements of the standard. Correction: Dealers will update vehicle software.
Recall 2010252188 units in Canada
Label
Certain vehicles fail to comply with requirements of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 - Tire Selection and Rims. The spare tire size was listed incorrectly, with the letter "T" missing on the Tire Pressure Label. The label should properly indicate the spare tire size as T125/80R16. Correction: Since this does not pose any risk to vehicle safety, no corrective action is required.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Ottawa, OHCrash
AIR BAGS
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
NHTSA complaint #11569550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
POWER TRAIN
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
POWER TRAIN
Preparing to park into a parking space in an off street parking lot the vehicle forcefully and rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into a fence. I was not accelerating. I attempted to stop the car using the brakes but they did not engage quickly enough to stop the rapid, forceful, and without warning acceleration. Buick has been contacted about the defect. Buick ran extensive diagnostics on the car and denies there is a defect. Police came to the scene and advised that given the 2 other incidents that I have experienced, the car is unsafe to drive given potential damage to others. A police report was filed.
NHTSA complaint #11552417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
ENGINE
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
ENGINE
Preparing to park into a parking space in an off street parking lot the vehicle forcefully and rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into a fence. I was not accelerating. I attempted to stop the car using the brakes but they did not engage quickly enough to stop the rapid, forceful, and without warning acceleration. Buick has been contacted about the defect. Buick ran extensive diagnostics on the car and denies there is a defect. Police came to the scene and advised that given the 2 other incidents that I have experienced, the car is unsafe to drive given potential damage to others. A police report was filed.
NHTSA complaint #11552417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Mesquite, TX
POWER TRAIN
While driving on the highway at 60 mph, warning on dash came on saying “engine power reduced” and drop down speed to around 25 mph and I could not accelerate more than 25 mph on the highway which could have caused an accident because of the traffic flow behind me. I put a code scanner under the dash and it read code P2138, Throttle pedal position sensor switch.
NHTSA complaint #11737701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mesquite, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on the highway at 60 mph, warning on dash came on saying “engine power reduced” and drop down speed to around 25 mph and I could not accelerate more than 25 mph on the highway which could have caused an accident because of the traffic flow behind me. I put a code scanner under the dash and it read code P2138, Throttle pedal position sensor switch.
NHTSA complaint #11737701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mesquite, TX
ENGINE
While driving on the highway at 60 mph, warning on dash came on saying “engine power reduced” and drop down speed to around 25 mph and I could not accelerate more than 25 mph on the highway which could have caused an accident because of the traffic flow behind me. I put a code scanner under the dash and it read code P2138, Throttle pedal position sensor switch.
NHTSA complaint #11737701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 140,000 milesPalmdale, CA
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
NHTSA complaint #11692104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Wichita, KS
STRUCTURE:BODY
The cars mileage was altered due to car being wrecked prior and the other car that was used to replace wrecked parts was hidden and vin number was altered. Copart Inc and ICT Sharp Rides are party's involved, I bought car on 12/28/2023 mileage was listed as 132525
NHTSA complaint #11583341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Wichita, KS
ENGINE
The cars mileage was altered due to car being wrecked prior and the other car that was used to replace wrecked parts was hidden and vin number was altered. Copart Inc and ICT Sharp Rides are party's involved, I bought car on 12/28/2023 mileage was listed as 132525
NHTSA complaint #11583341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Wichita, KS
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The cars mileage was altered due to car being wrecked prior and the other car that was used to replace wrecked parts was hidden and vin number was altered. Copart Inc and ICT Sharp Rides are party's involved, I bought car on 12/28/2023 mileage was listed as 132525
NHTSA complaint #11583341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ottawa, OHCrash
AIR BAGS
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
NHTSA complaint #11569550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Havana, IL
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Driver side headlamp draws moisture, keeps blowing bulbs at 104.99 a pop. Water gets in the headlight assembly and shorts out the ballast. This happens even when driving down the road at random. It could be pitch black and suddenly you have no headlights and are forced to drive with only fog lamps
NHTSA complaint #11562312 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
POWER TRAIN
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MA
POWER TRAIN
When pulling into parking space the car rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into the car in the next parking space. I did not have my foot on the gas, the car was simply idling. The acceleration was so rapid that applying the brake was useless.
NHTSA complaint #11552410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
POWER TRAIN
Preparing to park into a parking space in an off street parking lot the vehicle forcefully and rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into a fence. I was not accelerating. I attempted to stop the car using the brakes but they did not engage quickly enough to stop the rapid, forceful, and without warning acceleration. Buick has been contacted about the defect. Buick ran extensive diagnostics on the car and denies there is a defect. Police came to the scene and advised that given the 2 other incidents that I have experienced, the car is unsafe to drive given potential damage to others. A police report was filed.
NHTSA complaint #11552417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
ENGINE
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MA
ENGINE
When pulling into parking space the car rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into the car in the next parking space. I did not have my foot on the gas, the car was simply idling. The acceleration was so rapid that applying the brake was useless.
NHTSA complaint #11552410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
ENGINE
Preparing to park into a parking space in an off street parking lot the vehicle forcefully and rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into a fence. I was not accelerating. I attempted to stop the car using the brakes but they did not engage quickly enough to stop the rapid, forceful, and without warning acceleration. Buick has been contacted about the defect. Buick ran extensive diagnostics on the car and denies there is a defect. Police came to the scene and advised that given the 2 other incidents that I have experienced, the car is unsafe to drive given potential damage to others. A police report was filed.
NHTSA complaint #11552417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was parking in marked space. I had turned into space, my foot was off the gas pedal. The car was 3/4 into the space when it malfunctioned and rapidly accelerated into a hardened snow bank. i instantly braked but there was not enough space to avoid collision.
NHTSA complaint #11552406 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MA
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
When pulling into parking space the car rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into the car in the next parking space. I did not have my foot on the gas, the car was simply idling. The acceleration was so rapid that applying the brake was useless.
NHTSA complaint #11552410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Natick, MACrash
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Preparing to park into a parking space in an off street parking lot the vehicle forcefully and rapidly accelerated on its' own and crashed into a fence. I was not accelerating. I attempted to stop the car using the brakes but they did not engage quickly enough to stop the rapid, forceful, and without warning acceleration. Buick has been contacted about the defect. Buick ran extensive diagnostics on the car and denies there is a defect. Police came to the scene and advised that given the 2 other incidents that I have experienced, the car is unsafe to drive given potential damage to others. A police report was filed.
NHTSA complaint #11552417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Columbus, IN
SUSPENSION
The subframe rotted into rusted into
NHTSA complaint #11551524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tucson, AZ
AIR BAGS
The two systems that failed are the airbag release on the front passenger side and the stabilitrak system. Both systems show error lights on the dash. The front seat passenger does not have airbag protection. The stabilitrak system error light appears intermittently and when the traction system goes off the car brakes almost stop the car while driving. We go to Royal Buick in Tucson, Arizona. We worked with Germaine Kendrick. I've attached the dealer service invoice dated April 14, 2023. The invoice summarized the problem and stated that 1) a new seatbelt assesmbly is needed and 2) the service technician states that they can not replicate or repair the traction problems. Today is June 11, 2023. We are still waiting for the seatbelt assembly to "arrive". There is no solution for the traction system. We have phoned and texted 4 times. The most recent conversation on June 5th with "Chris" was interesting; Chris stated that the seatbelt part was NEVER ORDERED and furthermore, is not needed to repair the airbag warning light problem.
NHTSA complaint #11526448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tucson, AZ
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The two systems that failed are the airbag release on the front passenger side and the stabilitrak system. Both systems show error lights on the dash. The front seat passenger does not have airbag protection. The stabilitrak system error light appears intermittently and when the traction system goes off the car brakes almost stop the car while driving. We go to Royal Buick in Tucson, Arizona. We worked with Germaine Kendrick. I've attached the dealer service invoice dated April 14, 2023. The invoice summarized the problem and stated that 1) a new seatbelt assesmbly is needed and 2) the service technician states that they can not replicate or repair the traction problems. Today is June 11, 2023. We are still waiting for the seatbelt assembly to "arrive". There is no solution for the traction system. We have phoned and texted 4 times. The most recent conversation on June 5th with "Chris" was interesting; Chris stated that the seatbelt part was NEVER ORDERED and furthermore, is not needed to repair the airbag warning light problem.
NHTSA complaint #11526448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tucson, AZ
SERVICE BRAKES
The two systems that failed are the airbag release on the front passenger side and the stabilitrak system. Both systems show error lights on the dash. The front seat passenger does not have airbag protection. The stabilitrak system error light appears intermittently and when the traction system goes off the car brakes almost stop the car while driving. We go to Royal Buick in Tucson, Arizona. We worked with Germaine Kendrick. I've attached the dealer service invoice dated April 14, 2023. The invoice summarized the problem and stated that 1) a new seatbelt assesmbly is needed and 2) the service technician states that they can not replicate or repair the traction problems. Today is June 11, 2023. We are still waiting for the seatbelt assembly to "arrive". There is no solution for the traction system. We have phoned and texted 4 times. The most recent conversation on June 5th with "Chris" was interesting; Chris stated that the seatbelt part was NEVER ORDERED and furthermore, is not needed to repair the airbag warning light problem.
NHTSA complaint #11526448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St. Louis, MO
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Condensation gets into headlight assembly and shorts out HID headlight. Issue occurred with drivers and passenger headlights. Car will not have headlights because of short. Thus causing a safety issue.
NHTSA complaint #11514265 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Athens, MI
SUSPENSION
Front subframe rotted out where my control arm connects. Cannot safetly drive. There should be a recall on this part. There isnt one so now im stuck paying to fix it. Rear coil spring cracked, cannot fix due to recall of all gm coil spring. Cannot buy new part to fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11507125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Athens, MI
STRUCTURE:BODY
Front subframe rotted out where my control arm connects. Cannot safetly drive. There should be a recall on this part. There isnt one so now im stuck paying to fix it. Rear coil spring cracked, cannot fix due to recall of all gm coil spring. Cannot buy new part to fix it.
NHTSA complaint #11507125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.