241 of the
4,456 complaints filed about the Buick Regal
are about the lighting —
5% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2011.
There is a water seal leak around the driver side headlight. I have photos showing proof of standing water. It has now caused the headlight, left turn signal, and drivers side brake light to fail. My passenger side headlight is doing the same. I have no headlights, no driverside lights period. I drive 2 children around in this car and it's gotten very dangerous. I contacted GM, and the local dealership and they won't fix it. I'm a [XXX] and don't have the $3200-$5000 I was told the repair would be. It is a problem in certain GM models, Cadillac Srx 2010-2015 having the same issue and the recall being fixed for those drivers. So, I have no choice but to drive around with no headlights, no left blinker, and no driver side brake light with two you children. I have to work and have no other options. It's a catastrophe waiting to happen, I live in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. Please help me with this, I am terrified to drive this car around. I've had two people flag me down at a red light to let me know my brake light is out which is terribly dangerous and if it starts raining while I am out I have no headlights. This has become an emergency situation for me and my children. I have photo proof of the water pooling inside the headlight assembly. The seal is so bad that even covered the condensation pools inside the headlight. Please help me get a dealership to fix this issue. They want to charge me $275 for diagnostics and this is already and issue on this model car, reported by many drivers with the recall on the Cadillac. They need to fix it before I end up a casualty to this problem. Thank you so much. I can send a video of the emergency flasher and signal not working. I replaced the headlight in January and the new one never worked. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11676449 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased the 2016 Buick Regal used in 2021 with 40,000 miles., it now has close to 70,000 miles. It’s still in well cared for mint condition, except for the driver side headlight. Condensation appeared and has been getting worse, dealership says the only option is buying another complete headlight assembly for $1200.00. The LED part of that headlight has stopped working., it’s inevitable that the bulbs themselves with fail also. This is a safety issue. It’s absurdly cost prohibitive for me and most everybody else to spend that kind of money to fix a headlight.., and $1200.00 is the cost of the part alone, we’d be adding labor to that. This is a manufacturer defect that so many people are suffering with. They say we’re getting no relief from this because not enough people have filed complaints to the NHTSA. GM should be compelled to provide this part to us at a much more reasonable price. I’m just a poor widower dad with a daughter in college. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11589503 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the front driver's side headlight was replaced by the dealer six years ago. The contact stated that the front passenger's side front headlight was inoperable and replaced three years ago; however, the contact stated that the front driver's and passenger's side headlights have since become inoperable due to heavy condensation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with failed front driver's and passenger's headlights due to condensation. The contact was informed that the driver's and passenger's side headlights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
NHTSA complaint #11563741 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Driver side HID headlight filling with condensation on lens and water collecting inside the headlight capsule where the wiring for the bulbs and ballast run through. Daytime running light now out and potential loss of headlight use is foreseen.
NHTSA complaint #11561044 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Regal. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, he became aware that the electrical system was not functioning properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the body control module. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V093000 (Exterior Lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 16,000.
NHTSA complaint #11552125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver headlight assembly has water in it and unable to fix it without replacing whole assembly that can be as much as $1500. The light bulb and valance was replaced. The valance was filled with water. The headlight still wouldn’t work. Upon further investigation there is a part sealed into the assembly that also has water in it with no way to get it out or replace. This is a safety risk since i am unable to see on driver side in dark without my light. There are no recalls but have found many complaints on same issue. The part water is in is sealed and shouldn’t have a way for to get in. The only fix is replacing entire assembly. I have no light at all on that side until fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11546680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is condensation and moisture present inside the high definition front headlight assemblies, which causes the headlight illumination to be diminished and created a visibility hazard while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to the Ganley Chevrolet dealership who diagnosed that the front headlight assemblies were faulty and needed to be replaced. The cost to replace both is about $3,000. Then I went to Damper's Automotive of Cleveland Ohio for a second opinion and after replacing the bulb in the passenger side headlight, the bulb immediately blew. Based on complaints from other customers this is a known issue on low and high mileage vehicles of the same make and model. It's a astronomical cost to replace these assemblies and they could go out at any time while driving due to the trapped moisture and-or electrical wiring exposed behind the headlight.
NHTSA complaint #11533622 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Driver side headlight assembly condensation. Heavy condensation is continuous and never clears up. No visible cracks or broken seals. Upon investigation, this seems to be an issue with Buick. There are numerous complaints among owners. The condensation diminishes the effectiveness of the headlight and limits the vision while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11513571 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Left Headlamp Assembly and Driver’s Window Regulator were replaced under Warranty and now need replacing again! Trim Strips were replaced under Warranty because they were rusting and now they are all rusty again! Electrical System now blows fuses. 2103 Buick Regal Turbo just reached 60,000 miles. HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO SPEND $2,000 TO FIX THE FAULTY LEFT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WHICH WAS GOING ON IN 2011 & 2012? There’s Complaints all over online!!!! I haven’t been able to go out at night for 6 months because of no front headlight!!!!! I have been to 3 Buick Dealers and they all have no idea how long this $2K light assembly will last because it should have been recalled!!! The lastest Buick Dealer was trying to steal my vehicle by saying the “Check Engine” light indicated that I am going to have all kinds of problems with my turbo or engine (he wasn’t sure what it was) and that my car was not worth keeping!!! I should get a new car! I asked him how much to take care of the engine problems and he said $3,500. So with the supposed engine problem & headlamp, that’s $5K. I SHOULD BUY A NEW CAR PER DIXIE BUICK IN FORT MYERS, FL!! The other Dealerships said it was likely just a sensor since the car was not running rough and there was no hurry to have the “Check Engine” Light looked at by their mechanics!!! They felt waiting 2 weeks until they could schedule an appointment for me was fine. BUICK NEEDS TO RECALL THEIR LEFT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WHICH WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM YEARS BEFORE MANUFACTURING THEIR 2013 REGALS AND GET RID OF THEIR SLEAZY RIPOFF SERVICE REP’S!!!
NHTSA complaint #11513462 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Left Headlamp Assembly and Driver’s Window Regulator were replaced under Warranty and now have reoccurred and both need replacing again. My car just reach 60K miles. This began 6 months ago so I haven’t been able to drive at night or during storms nor crack my window to talk to strangers. I am a Realtor and feel my safety is at risk. This headlight problem was going on in 2011 & 2012 yet Buick continued to use this headlamp assembly, knowing it fills with moisture then blows the bulb & fuse. With all the online Complaints, I am shocked that our government has not forced Buick to do a recall. I could kill someone or hit something with only one headlight!!!! Very concerned when my 4-year-old grandson is in my car too! Both problems are on the driver’s side and both keep reoccurring. The Headlight Assembly is almost $2K to replace. How many times am I going to have to pay for this reoccurring safety issue that Buick knew they should have redesigned years earlier? I may be reached at: [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11510447 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Buick Regal. The contact stated that condensation and moisture was present inside the front headlight assemblies, which caused the headlight illumination to be diminished and created a visibility hazard while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the front headlight assemblies were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
NHTSA complaint #11504363 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 this is an extremely common issue with these vehicles and Buick has no fix they even stopped producing the replacement headlights this is an extremely dangerous issue I’ve made both nhsta and Buick aware of these issues and if nothings done to rectify them and something happens I will pursue legal action
NHTSA complaint #11504241 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Moisture has been collecting in both headlight assemblies for the past 3 years, whenever the car is outside or driven in the rain. Recently, this caused both high/low beam headlights to burn out. Replacing the bulbs is not enough, as the bulbs immediately burn out/smoke and blow out because of the water accumulation. On the driver side headlight, there was actually standing water in the headlight assembly that came pouring out when the cover was removed to replace the bulb. Dealership says both headlight assemblies must be replaced entirely to resolve the issue, due to corrosion. The vehicle has never been in an accident (there are NO cracks from collision, etc.). This appears to be a manufacturing defect or an issue with seal. This is a crazy expensive repair, to have to have the entire headlights replaced on the vehicle, on both sides, because they are not properly sealed/allow condensation and accumulation of water to take place. Can GM please cover the cost of this? Otherwise, this might be the last GM car I ever buy... This is also a major safety issue, as one must have working headlamps. Without an entirely new headlight assembly on each side, the lightbulbs, when replaced, burn out unexpectedly almost immediately, within weeks of replacement.
NHTSA complaint #11496846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlight area had condensation in it that resulted in water in the headlight. This caused the headlight to go dark. This is a safety issue as one of my headlights is not working. I can’t see that section of the road or adjacent sidelines. Very dangerous particularly at this time of year with deer running into road from the side. There are many other regal owners with this problem which can be verified by googling the problem. This is the second time the light has failed for condensation. Other drivers and pedestrians are at risk because they cannot be seen with the headlight out. Headlight was replaced once and has failed again. Cost to repair 2 years ago $1600 new estimate $1800. This is for one headlight but recommended to replace both.
NHTSA complaint #11492760 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased my 2015 buick in May of 2015. At about December of 2017 the drivers HID head light was breached and moisture crept in creating an inner fog and eventually a puddle of water. In the falloff 2018 the same thing happened on the passengers side. I've removed both head assemblies and tried to fix the problem with very little success. Now I am looking at replacing both lamp assemblies at a cost of $2200 not counting labor.
NHTSA complaint #11490719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After heavy rain in mid-September 2022, both headlights just stopped working. The dashboard will usually display a warning or pop up symbol that something is not working, but I had no warning and got pulled over driving at dusk with no headlights. There has been been other issues with this vehicle too! The other issues include: Bluetooth connection not working at all, the transmission has “jerking” issues while changing gears and the engine revving too high while only going 30mph while driving in suburban Massachusetts. The car has less than 70k miles, these issues should not be happening. The main issue is the headlights, considering they cost around $200/ea and just stopped working with no notice.
NHTSA complaint #11486277 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.