1985 BUICK REGAL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 9 complaints · 9 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (3 complaints · 33.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 0
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1984 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 3 of 9 owner complaints (33.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 3 complaints, 33.3% of reports ENGINE 3 · 33.3% SERVICE BRAKES: 3 complaints, 33.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 33.3% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 1 complaints, 11.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 11.1% STEERING: 1 complaints, 11.1% of reports STEERING 1 · 11.1% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 1 complaints, 11.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 11.1% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 7 complaints, 77.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 · 77.8% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 3 33.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 3 33.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 11.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 1 11.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 11.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 77.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1984. 1995-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1984 May 2006 Recall campaign 84V124000 ◆ Recall campaign 84V124000 Recall campaign 84V154000 ◆ Recall campaign 84V154000 Recall campaign 85V047000 ◆ Recall campaign 85V047000 Recall campaign 85V049000 ◆ Recall campaign 85V049000 Recall campaign 85V114000 ◆ Recall campaign 85V114000 Recall campaign 86V030000 ◆ Recall campaign 86V030000 Recall campaign 87V124000 ◆ Recall campaign 87V124000 Recall campaign 88V014000 ◆ Recall campaign 88V014000 Recall campaign 06E043000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E043000 Investigation EA86025 ● Investigation EA86025 Investigation PE88027 ● Investigation PE88027 Investigation C89001 ● Investigation C89001 Investigation PE89104 ● Investigation PE89104 Investigation PE89145 ● Investigation PE89145 Investigation PE90014 ● Investigation PE90014
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 1
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 84V124000
Recall campaign 1 84V154000
Recall campaign 1 85V047000
Recall campaign 1 85V049000
Recall campaign 1 85V114000
Recall campaign 1 86V030000
Recall campaign 1 87V124000
Recall campaign 1 88V014000
Recall campaign 1 06E043000
Defect investigation 1 EA86025
Defect investigation 1 PE88027
Defect investigation 1 C89001
Defect investigation 1 PE89104
Defect investigation 1 PE89145
Defect investigation 1 PE90014
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (9)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E043000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 84V124000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    THE TIE ROD END BOLTS WILL BE TIGHTENED WITHOUT COST TO THE OWNER.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 84V154000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT RETRACTORS FREE OF CHARGE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 85V047000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    REMOVE AND REINSTALL WINDSHIELD IF A LACK OF PAINT BONDING IS EVIDENT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 85V049000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    REPLACE THE REAR BUMPER BRACKETS AND THE "L" SHAPED REINFORCEMENT WITH A "U" SHAPED FULL REINFORCEMENT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 85V114000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    LABELS CONTAINING CORRECT INFORMATION ARE BEING MAILED AND SHOULD BE INSTALLED ON THE LEFT FRONT DOOR.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 86V030000

    Report date
    Component:
    VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Consequence:
    Not available in the source record
    Remedy:
    REPLACE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 87V124000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    CRACKS WOULD INCREASE LEADING TO DIFFICULTY IN CLOSINGTHE DOOR AND MIGHT ALLOW DOOR TO COME OPEN DURING A CRASH, INCREASINGLIKELIHOOD OF INJURY TO OCCUPANTS.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL INNER AND OUTER REINFORCEMENT PLATE ON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT BODY PILLARS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 88V014000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    HEADLIGHTS WOULD CYCLE ON AND OFF. SUDDEN LOSS OFHEADLIGHTS UNDER SEVERE WEATHER OR NIGHTIMER DRIVING CONDITIONS COULD RESULTIN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WITH MODIFIED SWITCH.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 9 complaints · page 1 of 1

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources