2001 BUICK REGAL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 180 complaints · 8 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ENGINE (76 complaints · 42.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 47
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
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 76 of 180 owner complaints (42.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 76 complaints, 42.2% of reports ENGINE 76 · 42.2% · 38 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 24 complaints, 13.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 · 13.3% · 5 fire reports STEERING: 12 complaints, 6.7% of reports STEERING 12 · 6.7% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 10 complaints, 5.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 · 5.6% POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 5.0% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 5.0% SERVICE BRAKES: 9 complaints, 5.0% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 9 · 5.0% AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 4.4% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 4.4% · 4 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 5 complaints, 2.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 · 2.8% VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 2.8% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 2.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 68 complaints, 37.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 68 · 37.8% · 3 crash reports 6 fire reports 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 76 42.2% 0 crashes · 38 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 13.3% 0 crashes · 5 fires
STEERING 12 6.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 5.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 9 5.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 8 4.4% 4 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 68 37.8% 3 crashes · 6 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 Apr 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2000. 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2016-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 2000 Jan 2024 Recall campaign 00V228003 ◆ Recall campaign 00V228003 Recall campaign 00V371000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V371000 Recall campaign 01V109000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V109000 Recall campaign 08V118000 ◆ Recall campaign 08V118000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Recall campaign 09E005000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E005000 Recall campaign 09V116000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V116000 Recall campaign 15V701000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V701000 Investigation EA02030 ● Investigation EA02030 Investigation EA07008 ● Investigation EA07008
  • Campaign 15V701000 was reported 5,242 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q1 Owner reports 6
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 4
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q1 Owner reports 7
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 5
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 3
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 6
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 8
2016-Q1 Owner reports 21
2016-Q2 Owner reports 11
2016-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q4 Owner reports 5
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 00V228003
Recall campaign 1 00V371000
Recall campaign 1 01V109000
Recall campaign 1 08V118000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E005000
Recall campaign 1 09V116000
Recall campaign 1 15V701000
Defect investigation 1 EA02030
Defect investigation 1 EA07008
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (8)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V228003

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY DATE CODES AND, IF NECESSARY, WILL REPLACE ANY SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V371000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    IF THE INFLATOR SEPARATES, THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY DURING A CRASH AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION WOULD BE REDUCED. IF IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT A SEPARATED INFLATOR COULD BE PROPELLED DOWNWARD AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO A REAR SEAT PASSENGER WHOSE FOOT IS POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY UNDER THE INFLATOR MODULE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG MODULE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V109000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE STANDARD.
    Remedy:
    GM WILL MAIL A NEW BILINGUAL AIR BAG LABEL WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. HOWEVER, THE CUSTOMER MAY BRING THE LABEL TO THEIR DEALER FOR INSTALLATION FREE OF CHARGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 4, 2001. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE LABEL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537 OR BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E063000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08V118000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    CERTAIN UNDERHOOD FIRES MAY BE CAUSED BY DROPS OF ENGINE OIL, FROM SEEPAGE OR SPILLAGE, BEING DEPOSITED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD THROUGH HARD BRAKING. IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND, IN SOME INSTANCES, THE FIRE MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, ALONG WITH THE 1-3-5 SPARK PLUG WIRE RETAINERS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. , FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. UNTIL THE REMEDY IS COMPLETED, GM STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT OWNERS OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS (1) THAT OWNERS DO NOT PARK THEIR VEHICLE IN A GARAGE, CAR PORT, OR OTHER STRUCTURE; (2) IF OWNERS NOTICE A BURNING ODOR, THEY SHOULD HAVE THEIR DEALER INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE WITHOUT CHARGE; (3) USE PREMIUM FUEL (91 OCTANE OR HIGHER) IN THE VEHICLE AS RECOMMENDED IN THE VEHICLE'S OWNER MANUAL. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080 OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E005000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A BROKEN STEERING KNUCKLE COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN'S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AT 1-800-523-2492 AND PRESS 5.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V116000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V701000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
    Remedy:
    The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine’s front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
    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 180 complaints · page 1 of 8

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