Common Buick Regal Failures: Breakdowns, Solutions And Problems!

The Buick Regal was originally a luxury midsize car with both coupe and sedan versions when it came out in 1973, but it was only converted to a sedan in 1997. The Regal, just as the name suggests, is more upscale than the typical car sedan. Midsize, with added luxury-like features like a comfortable ride and more powerful engine options. It would be a good idea to know the common faults of the Buick Regal before purchasing one.

This car depreciates quite a bit. The Buick Regal will lose 60% of its value in five years. That’s a lot when you consider that most mid-size sedans only depreciate 45% to 50% of their value in the same period of time. While this may be bad news for current Buick Regal owners, this could potentially be a great deal for people in the used car market.

How good is the Buick Regal?

The Buick Regal has earned a great reliability score of 4.0 out of 5.0. Midsize sedans are generally reliable, and among the 34 sedans that have been ranked, the Buick Regal comes in at 13th. Owners will pay about $500 for repairs a year, which is average.

On the other hand, the Regal is less likely to experience problems that cause an unscheduled visit to the mechanic. Regal owners have to bring in their vehicles an average of 0.2 times a year.

The Buick Regal may be undervalued given its high depreciation rate. Buick is more reliable than brands like Honda and Hyundai according to the 2020 Most Reliable Car Brands Consumer Report. Many owners on forums also say their Regals have been generally reliable.

Common Buick Regal Faults

The Buick Regal has been in production since the 1970s. Since then, owners have been finding some common faults with the Buick Regal that tend to recur in the model.

1- Key stuck in the ignition

The ignition locks on many vehicles, including the Buick Regal, are designed to not allow owners to remove the key until the transmission is in park. This feature forces drivers to park the car to prevent the vehicle from rolling. However, many owners have reported that they cannot get their keys out.

The ignition lock gets information about the gear the transmission is in through a wire that goes to the gear lever. This problem arises when the automatic transmission fails or the cable that transmits the information is faulty .

When owners find they can’t get the keys out, they find that restarting the vehicle or fiddling with the gears fixes the problem. This has been reported to occur on Buick Regal models manufactured from 1994 to 2016.

2- Various failures in the sensors

The 1994 to 2004 Buick Regal models tend to develop problems with their Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor and Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS). Many owners have reported that their vehicles randomly stutter and shut off when driving at various speeds. This can surprise owners and lead to dangerous situations, as it has been reported to occur even at highway speeds.

Replacing the faulty sensor should fix the problem. Replacement air mass sensors for the Buick Regal are around $30 to $70, while crankshaft position sensors are around $20 to $40.

3- Faulty power window system

Buick Regal owners have reported that the power windows simply stop working. The problem has been found on Buick Regal models made from 1990 to 2011 . Most owners who have had this problem simply found their power windows not working one day, and some have reported that the problem would come and go. The culprit for this problem is a faulty switch.

Fortunately, window switches are less expensive to replace than the power window motor or window regulator. Power window switches can cost anywhere from $10 to $80. They are usually sold separately or as a set of four.

4- Problems in the water pump

It has been reported that the water pump on some 1990 to 2004 Buick Regal models fails. Several owners discovered that their water pump was leaking after seeing water or coolant pooled under their vehicles.

Some owners discovered the problem after the water pump belt squealed from water. However, some owners only discovered the fault after their engines overheated.

Having a faulty water pump can put your engine at risk of being damaged as a result of overheating. This can be quite expensive to repair. Replace the water pump as soon as it shows symptoms to prevent overheating.

5- Fuel Pump Failure

Some 1990 to 2004 Buick Regal owners have reported their engines stalling as if they had run out of gas. Their engines cut out repeatedly during a trip, typically at stoplights. This problem is caused by a faulty fuel pump . Replacing the fuel pump should fix the problem.

To end

Overall, the Buick Regal is a reliable vehicle, even if it does have some common reported issues. Luckily, the issues span many model years and generally don’t include any major engine or transmission-related issues, which are the ones you want to avoid. Reports also indicate that most of these problems occur at the end of the vehicle’s life.

Do you think the Buick Regal could be a good vehicle for you? We hope knowing the common Buick Regal failures will help you make an informed decision.