NHTSA — Engine Problems

2003 Buick Regal (Page 1 of 2)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
79,527 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Buick Regal engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Buick Regal Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

May 262023

Regal

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I backed the car in drive and the guages were normal. When I got out I saw a small amount of smoke coming from under car but within a minute there were flames coming from under the car and within a few minutes the flames were above the car. I called 911 when I saw flames and knew I wasn't going to be able to put the fire out myself. The fire dept arrived, it took them at least 30 minutes to put the fire out. A county deputy arrived and there is a police report (I tried to upload it and it failed each time). The damage has been inspected by an insurance representative from the owner of the house (upload failed.

- Jacksonville, IL, USA

problem #25

May 192020

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the vehicle repeatedly shut off without warning after multiple attempts. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact's friend opened the vehicle's hood and discovered that the engine was engulfed in flames. The police and fire department were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished. Police and fire reports were filed at the scene, no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. Two months later, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA recall number: 09V116(engine and engine cooling) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer nor the dealer were notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Bonnerdale, AR, USA

problem #24

Nov 072018

Regal

  • 116,000 miles
While my vehicle is in motion I can smell oil burning from some where

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #23

May 302018

Regal

  • 258,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Recall #15757 was performed by dealer on 2/24/2016. The vehicle at the time of the repair had 255,300 miles on it when I took it to the dealer (brookdale Chevrolet Buick.GMC on 5/30/18 when I took it back to the dealer for oil dripping on the manifold it had 258,200. There is smoke coming from under the hood. We had it in storage after the repair and took it out this spring. The wife said it smoked and then I drove it and I had a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. Since the repair we only put 2,900 miles on the vehicle. Surely if the repair was done correctly we shouldn't be worrying about our safety. The car can't be driven as is. The dealer flatly said they were no longer responsible for any more repairs unless I pay them $1,100 to replace the valve cover and valve cover gasket. The car is registered at the dealer under nl companies because I have a rental. They can't seem to put it under my name. I can appreciate their reluctance to redo the repairs but there is no way oil should be leaking again on the manifold after 2.900 miles. They wrote down the wrong mileage on their 5/30/18 invoice. There should be 4 documents attached if I did it correctly.

- Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

problem #22

Oct 172009

Regal

  • 80,000 miles
All window components motors and regulators have been defective in all 4 doors brake shaking transmission slippage

- New Oxford, PA, USA

problem #21

Dec 062016

Regal

  • miles
Serpentine belt came off as I was driving down 65 S heading toward brandon from springfield, can't get belt on, and it won't even turn over without a jump.

- Taneyville, MO, USA

problem #20

Aug 022016

Regal

  • 188,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. After parking the vehicle, smoke appeared under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. A fire report was not filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 188,000.

- Croydon, PA, USA

problem #19

Feb 292016

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part for the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #18

Mar 212016

Regal

  • 49,500 miles
General Motors sent letter saying parts were available to repair engines for recall # 15757, but my dealer has been unable to obtain part numbers 12590366 (cover) and 25532619 (gasket) since early March. Despite letter from General Motors, parts needed for this recall remain on back order. In repeated calls to General Motors customer service line, I've been told they could not provide any information on timelines to resolve the parts backorder.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #17

Mar 082016

Regal

  • miles
On the early morning of 03/08/2016 around 5:50am on my way to work, the car lost all power as I was trying to turn left on to a county road. I was able to steer the car out of traffic coming from the opposite direction and almost went down the ditch due to the steering was very hard to turn. I put the car in neutral and restart the car continuing to get to my destination. At the next intersection, this happened again as soon as I used the turn signal (I was turning right this time). I restart the car again after put it in neutral. This problem is now will occur each time I use either turn signal left or right. I consider this is a safety problem because accident can occur if someone didn't know how to react when it happen the 1st time on a busy road.

- Frankfort, IN, USA

problem #16

Dec 182015

Regal 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that there was a presence of an oil leak which progressed without warning. The contact noticed a puddle under the vehicle. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The dealer was unable to supply the part for several months. The contact was unable to determine when the manufacturer would be able to supply the part to the dealer. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 05/11/16

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

problem #15

Dec 172015

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while parked, it was observed that engine oil was leaking from underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The failure occurred constantly. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine coolant) however, the part for the recall was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Huntington, WV, USA

problem #14

May 152012

Regal

  • 136,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. While driving 70 mph, the contact noticed smoke under the hood. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact, a construction crew, and the local fire department. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine); however, the part to do the repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.

- Clancy, MT, USA

problem #13

Dec 012015

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Hazleton, IN, USA

problem #12

Jan 052016

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine, engine cooling) however, the part to do recall was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms pars not available.

- Clinton, OH, USA

problem #11

Nov 132015

Regal

  • 156,000 miles
The contact owned a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, he noticed gray smoke was coming from the side of the hood. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police and fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine, engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.

- Mckees, PA, USA

problem #10

Sep 152014

Regal

  • 185,000 miles
The contact owned a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while parked, the contact was notified that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.

- Colquitt, GA, USA

problem #9

Oct 312015

Regal

  • 175,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact lifted the hood and noticed the engine had caught fire, which destroyed the engine and caused a failure with the cooling fans. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact was a certified mechanic and stated that the pressure return regulator, spark plug walls, and air conditioning unit were replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that in the case of oil dripping into the hot surface of the exhaust, the vehicle may catch fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

- Edward, NC, USA

problem #8

Dec 102015

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. After driving long lengths of time, the front of the vehicle would emit an abnormal odor and the oil and engine warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #7

Aug 032015

Regal

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. While driving 40 mph, the contact noticed an abnormal odor in the front of the vehicle. While parked, the vehicle made a loud nose and the vehicle caught fire under the hood. There were no injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not towed or salvaged. There was no police report filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Bostic, NC, USA

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