- The problem
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
- The risk
- Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
- The fix
- 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 engines 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.
Engine & cooling
2003 Buick Regal Engine problems
Owners have filed 37 complaints about the 2003 Buick Regal's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 36% of all its complaints, most recently on August 4, 2023. They describe 1 crash, 12 fires and 0 injuries. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 37
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 12
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Engine recalls for the 2003 Buick Regal
- The problem
- General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8L v6 naturally aspirated engine. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking.
- The risk
- 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.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines 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.
- The problem
- Gm is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 buick regal and pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8L supercharged v-6 engine. These vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage.
- The risk
- 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.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines 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 <a href=http://www.Gmownercenter.Com>http://www.Gmownercenter.Com</a> .
Engine complaints
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.
Tl* 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...
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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.
While my vehicle is in motion I can smell oil burning from some where
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...
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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.
All window components motors and regulators have been defective in all 4 doors brake shaking transmission slippage
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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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.
2003 Buick regal. Consumer writes in regards to replacement parts not available to repair recall notice 15v-701. *Smd
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.
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...
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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.
Tl* 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*lj *tr
Tl* 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.
2003 Buick regal. Consumer writes in regards to drops of engine oil on exhaust manifold could cause an engine compartment fire recall notice. *Smd the consumer was informed the parts were not available. *Jb
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After driving the vehicle and parking, the driver noticed a burning odor. The driver lifted the hood and discovered flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called to the home. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 194,000. The consumer received a recall notice, regarding the possibility of an engine fire. Updated 01/19/16. *Jb
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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...
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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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After driving approximately 5 mph and parking the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The hood was opened and there was smoke. Approximately two weeks later while driving at approximately 5 mph and then parking the vehicle, the contact was alerted that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact discovered that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. Updated 02/05/16*lj *cn
The car had not been drove in a month, I drove about 3miles then parked, car then started to smoke then caught fire. *Tr
Buick Regal engine complaints by year
Regal engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data