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Engine & cooling

2018 Buick Regal Engine problems

Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 2018 Buick Regal's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 26% of all its complaints, most recently on March 26, 2025. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Complaints
5
Recalls
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Engine complaints

Electrical systemEngine & cooling

This issue is related to the gear shifter on the vehicle. When stopping the car and putting it into park the dashboard shows the message "Shift to Park." this vehicle has only 50,000 miles on it and this issue cause safety issues as the battery on the vehicle will drain as the car can't be turned off with this message. This issue has been reported for this vehicle in NHTSA Bulletin #10252775. However, the manufacturer is stating that it doesn't link to the cars VIN #. With 10 years + of vehicles in the GM family showing this issue and the issue being all over the internet, the issue must be reported for this vehicle.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 11650765
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

The check engine light is always on and has not been diagnosed (as of yet) by Circle Buick - Highland, IN. There is an auto-engine-shutoff feature when the vehicle stops at traffic lights, and when you resume driving there can be a lengthy delay and/or an engine & transmission jolt after the brake pedal is released. The vehicle must be retested every two years for emissions compliance for IN, but cannot do so because of the check engine light never going off. This is a safety issue not to get hit from behind in local traffic. [[redacted]] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 11473573
Engine & coolingVisibility & wipers

During the cold weather while being driven the ac unit or heater throws moisture into the cabin resulting in complete vision impairment. This happened first while going up a mountain road and the car had to be completely stopped hoping not to get hit. The defrost was maxed and the impairment was still possible, no matter how hot it got in the cabin the moisture was to much, taking my and wiping the moisture of the windshield water dripped down. It continues to occur now with the ac turning on by itself while...

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driving. First reported the issue early february 2020 again in may 2020 and again in october 2020 with complaints of smell coming from the ac. Service department has failed to duplicate or resolve the issue. I've been told that is how the unit is supposed to operate!?...

Filed Incident Unknown or other · Engine · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11384109
Transmission & drivetrainEngine & coolingFuel system

While being driven the vehicles transmission fails to shift gears while rpms are registered the transmission fails to respond and lacks power. I was forced to shift manually to try and get the gears to shift with no luck after quickly making the switch between automatic to manual twice the automatic transmission responded with a loud clank as if the semi behind me had hit me and the responded with acceleration. The issue was reported first early february 2020 again in early may 2020 and recently early october...

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2020 service department fails to duplicate issue. My dashcam captured video while being driven by the service department expressing the strange feeling the transmission would give them with torque and shifts.

Filed Incident Power train · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11384104
Engine & cooling

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 buick regal. When the vehicle was stopped at a red light, the engine was designed to shut down to preserve fuel. Instead, the engine rpms would rev and increase to 3,000 and the vehicle accelerated. The driver immediately shifted into neutral to prevent the vehicle from driving through a busy intersection. The contact stated that the failure also occurred once while reversing out of a driveway. The vehicle was taken to mcelveen buick (117 farmington rd, summerville, sc), but the failures could not be diagnosed or duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 300.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11139943

Buick Regal engine complaints by year

Regal engine problems, every year

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Source: 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

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