Coscienzios

Model years to avoid

Buick Regal

What it says about you

Opinion

Depending on the decade, either a soft coupe or a rebadged Opel that was genuinely good to drive. Yours is one of those and it matters which.

Not measured, not from the data, and offered in fun. Everything below this is not.

14 model years on record, 928 complaints filed.

The years to look at closely: 2016 (power steering), 2015 (very), 2014 (loss), 2013 (condensation), 2012 (condensation), 2011 (stalled). Everything else drew a normal number of complaints for this model.

What owners report, and when

Faults that dominated the complaints of more than one model year. Not the same question as which year to avoid — a car can have an ordinary number of complaints every year and have most of them be about the same thing.

  • timing 2011, 2012 peak 16.5% of that year's complaints
  • much 2012, 2013 peak 10.1% of that year's complaints
  • opened 2014, 2015 peak 9.1% of that year's complaints

Every year

  1. 2020 2 recalls 2 complaints
  2. 2019 3 recalls 18 complaints
  3. 2018 3 recalls 19 complaints
  4. 2017 0 recalls 20 complaints
  5. 2016 power steering 82 complaints
  6. 2015 very 66 complaints
  7. 2014 loss 74 complaints
  8. 2013 condensation 179 complaints
  9. 2012 condensation 182 complaints
  10. 2011 stalled 279 complaints
  11. 2010 0 recalls 1 complaints
  12. 2009 0 recalls 1 complaints
  13. 2008 0 recalls 1 complaints
  14. 2005 0 recalls 4 complaints

What does a Buick Regal say about you?

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Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints — compared against itself rather than against other cars, so popularity and age do not decide the answer.