1997 Buick Regal problems
Owners have filed 174 complaints about the 1997 Buick Regal with NHTSA. Steering accounts for 23% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 17.2%.
Complaints174
Crashes3
Fires19
Injuries2
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Steering 23.0% · 40
Engine and engine cooling 17.2% · 30
Electrical system 10.3% · 18
Visibility 7.5% · 13
Engine 6.3% · 11
Service brakes, hydraulic 4.6% · 8
Exterior lighting 4.6% · 8
Power train 4.0% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 3 describe a crash, 19 describe a fire and 2 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 17 model years of the Buick Regal in this data, 1997 sits 10th by complaint volume. 2011 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 18 in the last three years against 11 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 106,500 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 1997 Buick Regal. The contact stated while making a right turn, the vehicle would loose power steering. The nhtsa campaign id number: 08v118000 (steering), but the vin was not a part of the recall. The dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied assistance with the failure. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was 137,000 and the current mileage was 137,025. Steering · reported at 137,000 miles
I was assigned this Buick Regal with 33,000 miles on the odometer. The vehicle has always had a chatter while turning corners. I was informed by the service advisor at kelley Buick that the power steering pump did not meet specs. Our company has another identical Regal that suffered a catastrophic failure of the power steering pump at 25,000 miles. Is this a common problem for these cars? Steering
Vehicle has a history of steering problems from ps pump to rack and pinion cost of repairs are outrageous. Most recent failure locked steering completely with my wife and 6mo baby driving at 75mph on interstate. Has had numerous other problems with oil seals, electrical, idlers going out. Serpentine belt broke dur to idler seized and shut down power steering while at 75mph in a seperate incident Steering
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…