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Buick · NHTSA safety record

2016 Buick Regal

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

41

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Buick Regal have filed 41 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2016 and June 2025. The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 10 of them (24%). The typical failure was reported at 27,000 miles, the median across the 21 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

16V108000 · February 24, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Buick Regal Vehicles manufactured August 30, 2015, to February 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a power-steering assist system that may fail.
The risk
A loss of power steering assist may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electric belt drive rack and pinion steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began on March 21, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21510.

General Motors LLC · up to 74 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 41.

STEERING 10 24%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 15%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 15%
ENGINE 5 12%
POWER TRAIN 5 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 12%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 7%
STRUCTURE 3 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 5%
WHEELS 2 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 9.

2016 2021 2025
2016 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured

Interior Chrome Driver Door Handle: The chrome film splits which caused a sharp edge on the edge of the chrome film of the door handle. I cut the edge of my finger on this sharp edge. When I took my vehicle in to have this handle replaced, I had to purchase the entire Driver's Side Door Panel just to get the handle. When speaking to my Service Rep, he informed me of another elderly customer that also cut their finger on their door handle.

NHTSA complaint 11449516. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My Buick stops when driving unknown when it’s a surprise lights and dash go off almost got hit took to mechanics it’s the 2016-17 “throw away motor” ad they call it does not last and gets”metal pieces” to ruin motor and turbo as I have noticed speed issues and dying unexpectedly it’s the regal turbo 2.0 v-6 motor a should be recall I’ve seen online since at mechanic and a large issue why no recall and I’m reporting this ty

NHTSA complaint 11667836. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
My steering failed and started pulling left into traffic. It was hard to keep it in my lane. Had to have it towed by AAA. Took to my mechanic and he said it was the electric belt drive rack &pinion steering. He told me there was a recall on it. When I checked I was told that my vin # was not included. I think it should have been because its the same problem.it is not safe to drive.

NHTSA complaint 11642262. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
My tires were Black when I bought them at Wittlins in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin in 2020. They have been continualy turning brown on the outside of tire. Now they are a beige color on the outside of tire. It seems the tires are aging terribly. I complained to Wittlins a few times about tires discoloration and the manager keeps telling me the tires are wearing fine and said discoloration is normal. Maybe a little discoloration but not like this and I do not even live in a warm climate. 235/50R18/SL (Tires)

NHTSA complaint 11616371. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I purchased the 2016 Buick Regal used in 2021 with 40,000 miles., it now has close to 70,000 miles. It’s still in well cared for mint condition, except for the driver side headlight. Condensation appeared and has been getting worse, dealership says the only option is buying another complete headlight assembly for $1200.00. The LED part of that headlight has stopped working., it’s inevitable that the bulbs themselves with fail also. This is a safety issue. It’s absurdly cost prohibitive for me and most everybody else to spend that kind of money to fix a headlight.., and $1200.00 is the cost of the part alone, we’d be adding labor to that. This is a manufacturer defect that so many people are

NHTSA complaint 11589503, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

43,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA complaint 11589081. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

85,900 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Buick Regal. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started sputtering. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle for 5-10 minutes. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the failure was no longer present. The contact drove to the residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder #1 coil pack and spark plug needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where all the coil packs and sparks plugs were replaced; however, the failure recurred

NHTSA complaint 11585149, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Buick Regal

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 18 3
2018 19 3
2015 33 0
2014 38 2
2013 91 5
2012 92 6
2011 279 4

Other 2016 Buick models

Every Buick on this site — 60 vehicles, 172 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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