2018 Buick Regal problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (6) · Visibility/Wiper (2) · Vehicle Speed Control (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Buick Regal model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module:software 2022-06-30 · campaign 22V465000 · 23,734 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Buick Regal vehicles. In the event of a vacuum-power brake assist failure, a software error in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may result in a loss of power brake assist. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
Risk: A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the EBCM software, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters advising owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 19, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Buick's customer service at 1-800-521-7300.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Seat Belts:rear/Other 2018-04-12 · campaign 18V230000 · 8,738 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Buick Regal vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the rear seat belts may have been improperly routed around the bolster bracket on the rear outboard seats, which can cause inadequate restraint of the passengers.
Risk: If the seat belt fails to adequately restrain the passengers in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear outboard seat belts, correcting the routing of the seat belts as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 14, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 18117.
Service bulletins (900)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 900 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-10-11 · Service Brakes“ my car was part of recall number 22v465, which was supposed to fix a problem with the electronic brake assist system. the recall repair was done in 2023, but after my battery recently died, the same problem has come back — my brakes are very firm, and i have to press hard to stop. the car is showing trouble codes c028f:04, c1586:04, and v0420:71, …”
2025-03-26 · Unknown Or Other“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 …”
2024-10-28 · Service Brakes“was driving home from work and my brakes suddenly stopped working, if i press all the way down on the brakes they somewhat work. checked brake fluid and brake lines and everything seems fine. could this be from vacuum power brake assist fail?…”
2023-12-14 · Service Brakes“increased stopping distance during certain brake vacuum loss events. my check engine light goes on and off periodically. when i’m at a red light my whole car shuts off and goes into a neutral mode then once i press the brake it starts back up.…”
2023-11-28 · Tires · 29,500 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick regal equipped with general tires, tire line: unknown, tire size: 245/45r18, and dot number: unknown. the contact stated that after traveling over 3,000 miles and driving at an undisclosed speed, upon reaching his destination, he became aware that an abnormal buddle had developed on the side wall of the front passenger…”
2023-08-17 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“on monday, august 14th, at approximately 5 pm, my wife and i were traveling in our 2018 buick regal towards a red streetlight. i began applying my brakes to come to a stop. i was several car lengths behind a vehicle that was up ahead. my car's engine then revved up and our vehicle kept on going and jerking front and back although i was applying th…”
2022-12-05 · Seats · 85,164 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick regal. the contact stated that the front driver’s side seat failed to move forward or backward. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front driver's seat metal frame to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the f…”
2022-09-28 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“september 10, 2022 i was backing out of my driveway, but the car would not slow down, and i hit a tree on my neighbor's easement across the street. after a minute, i decided to move the car, put the car in drive, and again the car would not slow down, and wound up hitting the porch of my neighbor 2 houses over. i have used my left foot for braki…”
2022-08-24 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 28,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick regal. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 22v465000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated while attempting to depress the…”
2022-07-12 · Unknown Or Other“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 e…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.