1998 Buick Regal Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1998 Buick Regal, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 93,050 miles. The words owners use most often: “turn signal” (24% of reports).
- 51electrical system complaints
- 93,050median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Turn signal: mentioned in 12 of 51 complaints (24%)
- Ignition switch: mentioned in 9 of 51 complaints (18%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 32 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 51 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 7 a fire, 1 an injury.
Buick Regal electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Regal | 1 | 50% | — |
| 2019 Regal | 7 | 37% | 30,000 |
| 2018 Regal | 3 | 16% | — |
| 2017 Regal | 3 | 15% | 69,570 |
| 2016 Regal | 6 | 15% | 14,000 |
| 2015 Regal | 5 | 15% | 25,000 |
| 2014 Regal | 6 | 16% | 24,000 |
| 2013 Regal | 36 | 40% | 61,500 |
| 2012 Regal | 18 | 20% | 63,000 |
| 2011 Regal | 75 | 27% | 70,500 |
| 2008 Regal | 1 | 100% | 58,000 |
| 2005 Regal | 1 | 25% | 45 |
| 2004 Regal | 35 | 53% | 93,000 |
| 2003 Regal | 35 | 35% | 97,987 |
| 2002 Regal | 36 | 31% | 86,200 |
| 2001 Regal | 32 | 17% | 93,000 |
| 2000 Regal | 42 | 23% | 106,247 |
| 1999 Regal | 42 | 17% | 88,080 |
| 1998 Regal | 51 | 17% | 93,050 |
| 1997 Regal | 18 | 13% | 105,000 |
| 1996 Regal | 24 | 12% | 38,000 |
| 1995 Regal | 10 | 6% | 82,830 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1998 Buick Regal. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
On my way home from purchasing the vehicle, the car began to lose power and i noticed black smoke though the rear view mirror. Another driver signaled me down, so I pulled over and realized my car was on fire. The fire was in the engine compartment from what appeared to be the exhaust manifold…
The contact owns a 1998 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 317,000.
Every time i turn on my left or right turn signal it shorts out.... Took to a mechanic and he did some re wiring and it worked for a little bit then started to happen again.... I don't want to spend a bunch of money on it anymore. What should i do?
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Buick Regals have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1998 Buick Regal (17% of the 302 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Buick Regal electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 93,050 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1998 Buick Regal?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signal”, in 12 of 51 complaints, followed by “ignition switch” (9).
Other 1998 Buick Regal problems
See all 1998 Buick Regal problems or electrical system problems across all Regal years.