2011 Buick Regal Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 28, 2026 · 280 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Regal years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 24 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 280 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Buick Regal. That ranks 2nd out of 24 Regal model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (108 complaints, 39%), typically at around 70,000 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 7 fires, 7 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.

Buick Regal
BUICK REGAL SIXTH GENERATION (OPEL INSIGNIA B) China. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Dinkun Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2011 Buick Regal problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Engine108 · ~70,000 mi
Electrical System75 · ~70,500 mi
Power Train39 · ~62,400 mi
Exterior Lighting38 · ~79,500 mi
Service Brakes32 · ~65,400 mi
Seats29 · ~93,200 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)19 · ~55,000 mi
Steering17 · ~69,579 mi
Unknown or Other16 · ~88,750 mi
Fuel/propulsion System14 · ~70,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Engine problems10839%70,000“timing chain” (21%)—
Electrical System problems7527%70,500“electrical seats” (25%)—
Power Train3914%62,400——
Exterior Lighting3814%79,500——
Service Brakes3211%65,400——
Seats2910%93,200——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)197%55,000——
Steering176%69,579——
Unknown or Other166%88,750——
Fuel/propulsion System145%70,000——
Vehicle Speed Control135%32,000——
Air Bags83%46,450——
Suspension73%152,500——
Engine and Engine Cooling41%31,031——
Structure41%50,450——
Fuel System, Gasoline31%———
Tires31%66,743——
Equipment21%13,020——
Parking Brake21%39,500——
Seat Belts21%134,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%780——
Lane Departure10%———
Latches/locks/linkages10%70——
Traction Control System10%12,000——
Visibility/wiper10%105,000——
Wheels10%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 47 complaints
2010: 1201012011: 13132012: 5201252013: 552014: 182014182015: 23232016: 422016422017: 47472018: 282018282019: 35352020: 232020232021: 18182022: 9202292023: 882024: 2202422025: 112026: 220262

n = 280 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2011 Buick Regal recalls (4)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Seats:front assembly:power adjust; electrical system:wiringJul 7, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V517000 · 42,984 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011 Buick Regal vehicles manufactured November 3, 2009, to March 25, 2011, equipped with 8-way power adjustable front seats. The power seat wiring harness may contact the seat frame, causing the wires to chafe.

Risk: Chafed harness wires may cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the wiring harness, and repair any chafed wires as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 13, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 30710.

Electrical system:ignition; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Jul 5, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V502000 · 8,367 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Seats:front assembly:power adjustJul 23, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V447000 · 414,333 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.

Exterior lighting:turn signalOct 4, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V484000 · 120,426 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Buick Regal and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with two turn signal bulbs in each front turn signal. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, there is no indication to the driver. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: If the driver is not aware that a turn signal is not functioning properly, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle. If half of a front turn signal is not illuminating, other driver's may not be aware that the affected vehicle is turning, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Buick at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 12212.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Regal. While the contact's daughter was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked and was uncontrollable. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the rear driver's side toe link was…

Suspension · received Sep 28, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11767557

While driving on the highway at 60 mph, warning on dash came on saying “engine power reduced” and drop down speed to around 25 mph and I could not accelerate more than 25 mph on the highway which could have caused an accident because of the traffic flow behind me. I put a code scanner under the…

Power Train · received May 13, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11737701

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware…

Engine · received Oct 8, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11692104

The cars mileage was altered due to car being wrecked prior and the other car that was used to replace wrecked parts was hidden and vin number was altered. Copart Inc and ICT Sharp Rides are party's involved, I bought car on 12/28/2023 mileage was listed as 132525

Engine · received Apr 16, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11583341

I hit a deer going 60 mph and the airbag didn’t deploy, the service airbag light came on after I hit it. I’d assume that means the airbag tried to deploy but ran into an issue

Air Bags · received Feb 2, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11569550

Other Buick Regal years

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2011 Buick Regal?

Owners most often report engine, electrical system, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 108 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2011 Buick Regal?

Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2011 Buick Regal a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Regal model years, the 2011 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.