2012 Buick Regal Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jul 15, 2026 · 92 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Regal years
More complaints than other years 11th of 24 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
5 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Buick Regal. That ranks 11th out of 24 Regal model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (33 complaints, 36%), typically at around 66,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 fires, 4 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

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 2012 Buick Regal problems

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

Exterior Lighting33 · ~66,000 mi
Engine21 · ~73,000 mi
Electrical System18 · ~63,000 mi
Suspension11 · ~72,000 mi
Service Brakes8 · ~35,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)7 · ~34,149 mi
Power Train7 · ~23,075 mi
Seats6 · ~88,450 mi
Vehicle Speed Control6 · ~12,000 mi
Unknown or Other5 · ~39,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting3336%66,000——
Engine2123%73,000——
Electrical System1820%63,000——
Suspension1112%72,000——
Service Brakes89%35,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)78%34,149——
Power Train78%23,075——
Seats67%88,450——
Vehicle Speed Control67%12,000——
Unknown or Other55%39,000——
Structure44%10,083——
Equipment22%29,110——
Fuel/propulsion System22%38,082——
Wheels22%———
Child Seat11%———
Interior Lighting11%58,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic11%———
Steering11%10,000——
Tires11%———

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2021, with 18 complaints
2012: 7201272013: 442014: 2201422015: 442016: 2201622017: 552018: 122018122019: 10102020: 112020112021: 18182022: 6202262023: 552024: 3202432025: 222026: 120261

n = 92 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2012 Buick Regal recalls (7)

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

Suspension:rearFeb 26, 2026 · NHTSA campaign 26V113000 · 17,050 vehicles

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012–2013 Buick Regal Turbo and GS trim-level vehicles that were sold or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear suspension toe links may have received improper corrosion protection, which can result in rear toe link fracture.

Risk: Rear toe link fracture can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 3, 2026. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N252537580. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall numbers 20V764, 21V633, and 21V00F.

Suspension:rearDec 22, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V00F000 · 4,271 vehicles

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.

Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recalls 20V-764 and 21V-633.

Suspension:rearDec 21, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V764000 · 220,006 vehicles

Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.

Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.

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.

Electrical systemMay 6, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V173000 · 42,904 vehicles

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist. These vehicles may have a condition in which the Generator Control Module (GCM) may not function properly. This could cause a gradual loss of battery charge and the illumination of the malfunction indicator light.

Risk: If the vehicle is continued to be driven, the engine may stall and/or the vehicle may not start. In addition, there may be a burning or melting odor, smoke, and possibly a fire in the trunk.

Fix: GM will notify owners and dealers will test the GCM and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13136.

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.

Exterior lightingMar 7, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V093000 · 3,633 vehicles

Problem: General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2012 buick regal vehicles manufactured from february 22, 2011, through february 22, 2012 for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108 â“lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.┠due to a software error, the parking lamps do not activate when either the parking lamps or headlamps are turned on.

Risk: Inadequate lighting could reduce the visibility of the vehicle, increasing the potential for a crash.

Fix: General motors will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module free of charge. The safety recall began on march 29, 2012. Owners may contact gm at 1-800-521-7300.

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.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Sands Chevrolet/Hybrid System Fire/Stall (AQ14001) — opened May 2, 2014, closed May 22, 2016.
  • Generator Control Module Fires (RQ13003) — opened Jul 5, 2013, closed Jul 22, 2014.

Recent owner reports

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

Rear passenger side toe link did fracture causing vehicle to spin out of control.

Suspension · received Jul 15, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11750502

The contact owns a Safety 1st Car Seat, Model Name: Disney Baby Jive 2-in-1 Convertible, Model Number: CC286-GAD, Manufactured Date: August 17, 2022. The contact stated that the forward-facing safety seat head detached from the seat with the screws still attached. The contact attempted to tighten…

Child Seat · received Aug 21, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11682127

There is a water seal leak around the driver side headlight. I have photos showing proof of standing water. It has now caused the headlight, left turn signal, and drivers side brake light to fail. My passenger side headlight is doing the same. I have no headlights, no driverside lights period. I…

Electrical System · received Jul 27, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11676449

[XXX] my car failed to let me use the brake, i was going about 45mph and when i went to apply brake pressure the pedal was so stiff i couldnt use the brake. Causing from end collision, when i made a trip to springdale to have my car inspected it didnt make it, started backfiring and dying around 65…

Service Brakes · received Nov 26, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11627455

Hard to be able to control the vehicle due to something going on the rear

Wheels · received May 24, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11590501

Other Buick Regal years

← 2011 Regal · 2013 Regal →

See all Buick Regal problems by year, every Buick model, or the Buick VIN decoder.

Similar Buick models

Embed this 2012 Buick Regal badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Buick Regal?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, engine, electrical system problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 33 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Buick Regal?

Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2012 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 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.