1998 Buick Regal Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year centre on two things: a power steering rack that can quit assisting, typically when turning left, and engine oil leaking onto hot exhaust parts, which owners often describe together with smoke or fire in the engine compartment. Electrical trouble that shuts the car down — stalls, dead dash, stalling when a turn signal is used — is the other recurring theme. Most reports arrive between roughly 60,000 and 170,000 miles, though steering failures are also described on cars with very low mileage.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine oil leak onto exhaust, smoke or fire

   • 75 complaints (25%)
   • median 105,050 mi at 11.3 yrs old (54 state mileage)
   • 42 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $700 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2022

   Owners report oil collecting on or dripping onto the exhaust manifold, producing a burning oil smell, smoke from under the hood, and in some cases a fire in the engine compartment that occurred while parked or shortly after shutting the engine off. Several mention valve cover gasket or intake manifold leaks, and some say dealers could not identify the source or that the car's VIN was outside the recall population. Mostly reported between roughly 84,000 and 200,000 miles; fires described both while driving and minutes after parking.

   Recall 15V701000Recall 09V116000Recall 08V118000

   What to check: Check whether recalls 08V118, 09V116 and 15V701 were completed for this VIN, and look for oil residue or a fuel smell around the front valve cover, spark plug wires and exhaust manifold. Watch the oil level between services.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 1998 Buick Regal. While driving I approached a stop light and applied my brakes. I smelled a burning oil smell and started to see a black smoke under the hood. My car was damaged past the point of repair. I brought my car in to be repaired prior to the incident only to be told the parts to fix the recall problem will have to be ordered. I was never notified that the parts were available.”

   NHTSA complaint #10375171, filed 2011-01, 204,000 miles

   “My son received a vehicle recall from GM on his Buick Regal for potential compartment fire. He brought the car into a local dealership to have the recall work completed. Approximately three weeks later on april 12th my son drove his car 15miles to work and notice immediately after getting out of the car smoke coming from under his hood. He raised the hood and saw fire on his engine. He immediately dropped the hood down and called the fire department.”

   NHTSA complaint #10593393, filed 2014-05, 90,000 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Power steering quits, especially turning left

   • 77 complaints (26%)
   • median 79,500 mi at 7.7 yrs old (47 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2015

   Owners describe the steering becoming hard or locking up, most often when turning left or manoeuvring into a parking space, sometimes with a clunk or growl. Several say the dealer replaced the rack and pinion. Complaints frequently note that the car was not covered by the rack recall because of its VIN, and some owners were told the vehicle was too old for assistance. Reported from as little as about 14,000 miles up to roughly 135,000, with many between 50,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 03V5270002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the rack and pinion has been replaced and check the VIN against campaign 03V527000. On a test drive, turn slowly in both directions at low speed and listen for noise or a stiff spot.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My steering went out while trying to park my car, my car has 70000 mile and is well maintained.if this would have happened while I was driving on the highway I probably would be dead now. It was a expensive repair,and in my opinion this should have been a recall. I have a 1998 Buick Regal.”

   NHTSA complaint #10039449, filed 2003-09, 72,000 miles

   “Have 1998 Buick Regal with symptoms identical to recent safety recall 03v527000 for steering defect. However, since car was built in feb 1998 it appears to be out of the range of the GM recall (ends for cars built prior 10/97). Suggest recall be extended to recall cars with same symptoms that were built in months surrounding time frame since GM parts tracking not that exact.”

   NHTSA complaint #10052918, filed 2004-01, 49,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Stalls or loses all power, often with turn signals

   • 53 complaints (18%)
   • median 83,150 mi at 10.0 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2022

   Owners describe the engine cutting out or the whole car going dead, sometimes at speed and sometimes when a turn signal is switched on, with dash lights flashing, loss of power steering assist and hard brakes. In several cases a dealer replaced the ignition switch and the stalling stopped, though some report the problem returned. Other complaints describe the car refusing to restart or the key locking in the ignition. Reported from about 65,000 to 155,000 miles, at both low and highway speeds; some cars stalled repeatedly over months.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ignition switch or turn signal assembly has been replaced. Have a shop check for stored codes and any history of the dash going dead, and test the turn signals, headlights and blower together.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I just purchased the car used exactly a little over a year ago. The brake light on the dash board came on for a couple seconds and went off. Then next day after the brake light situation the check engine and entire dashboard came on while driving in a residential area. And caused the car to stall. Which thankfully I was able to pull over and did not cause an accident. The vehicle did start back up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10052833, filed 2004-01, 1 miles

   “I used my turn signals to make a right hand turn and my car turned off. No lights, turn signals, dash lights, brakes were soft, and steering was hard. If I had been on the freeway when this happened I would have been in a car accident. This has happened two times now and I am now unable to start my car at all at this point in time. What is this all about? And why haven't anyone found a fix? Help me please.”

   NHTSA complaint #10705133, filed 2015-04, 155,151 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Coolant loss from cracked intake manifold

   • 28 complaints (9%)
   • median 127,967 mi at 11.7 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2022

   Owners report the coolant or radiator light coming on with a low or empty overflow tank, traced to a leaking or cracked plastic upper intake manifold, sometimes in cold weather. Complaints describe repair bills in the hundreds of dollars and owners noting the same failure appeared in technical bulletins while the manufacturer declined reimbursement. Reported from around 35,000 to 106,000 miles, in some cases in freezing temperatures.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for coolant residue or a sweet smell near the front of the engine, especially along the plastic intake. Ask whether the intake manifold or gaskets have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car's radiator cooling light came on, and I discovered that the overflow tank was empty. Since it was zero degrees out, I was afraid the engine would freeze. My local repair shop found the upper manifold leaking and charged me over $900 to replace it and refill the cooling system. I now discover that this was in two previous mfg bulletins. Buick refuses to reimburse me saying I had to drive it to their dealer (a distance away). I feel this is unfair. It is a defect that I discovered they have rectified in recent models.”

   NHTSA complaint #10003511, filed 2003-01, 35,050 miles

   “The contact owns a 1998 Buick Regal. The contact stated that when engine oil was added to the vehicle, some of the oil spilled on top of the manifold and the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 100,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10436389, filed 2011-11, 100,000 miles

Buying note. Have any 1998 Regal inspected for steering rack play, oil leaks around the valve covers and exhaust manifold, and intermittent electrical cut-outs before purchase, and confirm which of the listed recalls were actually performed for that VIN. Service records showing rack, intake manifold and ignition switch work are worth asking for.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.