2003 Buick Regal Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 26about this part
- Share
- 26%of 101 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 142,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 26 complaints about the engine of the 2003 Buick Regal, 26% of the 101 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 142,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 10 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My ABS, traction & service vehicle soon lights came on. Shortly after, the car stalled while turning on the turn signals. During the stall, the power steering and ABS locked up. I noticed that the car would stall whenever a turn signal was turned on. After reading forums, I see that this has been a problem for many people!”
NHTSA complaint #10577382, filed 2014-04, 142,000 miles“Driving to work in the mornings recently, I have been having some electrical issues with my car. If I use my blinkers, all the warning lights in my dash cluster will light up for a few seconds, and I could feel my brakes pulse. This morning my car stalled when I made a right hand turn. I managed to pull over and restart the car, but I didn't use the blinkers again. This really scared me, as I was just on the freeway a few minutes earlier.”
NHTSA complaint #10650900, filed 2014-10, 91,000 miles“Recall #15757 was performed by dealer on 2/24/2016. The vehicle at the time of the repair had 255,300 miles on it when I took it to the dealer (brookdale chevrolet Buick.gmc on 5/30/18 when I took it back to the dealer for oil dripping on the manifold it had 258,200. There is smoke coming from under the hood. We had it in storage after the repair and took it out this spring. The wife said it smoked and then I drove it and I had a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. Since the repair we only put 2,900 miles on the vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #11099493, filed 2018-06, 258,200 miles“I backed the car in drive and the guages were normal. When I got out I saw a small amount of smoke coming from under car but within a minute there were flames coming from under the car and within a few minutes the flames were above the car. I called 911 when I saw flames and knew I wasn't going to be able to put the fire out myself. The fire dept arrived, it took them at least 30 minutes to put the fire out. A county deputy arrived and there is a police report (I tried to upload it and it failed each time). …”
NHTSA complaint #11536533, filed 2023-08“On the early morning of 03/08/2016 around 5:50am on my way to work, the car lost all power as I was trying to turn left on to a county road. I was able to steer the car out of traffic coming from the opposite direction and almost went down the ditch due to the steering was very hard to turn. I put the car in neutral and restart the car continuing to get to my destination. At the next intersection, this happened again as soon as I used the turn signal (I was turning right this time). I restart the car again after put it in neutral. …”
NHTSA complaint #10846290, filed 2016-03Related service bulletins
- 11004761Jun 28, 2024This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or…
- 10242298Aug 10, 2023This Preliminary information communicates information that will need to be provided to TAC to aid in diagnosing if a vehicle comes in with misfire and DTC Codes P0300 - P0308…
- 10211658May 2, 2022This service bulletin provides policy information on warranty administration guidelines for multiple repairs with independent causes (GM Canada Dealers Only).
- 10178387Jul 27, 2020This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about finding needle bearings during an oil change. Technician will gain access to the roller…
- 10176326May 21, 2020This Preliminary information communicates information that will need to be provided to TAC to aid in diagnosing if a vehicle comes in with misfire and DTC Codes P0300 - P0308…
- 10176607May 8, 2020This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank…
- 10167437Oct 14, 2019This Preliminary information communicates to the technician the need to inspect the induction system for potential icing issues in very cold ambient temperatures. To allow the…
- 10160987May 7, 2019This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician to not remove the torque converter bolts and start the engine as this may cause damage to the…
- 10160983May 6, 2019This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about finding needle bearings during an oil change. Technician will gain access to the roller…
- 10144451Aug 8, 2018This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about engine block of possible cylinder bore damage, scoring or out of round as the possible…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 | 15% |
| 2018 | 5 | 26% |
| 2016 | 5 | 12% |
| 2015 | 9 | 27% |
| 2014 | 9 | 24% |
| 2013 | 9 | 10% |
| 2012 | 21 | 23% |
| 2011 | 108 | 39% |
| 2004 | 18 | 27% |
| 2003 | 26 | 26% |
| 2002 | 33 | 28% |
| 2001 | 52 | 28% |
| 2000 | 28 | 15% |
| 1999 | 49 | 20% |
| 1998 | 29 | 10% |
| 1997 | 11 | 8% |
| 1996 | 2 | 1% |
| 1995 | 1 | 1% |
| 1994 | 1 | 1% |
| 1992 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2003 Buick Regal
35 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsEngine cooling
10 complaintsSteering
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
7 complaintsWheels
6 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Buick Regal
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology