1997 Buick Regal problems & reliability
136 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Buick Regal, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Buick Regal vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 37 | 27% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 30 | 22% |
| Electrical System | 18 | 13% |
| Engine | 11 | 8% |
| Visibility | 11 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 5% |
| Power Train | 7 | 5% |
| Tires | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 105,886 miles (middle 50% between 82,098 and 139,500 miles), based on 58 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“1997 buick regal. Consumer writes in regard to safety recall engine compartment fire notice . Consumer writes vehicle caught fire and manufacturer stated there was no proof for cause of fire. *as *tr”
Engine · filed Feb 28, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick regal. While driving approximately 35 mph and making a right turn, the vehicle suddenly shut off. Approximately ten minutes later, the vehicle was able to be restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 26, 2018
“Buick fixed 3 recalls but won't fix on say I have to pay for another part before they can fix last recall.”
Exterior Lighting · filed Oct 5, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA03019 · opened Sep 15, 2003 · closed Dec 18, 2003 · led to recall 03V527000
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Recall Query RQ03001 · opened Jan 2, 2003 · closed Sep 15, 2003
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02030 · opened Oct 22, 2002 · closed Mar 9, 2004 · led to recall 04V090000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE02050 · opened Jun 13, 2002 · closed Oct 22, 2002
- WINDSHIELD WIPER
Engineering Analysis EA99024 · opened Aug 20, 1999 · closed Jan 13, 2000
- WINDSHIELD WIPER
Preliminary Evaluation PE99028 · opened Apr 16, 1999 · closed Aug 20, 1999
Technical service bulletins
102 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Buick Regal. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
19NA273 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Buick Regal has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Buick Regal?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 105,886 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.