1998 Buick Regal problems & reliability
302 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 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 (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Buick Regal vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. 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 | 76 | 25% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 55 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 51 | 17% |
| Engine | 29 | 10% |
| Visibility | 27 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 24 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 22 | 7% |
| Power Train | 12 | 4% |
| Tires | 11 | 4% |
| Structure | 9 | 3% |
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 92,100 miles (middle 50% between 62,920 and 130,000 miles), based on 131 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On my way home from purchasing the vehicle, the car began to lose power and i noticed black smoke though the rear view mirror. Another driver signaled me down, so I pulled over and realized my car was on fire. The fire was in the engine compartment from what appeared to be the exhaust manifold. Since i was in a…”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 10, 2022
“The contact owns a 1998 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 317,000.”
Electrical System · filed Aug 25, 2021
“Every time I turn on my left or right turn signal it shorts out.... Took to a mechanic and he did some re wiring and it worked for a little bit then started to happen again.... I don't want to spend a bunch of money on it anymore. What should I do?”
Exterior Lighting · filed Dec 22, 2020
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
84 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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 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 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 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…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
This informational bulletin provides information on wheel bearing P/N 13582664 being received new with visible rust and no action is needed as this does not affect the part performance.
17-NA-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2017
This informational bulletin provides information on wheel bearing P/N 13582664 being received new with visible rust and no action is needed as this does not affect the part performance.
17-NA-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 25, 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 1998 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 1998 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 92,100 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.