2004 Buick Regal problems & reliability
66 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Buick Regal, alongside 2 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Buick Regal vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 10 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 35 | 53% |
| Engine → | 18 | 27% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 12% |
| Steering | 6 | 9% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 5 | 8% |
| Power Train | 3 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 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 90,963 miles (middle 50% between 67,129 and 114,000 miles), based on 45 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“All 4 power window motors do not work. They all failed within 6 months of each other. I checked on you tube and found that almost all buick regals have this problem of power window motors breaking. There are hundreds of complaints on you tube alone for this issue. I believe this is proof that the power window motors…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 8, 2020
“The first time the car stalled was as I was approaching the stop sign.it stalled and the dash light all came on. I was able to re-start it after putting it in park. It then happened again the same as before I got home. The next day it drove normal for awhile then as I was starting it up again it started with a noise…”
Electrical System · filed Dec 1, 2020
“From a dead stop, when you accelerate the car has a hard shudder, trans slip...believe it to be a transmission problem and a problem gm has known for sometime with their g4t60-e transmission, most likely a pressure control solenoid problem or clutch assembly.”
Power Train · filed Jun 10, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
442 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Buick Regal. The 10 most recent:
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or…
PIP5358D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
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…
PIP4723J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized…
PIT3271P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2024
Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to…
General Communication · Service Campaign · issued Aug 26, 2024
GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This…
24-NA-141 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
This 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 misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how…
16-NA-383 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 28, 2024
This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.
18-NA-099 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2024
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 2004 Buick Regal has 2 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 2004 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 90,963 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.