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1996 Buick Regal Recalls & Complaints

4

open safety recalls on record

Critical

273 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.75 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical07E021000

Fuel System, Other:Storage:Tank Assembly:Pressure Relief Devices

FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.

CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.

Critical96V116000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System

THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A NO-START CONDITION AND POSSIBLY AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE PROGRAMMING. UNTIL THE CAMPAIGN REPAIR IS MADE, THE VEHICLE HOOD SHOULD BE SHUT WHENEVER STARTING THE VEHICLE TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF PERSONAL INJURY.

A BACKFIRE DURING ENGINE STARTING CAN CAUSE BREAKAGE OF THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD.

Serious03V527000

Steering:Rack And Pinion

IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537; OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE RETAINERS COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.

Moderate96V069000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE BRAKE LINE TO WEAR THROUGH, RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND EVENTUAL LOSS OF ONE-HALF OF THE VEHICLE'S BRAKE SYSTEM, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR PROPER BRAKE LINE CLEARANCE AND REPOSITION THOSE BRAKE LINES FOUND TO HAVE LESS THAN MINIMAL CLEARANCE. ADDITIONALLY, THOSE BRAKE LINES FOUND TO HAVE AN INDENTATION CAUSED BY THE CONTACT WILL BE REPLACED AND PROPERLY ROUTED.

THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE LINE CAN CONTACT THE TRANSAXLE MOUNTING BRACKET OR ATTACHMENT BOLT.

Complaint volume

273 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

19Crashes
22Fires
25Injuries
0Deaths

Across 273 complaints. Severity Index 0.75.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…15 · 5%Air Bags · Frontal12 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…11 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…10 · 4%Unknown Or Other9 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…8 · 3%Air Bags8 · 3%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…8 · 3%
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 15 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 12 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 11 reports
  4. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 10 reports
  5. Unknown Or Other — 9 reports
  6. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor — 8 reports
  7. Air Bags — 8 reports
  8. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 8 reports
  9. Engine And Engine Cooling — 8 reports
  10. Steering:Rack And Pinion — 7 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (8) · 1996 · 1997 (8) · 1998 (7) · 1999 (8) · 2000 (10) · 2001 (8) · 2002 (5) · 2003 (5) · 2004 (4) · 2005 · 2011 (4) · 2012 (7) · 2013 (6) · 2014 (2) · 2015 · 2016 (1) · 2017 · 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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