Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Buick Regal owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the engine caught fire while driving. The fire department extinguished the fire and stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. The contact was not injured. The contact received a notice for NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) after the failure occurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 1997 Buick Regal. While parked, the vehicle burst into flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure recurred two weeks after the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.
Fire started in the engine, resulting in the car exploding in about 10 minutes total. Total loss. Caught fire to my friends garage. The car was parked and running while we ran inside to pay for some stuff. Heard an explosion and went to investigate, and saw the hood and dash and the engine on fire. My friend jumped on his tractor and pushed it away from the garage, and started dumping snow on it. Fire dept came and put it out.
Tl* the contact owned a 1997 Buick Regal. While parked, the vehicle caught fire under the hood. The fire was extinguished by the contact. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.
I left work on my break drove a half mile to home got out my car and came in the house for about five minutes. Then a officer was at my door and told me my car was on fire. The flames were very bad under my hood. The police was telling everyone to move there cars and stay in there apartments. It took about ten minutes before the firemen to get there. When they arrive and open the hood a ball of fire shot out. They put it out. The car was burnt up badly. So I call GM and gave a fire report. It was a recall on my engine and GM sent me a letter to go and get it service. And I did go to mikes Buick on 04/09 and they fix the recall. And on 05/25/09 that's when my car caught on fire. Mikes came out and towed my car to there shop. They call me about five days after that and said they could not do any thing for me. Now I have no transportation to work they just don't care about there mistake. …
1997 Buick Regal gs on Thursday May 1, 2008 I received in the mail a recall letter from GM. In this letter it explains that these vehicles have higher rocker cover gasket temps. In short, this could lead to vehicle fire and surrounding property. On Friday, May 2, 2008, my daughter was driving this vehicle and parked at a friends house. While the car was parked and engine off, the car caught fire in the engine area. The vehicle and contents were totally destroyed. Damage was also caused to the friends house.
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 of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,000. The VIN was invalid. Consumer stated dealership is now closed and will be taking it to a repair shop. Updated 12/20/18
Tl* the contact owned a 1997 Buick Regal. She stated that the vehicle was parked and suddenly caught fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was available. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location. The contact stated the failure was directly related to NHTSA campaign id number: 08V118000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Buick Regal. The contact stated that she received recall notice # 09V116000 (09V116000). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired according to the remedy referenced in the recall. However shortly after the repair the vehicle had an engine compartment fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileages were 158,000.bl
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Buick Regal. While attempting to start the vehicle, it caught fire. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) after the failure occurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles.
Remedy: The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and gasket.
Engine and engine cooling
General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 Buick regal, my 1998-2003 Chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 Oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 Pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engine's plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, free of charge.
Engine and engine cooling
GM is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 Buick regal and Pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l supercharged v-6 engine. These vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine's front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engine's plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, along with the 1-3-5 spark…
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Engine complaints in other Regal years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Buick Regal?
NHTSA has 41 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Buick Regal, 30% of the model year's 136 complaints. The component named most often is engine (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Buick Regal engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-701 (manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Oct 26, 2015); NHTSA recall 09V-116 (engine and engine cooling, Apr 8, 2009); NHTSA recall 08V-118 (engine and engine cooling, Mar 12, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Buick Regal engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 125,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 17 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.