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 2000 Buick Regal owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the engine compartment caught fire while the vehicle was parked in the garage. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the fire. The contact was able to extinguish the fire on her own. A police and a fire report were not filed. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to titus-will Chevrolet Buick (2580 n national ave, chehalis, wa 98532) where it was diagnosed that the engine manifold failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the contact would have to pay for the repair. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) but the parts were not available. The VIN was included in the recall. The failure mileage was 205,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Buick Regal. While driving 60 MPH, there was a strong odor of smoke and oil coming from the rear valve cover and the exhaust manifold. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (hiley Buick GMC, located at 3535 w loop 820 s, fort worth, tx 76116; [phone]) where it was diagnosed that both of the valve cover gaskets needed to be replaced. The contact received a recall notification letter only for the front valve to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer stated that the contact would have to pay for replacing the rear valve cover. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Buick Regal. The contact stated that when the driver exited the vehicle and entered a building, the driver was informed that the vehicle was on fire in the parking lot. The local fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked approximately 10 feet from the residence when a fire started from the engine compartment. The fire department was present. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of failure. The contact received notification for NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling) in December of 2015, but the vehicle was already destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Updated 06/14/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Buick Regal. While the vehicle was parked, it caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The parts to do the repair were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted and was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Buick Regal. After the vehicle was parked, smoke and flames appeared in the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was deemed destroyed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 Buick Regal. While parked, the vehicle caught fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Late December I receive recall 15757 which stated the issue with the possible engine compartment fire. It also stated that 'parts to repair your vehicle are not currently available. My car went on fire on January 19, 2016 and was destroyed. It was parked for about twenty minutes after I drove it for about 30 minutes.the car that I have had for 200,000 miles because we loved the car and took extremely good care of, which would have lasted at least another two to three years, is now gone. I reported it promptly on January 21, 2016 to an extremely gracious woman named elizabeth, and was given the service request number. An inspection of my vehicle would occur I was told. I was just now told on the phone that because I made a claim to my insurance company, that GM / Buick considers the matter closed. In what world does that make sense??? …
After driving about ten minutes into my trip last night at about 60 MPH, my Buick Regal 2000 ended up losing the ability to accelerate. It then lost all power and left me stranded on the interstate. I lost the power steering, the instrument panel started flickering. This occurred in a work zone at about midnight. Within five minutes the flashers and lights also went totally dead. Even the trunk would not respond to my remote. The car lights and engine had been very strong and never gave any reason for concern. The key has been difficult to remove from the ignition cylinder for several years. This has been the only source of trouble with the car. The red security light on the instrument panel was illuminated - which is unusual - until the lights quit working. Could this have been a problem with the security system? We have not altered the factory security system. It is original. …
Tl contact owns a 2000 Buick Regal gs. The vehicles engine caught fire on October 25, 2009 while it was parked. She received a recall notice for the valve cover gasket; yet, when she took the vehicle to the dealer they stated that there might be a risk in repairing the recall and that another part could break. They also quoted her $500.00 to repair the recall; therefore, she did not have the repair done. Report# 681666 was filed with the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that they would send someone to inspect the vehicle. The insurance company declared the vehicle destroyed. The ohio fire dept report information was not available. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. The failure and the current mileages were 90,000.
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 compartment fire
By letter dated March 12, 2008, general motors corp. (GM) has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (identified by NHTSA recall number 08v-118) to address a defect in approximately 207,542 model year (my) 1997-2003 Buick regal gs and Pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the l67 supercharged version of GM's 3800 series ii v6 engine.the recalled regal gs vehicles were built from August 1996…
Engine complaints in other Regal years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2000 Buick Regal?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2000 Buick Regal, 33% of the model year's 184 complaints. The component named most often is engine (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 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 2000 Buick Regal engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 25 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.