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 2003 Buick Regal owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact lifted the hood and noticed the engine had caught fire, which destroyed the engine and caused a failure with the cooling fans. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact was a certified mechanic and stated that the pressure return regulator, spark plug walls, and air conditioning unit were replaced. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V507000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that in the case of oil dripping into the hot surface of the exhaust, the vehicle May catch fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. After driving approximately 5 MPH and parking the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The hood was opened and there was smoke. Approximately two weeks later while driving at approximately 5 MPH and then parking the vehicle, the contact was alerted that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. Updated 02/05/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. While driving 70 MPH, the contact noticed smoke under the hood. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact, a construction crew, and the local fire department. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine); however, the part to do the repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, he noticed gray smoke was coming from the side of the hood. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police and fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine, engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. After driving the vehicle and parking, the driver noticed a burning odor. The driver lifted the hood and discovered flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called to the home. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 194,000. The consumer received a recall notice, regarding the possibility of an engine fire. Updated 01/19/16.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while parked, the contact was notified that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. After parking the vehicle, smoke appeared under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. A fire report was not filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 188,000.
Recall #15757 was performed by dealer on 2/24/2016. The vehicle at the time of the repair had 255,300 miles on it when I took it to the dealer (brookdale Chevrolet Buick.GMC on 5/30/18 when I took it back to the dealer for oil dripping on the manifold it had 258,200. There is smoke coming from under the hood. We had it in storage after the repair and took it out this spring. The wife said it smoked and then I drove it and I had a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. Since the repair we only put 2,900 miles on the vehicle. Surely if the repair was done correctly we shouldn't be worrying about our safety. The car can't be driven as is. The dealer flatly said they were no longer responsible for any more repairs unless I pay them $1,100 to replace the valve cover and valve cover gasket. The car is registered at the dealer under nl companies because I have a rental. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle repeatedly shut off without warning after multiple attempts. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact's friend opened the vehicle's hood and discovered that the engine was engulfed in flames. The police and fire department were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished. Police and fire reports were filed at the scene, no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. Two months later, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA recall number: 09V116(engine and engine cooling) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer nor the dealer were notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Buick Regal. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V118000, NHTSA action number ea07008 (engine and engine cooling). The failure occurred before the vehicle could be taken to the dealer. While driving 35 MPH, the driver noticed smoke coming out of the dashboard. She pulled the vehicle over and it burst into flames seconds later. The fire department extinguished the fire, but they stated that the vehicle should not have caught fire so easily. The dealer stated that they were not responsible for the repairs. The contact believes that the manufacturer should assume responsibility. The current and failure mileages were 120,000.
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…
Engine complaints in other Regal years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2003 Buick Regal?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2003 Buick Regal, 35% of the model year's 101 complaints. The component named most often is engine (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 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 2003 Buick Regal engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 142,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 12 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.