Buyer Research

2018 Buick Regal — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $12,000–$20,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Buick Regal years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

First year of the Opel-built Sportback hatch and TourX wagon, a 2.0L turbo with a nine-speed automatic in the front-drive cars, and a record that is small but not quiet: 19 complaints carry five crashes and four injuries, and the brakes are 42% of it. The 2017 Regal's brake vacuum pump problem carries over, and the 2018 finally got a recall for it — but for the software that is supposed to cover a vacuum loss, not for the pump itself, and one owner had the hard pedal come back after the recall was done. Two more recalls, for rear seat belts routed wrong at the factory and rear brake calipers that need a bleed, are both free VIN checks. The rest is the stop/start system and a 'Shift to Park' message that will not let the car turn off. Nineteen filings is too few to rate the car; it is enough to tell you where to press. Run the VIN for all three campaigns, make two hard stops from 60 mph, and sit through a dozen stop/start cycles before you talk price.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 19 owner complaints for the 2018 Buick Regal, and 3 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under the brakes (8), the engine (5), electrics and electronics (3). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2018 Buick Regal

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Vacuum brake assist fails and the pedal goes hard — the recall fixes the software, not the pump (recall)High — wallet impact

Eight of 19 complaints, with four crashes among them. Recall 22V465 covers the 2018 Regal: if the engine-driven vacuum pump loses assist, a software error in the electronic brake control module fails to make up the difference, and stopping distance grows. Dealers reflash the module free. What the recall does not do is replace the pump, and the pump is what fails on these cars: owners describe the pedal suddenly needing all their weight, a check-engine light that comes and goes, and one had the hard pedal return after the recall was performed and a dead battery. Two crash reports describe the car not slowing at all — one revving up on approach to a red light, one backing out of a driveway into a tree and then a porch. Run the VIN for 22V465, ask whether the vacuum pump has ever been replaced, and on the test drive brake firmly from 60 mph twice: the pedal should feel identical both times, with assist from the first inch of travel.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $400–$900 for the vacuum pump if it has failed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (8); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Stop/start restarts with a jolt or a rev to 3,000 rpm; 'Shift to Park' will not let the car turn offMedium

Five engine complaints and three electrical, and they are largely the same three owners filed twice. One describes the auto-stop at a red light restarting with a long delay and then a jolt through the engine and transmission, with a check-engine light the dealer never diagnosed. Another had the engine rev to 3,000 rpm and pull forward instead of shutting down at a light, and shifted to Neutral to hold it. A third has the 'Shift to Park' message at 50,000 miles — the car is in Park, the cluster insists it is not, the ignition will not switch off and the battery drains overnight. That last one is a shifter connector fault GM cars of this era are known for, and it is usually a cheap part. One owner also could not get the nine-speed to change gear, in automatic or manual mode. Sit through a dozen stop/start cycles in traffic, then park it, shut it down and confirm the message stays off.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$400 for the shifter connector or assembly; $150–$450 for a battery; $250–$600 for a transmission fluid exchange and reflash

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (5), electrics and electronics (3).

Rear outboard seat belts may be routed wrong around the bolster bracket (recall)Medium

Recall 18V230 is specific to the 2018 Regal: on the assembly line the rear outboard seat belts may have been routed around the seat bolster bracket incorrectly, so in a crash the belt cannot hold the passenger as designed. Dealers inspect and correct the routing free. If you will carry children in the back this is the recall to confirm first. Check it on the NHTSA VIN lookup, then pull each rear belt fully out and let it retract — it should run straight from the pillar to the buckle without catching on the seat frame.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Rear brake caliper pistons may have a coating flaw — system needs bleeding (recall)Medium

Recall 18V576 covers the 2018 Regal along with a long list of GM cars from the same year: the rear caliper pistons may have an insufficient chrome coating, gas can form in the brake fluid, and the pedal gets long. The remedy is a free brake bleed at the dealer. It is a separate fault from the vacuum-assist problem above, but both show up the same way on the test drive, so treat any long or soft pedal as a reason to see the recall printouts before you go further.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Heater or air conditioning fogs the whole windshield in cold weatherLow

Two complaints are filed under visibility, and an engine-cluster owner describes what is probably the same thing: in cold weather the climate system threw enough moisture at the glass that the windshield fogged completely on a mountain road, with the defrost on full, and the car had to stop. A blocked evaporator drain or a heater core weeping coolant into the box are the two usual causes; the second shows as a sweet smell and a greasy film inside the glass. Run the defrost on high for five minutes and check the inside of the windshield with a fingertip.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$250 for an evaporator drain or cabin filter; $900–$1,800 for a heater core

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (2).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any of the three recalls (22V465 brake software, 18V230 seat belts, 18V576 caliper bleed) open on the VIN
✗Brake pedal that feels hard on the first press, or a Brake Assist warning on the cluster
✗'Shift to Park' message after the car is parked, or an ignition that will not switch off
✗Stop/start restart that jolts or delays, or an engine that revs at a stop light
✗Greasy film or sweet smell inside the windshield with the defrost running
✗Nine-speed that hangs between gears or refuses a downshift when asked

Good Signs

✓All three recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Vacuum pump replaced with a dated invoice
✓Two firm stops from 60 mph with identical pedal feel and assist from the first inch of travel
✓A dozen stop/start cycles in traffic with an immediate, smooth restart each time
✓Car switched off cleanly in Park at the end of the drive, with the cluster dark
✓Rear seat belts running straight from pillar to buckle with the dealer inspection printout