Buyer Research

2019 Buick Regal — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $14,000–$22,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Second year of the Sportback and TourX, and a record of 18 complaints with no crash, fire or injury in it — which tells you eighteen people filed, not that the car is sound. What they filed is consistent: two-thirds of the record is the 'Shift to Park' message that will not let the car switch off and drains the battery overnight, a shifter-switch fault that runs across GM cars of this era and that one owner traces to a GM bulletin. Behind it, one detailed report of the 2.0L turbo's PCV system freezing and blowing out the rear main seal, and the same three recalls a buyer of the 2018 needs to check — vacuum brake-assist software, a rear caliper bleed — plus a new one for front seat frames welded wrong. The 2018's vacuum-pump brake stories are thinner here, but the recall covers this year for the same reason, so make the same two hard stops. Run the VIN, park it and switch it off with your own hand, and listen under the hood on a cold morning; the car underneath is a quiet, well-equipped hatch that depreciated hard because nobody knew it existed.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 18 owner complaints for the 2019 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 transmission and drivetrain (6), electrics and electronics (6), the engine (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 2019 Buick Regal

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

'Shift to Park' with the car already in Park — ignition will not switch off, battery drainsMedium

Six power-train and six electrical complaints, and most of both are the same owners filing the same fault under two headings: the car is parked, the cluster says 'Shift to Park', and until the message clears the lights, radio and accessories stay on, the ignition will not turn off and the battery runs flat by morning. Owners rock the shifter back and forth until it takes; one had the shifter assembly diagnosed as failed, and one cites a GM bulletin on the shift-position switches. It is intermittent, so a single test does not clear it — ask the seller directly, and if there is a dealer invoice for a shifter assembly, that is the good outcome. A dead battery with a blank panel and a 'brakes scrubbing' noise are the rest of the electrical cluster. At the end of the drive park it, switch it off and watch the cluster go dark; then start it again ten minutes later without a jump.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$400 for the shifter connector or assembly; $150–$450 for a battery it has flattened

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (6), electrics and electronics (6).

Vacuum brake assist can drop out and the software does not cover it — pedal goes hard (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 22V465 covers the 2019 Regal: if the engine's vacuum pump stops supplying the brake booster, a software error in the electronic brake control module leaves the driver without power assist, and the car takes much longer to stop. Dealers update the module free; owner letters went out in August 2022, and a car sold on early may have missed them. Three of the 18 complaints are the brakes. The reflash does not replace the pump, which is the part that fails on the 2017 and 2018 cars, so ask whether the pump has been done and make two firm stops from 60 mph on the test drive — the pedal should feel identical both times.

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 (3); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

PCV system freezes, pressure blows out the rear main seal — squeal in the cold, then an oil leakMedium

One of the three engine complaints is unusually precise and matches a fault this 2.0L turbo is known for: the crankcase ventilation system blocks in very cold weather, pressure builds, and the rear main and crankcase seals push out. No light, no code — the only warning was a high-pitched squeal on cold mornings, and the dealer reproduced it. The repair means separating the transmission from the engine to reach the seal, which is where the cost is. GM has revised PCV parts for this engine; whether a given car had them is a dealer question by VIN. Check the ground under the engine and the bell-housing seam for oil, and if you are looking in winter, start it cold and listen.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for the PCV components; $900–$1,800 for the rear main seal with the transmission out

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (3).

Front seat frame crossbar may be welded wrong (recall)Medium

Recall 19V762 covers the 2019 Regal's driver and passenger front seats: the lower crossbar of the seat frame may have an improper weld, and a seat that gives way in a crash cannot protect the person in it. Dealers inspect the welds and replace the seat back frame where they find a bad one, free. Two seat complaints sit in the record. This one is a VIN lookup, not something you can see — ask for the inspection printout.

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 — brake system needs bleeding (recall)Medium

Recall 18V576 reaches into the 2019 Regal: the rear caliper pistons may carry too thin a chrome coating, gas forms in the brake fluid, and the pedal gets long. The dealer bleeds the system free. A separate fault from the vacuum-assist campaign, but it shows the same way, so at a stop press the pedal firmly and hold it for ten seconds — it should stay put.

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

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Suspension noises the dealer could not cure in two yearsLow

Two complaints are the suspension, and one owner describes two years of repeat dealer visits without a fix — filed alongside the Shift to Park story, so it may be the same frustrated owner. On this car the front sway-bar end links and strut mounts are the parts that knock first, and neither is expensive. Drive it slowly over a rough patch with the windows down and listen for a clunk over each bump; then push each corner down hard and let go.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for end links; $400–$900 per pair of strut mounts

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the suspension (2).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗'Shift to Park' on the cluster after parking, or an ignition that will not switch off
✗Any of the three recalls (22V465 brake software, 19V762 seat frames, 18V576 caliper bleed) open on the VIN
✗Brake pedal that feels hard or wooden on the first press
✗Oil on the ground under the engine or along the seam where engine meets transmission
✗A high-pitched squeal from the engine bay on a cold start
✗A clunk over bumps at low speed with the windows down

Good Signs

✓All three recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Shifter assembly replaced with a dealer invoice, and the car switched off cleanly at the end of the drive
✓Two firm stops from 60 mph with identical pedal feel and assist from the first inch of travel
✓Dry engine underside and bell-housing seam on a flashlight check
✓Battery load test passed, with a restart ten minutes after shutdown without a jump
✓Quiet ride over a rough patch at low speed with the windows down