Buyer Research

2020 Buick Regal — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $17,000–$26,000. 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

The final Regal sold in America, built in Germany in small numbers before Buick dropped cars altogether, and NHTSA holds two complaints for it — one about a key fob the car does not notice, one about a tire. Two filings is not a clean record; it is a car almost nobody bought, so almost nobody wrote in. What we can say comes from the recalls and from the 2018 and 2019 cars it is mechanically identical to: the 2020 carries the same vacuum brake-assist software recall and the same front-seat weld recall, and the 'Shift to Park' shifter fault and the 2.0L turbo's vacuum pump and PCV problems documented on the earlier years have no reason to skip this one. So inspect it as a 2019 with a year less wear: run the VIN for both campaigns, make two hard stops from 60 mph, switch it off in Park and watch the cluster go dark, and look for oil at the bell-housing seam. If those pass, this is the newest and best-finished version of a hatch that depreciated far below what it cost.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 2 owner complaints for the 2020 Buick Regal, and 2 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 electrics and electronics (1), tyres (1). 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.

2 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 2020 Buick Regal

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

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

Recall 22V465 covers the 2020 Regal along with the 2018 and 2019: when the engine-driven vacuum pump stops feeding the brake booster, a software fault in the electronic brake control module fails to compensate, and the pedal turns hard while stopping distance grows. Dealers reflash the module free; letters went out in August 2022, after many of these cars had changed hands. The reflash does not replace the pump, and on the earlier Regals the pump is the part that actually fails, so ask whether it has been done. On the test drive brake firmly from 60 mph twice and compare — 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: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

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

Recall 19V762 covers the 2020 Regal's driver and passenger front seats: the lower crossbar of the seat frame may carry an improper weld, and a seat that fails in a crash cannot hold the person in it. Dealers inspect both front seats and replace the seat back frame where a bad weld is found, free. Nothing about this is visible from the driver's seat; it is a VIN lookup and a printout, and it should be closed before you drive the car home.

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

Source: 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

'Shift to Park' message with the car in Park — the shifter fault from the 2018 and 2019 carsMedium

Not in the 2020's two-complaint record, but it is the single most-filed fault on the 2019 Regal and the shifter is the same part: the car is parked, the cluster insists it is not, the ignition will not switch off and the battery drains overnight. Owners rock the lever until it clears; the fix is the shifter connector or assembly. It is intermittent, so one clean shutdown does not rule it out — ask the seller, and treat a dealer invoice for a shifter as a plus. Park it at the end of the drive, switch it off and watch the cluster go dark.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$400 for the shifter connector or assembly

Source: not yet checked against public records.

2.0L turbo PCV can freeze and push out the rear main seal — squeal in the cold, then an oil leakMedium

Carried over from the 2019 Regal, where one owner described it in detail, and from what this engine is known for across GM's line: in deep cold the crankcase ventilation system can block, pressure builds, and the rear main and crankcase seals are forced out with no light and no code. The repair means pulling the transmission to reach the seal. Look at the ground under the engine and along the seam between engine and transmission with a flashlight, and if the car is being sold in winter, start it cold and listen for a high-pitched squeal.

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

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Passive entry ignores the key fob in your pocketLow

The one electrical complaint on record: the proximity unlock works only occasionally, with fresh fob batteries and the fob in range, and the dealer had no fix. On this car the door-handle antenna or the passive-entry module is the usual cause, and it is an annoyance rather than a stranding — the fob buttons and the mechanical key still work. Walk up to the car with the fob in your pocket and pull each front handle a few times; then walk away and confirm it locks.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$500 for a handle antenna or module

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (1).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Either recall (22V465 brake software, 19V762 seat frames) open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Brake pedal that feels hard or wooden on the first firm press
✗'Shift to Park' on the cluster after parking, or lights that stay on after the ignition is off
✗Oil along the seam where the engine meets the transmission
✗A high-pitched squeal from the engine bay on a cold start
✗Door handles that ignore the fob in your pocket more than once in a few tries

Good Signs

✓Both recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Two firm stops from 60 mph with identical pedal feel and assist from the first inch of travel
✓Car switched off cleanly in Park at the end of the drive, cluster dark, and restarted ten minutes later
✓Dry engine underside and bell-housing seam on a flashlight check
✓Passive entry unlocking on the first handle pull with the fob in a pocket
✓GM dealer service history through the bumper-to-bumper warranty period