The 1986 Buick Regal has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,198,681 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
A SMALL NYLON BUSHING IN THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL MAY SLIP OUT OF PLACE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT AND UNEXPECTED INCREASES IN ENGINE SPEED OR DIESELING (ENGINE RUN ON WITH IGNITION OFF).
SERVO ROD ASSEMBLY COULD CATCH ON ENGINE COMPONENTS ANDRESULT IN A STUCK THROTTLE WITH POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE CRASH.
INSTALL A NEW BUSHING IN CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL.
UNDER EXTENDED HEADLAMP USAGE, CIRCUITRY IN THE HEADLAMP SWITCH PANEL MIGHT EXPERIENCE INCREASED RESISTANCE AND EXCESSIVE HEAT BUILDUP.
HEADLIGHTS WOULD CYCLE ON AND OFF. SUDDEN LOSS OFHEADLIGHTS UNDER SEVERE WEATHER OR NIGHTIMER DRIVING CONDITIONS COULD RESULTIN A VEHICLE CRASH.
REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH WITH MODIFIED SWITCH.
SMALL CRACKS MAY DEVELOP IN THE BODY PILLAR AROUND THE DOOR STRIKER BOLT HOLE.
CRACKS WOULD INCREASE LEADING TO DIFFICULTY IN CLOSINGTHE DOOR AND MIGHT ALLOW DOOR TO COME OPEN DURING A CRASH, INCREASINGLIKELIHOOD OF INJURY TO OCCUPANTS.
INSTALL INNER AND OUTER REINFORCEMENT PLATE ON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT BODY PILLARS.
LEFT HANDED DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR PLATE MAY BE UPSIDE DOWN IN LOCK PILLAR SO THAT THE UNTHREADED SLOT OF THE PLATE ALIGNED WITH THE HOLE IN THE LOCK PILLAR. THIS RESULTED IN THE ANCHOR BOLT BEING DRIVEN INTO THE SLOT INSTEAD OF THE THREADED HOLE OF THE ANCHOR PLATE. …
INSTALL A BOLT ANCHOR PLATE REINFORCEMENT AND NEW BOLT, AS NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Front cradle bolt pulled through retainer due to corrosion. *ak consumer stated that this vehicle was seen by two master technicians and was told the vehicle will not get fixed. *yh”
“I tried to contact the guy in the wsjournal about engines accelerating, to no avail. Have him send me an email and I will enlighten him as to cause on the first one. Havent figured out what happened to this run amok car,yet. But will send details in email! *ak”
“When driving at any speed and applying the brakes, brake pedal is very hard and sometimes the pedal goes straight to the floorboard. *ak”
“While driving at 40 mph the rear driver's side tire separated from the rim and came off while in motion. *ak”
“Three wheels have had failure in their structure/cracks on the spokes.”
“Engine replaced twice, once resulting in engine catching on fire.”
“While driving and all of a sudden vehicle just took off wide open with sudden acceleration. The only way to stop the vehicle my wife had to stand up on the brakes and reach down to turn the ignition off. *ak”
“Consumer states that while pulling out of his driveway his vehicle just took off, causing him to hit two trees. *ak”
There is no summary currently available
SUMMARY: THE OIL FILL TUBE MAY BECOME LOOSE, CAUSING IT TO FALL ANDPOSSIBLY BECOME LODGED NEAR THE STEERING GEAR.THIS MAY CAUSE THESTEERING MECHANISM TO BECOME JAMMED, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF VEHICLECONTROL.===
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There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Buick Regal as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.