How many miles will a 2004 Buick Regal last?
Half of the 45 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal that list mileage came after 90,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 129,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 66 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 45 complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal that list mileage, the middle half came between 67,000 and 114,000 miles; 13 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 1 (2%) after 150,000 and 1 (2%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2004 Regal last?
The 45 mileages owners gave run from 9,284 to 208,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 67,129 miles, half at or under 90,963, three quarters at or under 114,000 and nine in ten at or under 130,000; 13 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 1 (2%) after 150,000 and 1 (2%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2004 Regal wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 9,284 miles |
| 25th percentile | 67,129 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 90,963 miles |
| 75th percentile | 114,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 130,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 208,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 13 (29%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 1 (2%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 1 (2%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 841 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1986–2004 Buick Regal that list mileage came after 90,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Buick Regal last? →
Common problems with the 2004 Regal
NHTSA's file holds 66 owner complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal. Owners named the electrical system most often: 35 complaints, and half of the 29 that list a mileage came after 92,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 35 | 29 | 93,000 |
| Engine | 18 | 11 | 97,650 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 8 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Steering | 6 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 5 | 5 | 96,000 |
Of the 66 complaints, none reports a crash, 2 report a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Regal a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Regal: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 66 complaints, the 2004 ranks 17th of the 19 Buick Regal model years from 1986 to 2004 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1998 (302). The fewest: the 1986 (12).
NHTSA files the Buick Regal name for 1986–2004 and 2011–2019. A gap of three or more model years means the name covers different vehicles, so the 2004 is compared only with the 1986–2004 model years.
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Regal | 12 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1987 Regal | 25 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Regal | 123 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Regal | 106 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Regal | 77 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Regal | 200 | 12 | 86,419 |
| 1992 Regal | 144 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1993 Regal | 85 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1994 Regal | 110 | 14 | 92,945 |
| 1995 Regal | 173 | 17 | 89,659 |
| 1996 Regal | 204 | 56 | 87,000 |
| 1997 Regal | 136 | 59 | 105,771 |
| 1998 Regal | 302 | 133 | 92,000 |
| 1999 Regal | 246 | 116 | 89,000 |
| 2000 Regal | 184 | 104 | 94,608 |
| 2001 Regal | 187 | 112 | 91,000 |
| 2002 Regal | 117 | 81 | 85,000 |
| 2003 Regal | 101 | 68 | 94,528 |
| 2004 (this page) | 66 | 45 | 90,963 |
2004 Buick Regal recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Buick Regal (2 vehicle campaigns and 2 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 15V701000 | Oct 26, 2015 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE |
| 15V201000 | Apr 6, 2015 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE |
| 09E005000 | Feb 17, 2009 | STEERING |
| 08E063000 | Oct 17, 2008 | STEERING |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2004 Regal lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2004 Regal.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 21 of the 66 complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: REGAL. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: REGAL.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2004 Buick Regal questions
How many miles will a 2004 Buick Regal last?
Half of the 45 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal that list mileage came after 90,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 129,000 miles. Of the 45 complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal that list mileage, the middle half came between 67,000 and 114,000 miles; 13 (29%) came after 100,000 miles, 1 (2%) after 150,000 and 1 (2%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2004 Regal that never had one.
What are the most common 2004 Buick Regal problems?
NHTSA's file holds 66 owner complaints on the 2004 Buick Regal. Owners named the electrical system most often: 35 complaints, and half of the 29 that list a mileage came after 92,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 66 complaints, none reports a crash, 2 report a fire and none reports an injury. These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Buick Regal a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Regal: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 66 complaints, the 2004 ranks 17th of the 19 Buick Regal model years from 1986 to 2004 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1998 (302). The fewest: the 1986 (12).
How many recalls does the 2004 Buick Regal have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Buick Regal (2 vehicle campaigns and 2 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2004 Buick Regal before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2004 Buick Regal.