What are the common problems with the 2016 Buick Regal?
Owners of the 2016 Buick Regal have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering (10). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 21 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2016 Buick Regal. Owners named steering most often: 10 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 41 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2016 Regal
NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2016 Buick Regal. Owners named steering most often: 10 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 10 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 6 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine | 5 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Power Train | 5 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 41 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2016 Regal
The 21 mileages owners gave run from 125 to 127,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 16,000 miles, half at or under 27,000, three quarters at or under 50,000 and nine in ten at or under 107,860; 3 (14%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2016 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.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: 18 of the 21 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2016 Regal can cover.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 125 miles |
| 25th percentile | 16,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 27,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 50,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 107,860 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 127,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 3 (14%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
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? →
Is the 2016 Regal a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2016 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 2016 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 41 complaints, the 2016 ranks 4th of the 9 Buick Regal model years from 2011 to 2019 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2011 (280). The fewest: the 2018 (19).
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 2016 is compared only with the 2011–2019 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Regal | 280 | 205 | 66,900 |
| 2012 Regal | 92 | 63 | 59,527 |
| 2013 Regal | 91 | 62 | 58,000 |
| 2014 Regal | 38 | 26 | 47,000 |
| 2015 Regal | 33 | 22 | 25,000 |
| 2016 (this page) | 41 | 21 | 27,000 |
| 2017 Regal | 20 | 14 | 70,509 |
| 2018 Regal | 19 | 11 | 22,000 |
| 2019 Regal | 20 | 9 | Under 10 mileages |
2016 Buick Regal recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 2016 Buick Regal. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 16V108000 | Feb 24, 2016 | STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM |
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 2016 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 2016 Regal.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 20 of the 41 complaints on the 2016 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.
2016 Buick Regal questions
What are the most common 2016 Buick Regal problems?
NHTSA's file holds 41 owner complaints on the 2016 Buick Regal. Owners named steering most often: 10 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 41 complaints, none reports a crash, none reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2016 Buick Regal?
Of the 21 complaints on the 2016 Buick Regal that list mileage, the middle half came between 16,000 and 50,000 miles; 3 (14%) came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2016 Regal can cover.
Is the 2016 Buick Regal a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2016 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 2016 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 41 complaints, the 2016 ranks 4th of the 9 Buick Regal model years from 2011 to 2019 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2011 (280). The fewest: the 2018 (19).
How many recalls does the 2016 Buick Regal have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 2016 Buick Regal. 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 2016 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 2016 Buick Regal.