2013 Buick Regal Electrical Problems

The contact owns a 2013 Buick Regal. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light and depressing the brake pedal, the hybrid battery would power off as intended; however, when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle would lose automotive power before suddenly independently powering on before jolting. The check engine light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 13V173000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11736608

Incident

May 8, 2026

Mileage

130,000 mi

, while driving, doing a steady 25-30 mph my vehicle completed transformed behavior, literally, I could only guess the problem(s)

NHTSA ID

11734733

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

I have a continuous problem where the vehicle goes into limp mode/reduce power mode it studders and stalls out. The check engine and stabilitrak light comes on. It is extreamly dangerous at it happens on the road and in traffic. I have thousands of dollars, a new thortle body sensor, a new crank positioner, new timing chain, new ECM, new gaskets and so much more.

NHTSA ID

11648213

Incident

Mar 13, 2025

Projector lights in headlamp assembly go out and moisture gets into headlamp causing poor visibility after sundown or poor weather. General Motors Case Number: 9-10416199921

NHTSA ID

11541580

Incident

Feb 1, 2023

While driving the vehicle, I received an alert message on the instrument panel that stated “Remote Not Detected,” then the vehicle immediately shutdown in the middle of the road. I lost all power to the vehicle, I couldn’t put the vehicle in gear, neutral or anything to get it out of the road. I immediately replaced the key fob battery, no change vehicle didn’t start or power didn’t return. The vehicle had to be towed. After a couple hours power was restored and the vehicle started up again. I have replaced key fobs, had the dealership replace the car battery and the problem persists. This appears to be a defect, could you please advise on how to proceed with dealership?

NHTSA ID

11534492

Incident

Mar 15, 2023

There is condensation and moisture present inside the high definition front headlight assemblies, which causes the headlight illumination to be diminished and created a visibility hazard while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to the Ganley Chevrolet dealership who diagnosed that the front headlight assemblies were faulty and needed to be replaced. The cost to replace both is about $3,000. Then I went to Damper's Automotive of Cleveland Ohio for a second opinion and after replacing the bulb in the passenger side headlight, the bulb immediately blew. Based on complaints from other customers this is a known issue on low and high mileage vehicles of the same make and model. It's a astronomical cost to replace these assemblies and they could go out at any time while driving due to the trapped moisture and-or electrical wiring exposed behind the headlight.

NHTSA ID

11533622

Incident

Jan 2, 2023

Condensation is getting in the High Def headlamps, and causing headlights to blow. It's a known issue and the assembly is between $1,200 and $1,500 dollars

NHTSA ID

11533536

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

Left Headlamp Assembly and Driver’s Window Regulator were replaced under Warranty and now need replacing again! Trim Strips were replaced under Warranty because they were rusting and now they are all rusty again! Electrical System now blows fuses. 2103 Buick Regal Turbo just reached 60,000 miles. HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO SPEND $2,000 TO FIX THE FAULTY LEFT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WHICH WAS GOING ON IN 2011 & 2012? There’s Complaints all over online!!!! I haven’t been able to go out at night for 6 months because of no front headlight!!!!! I have been to 3 Buick Dealers and they all have no idea how long this $2K light assembly will last because it should have been recalled!!! The lastest Buick Dealer was trying to steal my vehicle by saying the “Check Engine” light indicated that I am going to have all kinds of problems with my turbo or engine (he wasn’t sure what it was) and that my car was not worth keeping!!! I should get a new car! I asked him how much to take care of the engine problems and he said $3,500. So with the supposed engine problem & headlamp, that’s $5K. I SHOULD BUY A NEW CAR PER DIXIE BUICK IN FORT MYERS, FL!! The other Dealerships said it was likely just a sensor since the car was not running rough and there was no hurry to have the “Check Engine” Light looked at by their mechanics!!! They felt waiting 2 weeks until they could schedule an appointment for me was fine. BUICK NEEDS TO RECALL THEIR LEFT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WHICH WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM YEARS BEFORE MANUFACTURING THEIR 2013 REGALS AND GET RID OF THEIR SLEAZY RIPOFF SERVICE REP’S!!!

NHTSA ID

11513462

Incident

Mar 23, 2023

CONDENSATION IN DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT NOW HEADLIGHT WILL NOT WORK BOUGHT A NEW 112.00 BULD AND STILL DOESNT WORK. LOOKED ISSUE UP ON INTERNET AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS

NHTSA ID

11422551

Incident

Jun 16, 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Buick Regal. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle would not immediately start. Additionally, while driving the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Also, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a sensor failure. No further information was available. The battery was replaced however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Vin was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (Electrical System). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11420808

Incident

Jun 14, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

MY DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT IS OUT, CONDENSATION INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT AS WELL. BOUGHT $106.00 HALOGEN REPLACEMENT BULB AND LIGHT STILL ISN'T WORKING. AFTER LOOKING FOR OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE I SEE THIS THERE IS COMPLAINTS AND RECALL FOR "SOME" MODELS OF THE 2013 BUICK REGAL (TURBO PREMIUM 3) SPECIFICALLY BY CHECKING MY VIN FOR THE RECALL. OBVIOUSLY HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE OTHER REGAL MODELS OF SAME YEAR WERE RECALLED FOR.

NHTSA ID

11405891

Incident

Mar 20, 2021

Mileage

90,560 mi

ADDENDUM TO REPORT 11400295 - HERE'S A PICTURE OF THE AMOUNT OF WATER ACCUMULATED IN THE HEADLIGHT LENSE IN LESS THAN A WEEK. I'M REPLACING THE BULB AND BALLAST FOR THE THIRD TIM IN LESS THAN 8 MONTHS - HELP

NHTSA ID

11402657

Incident

Mar 12, 2021

VEHICLE COLLECTED CONDENSATION INSIDE THE DRIVER HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY CAUSING A SHORTAGE/BURN OUT OF THE PROJECTOR FOR THE HID SYSTEM. $1244 WAS THE COST OF REPLACEMENT LIGHT ASSEMBLY, WHICH DIDN'T LAST LONG BEFORE THE PROJECTOR BURNT OUT AGAIN. THIS MANUFACTURER DEFECT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, ESPECIALLY WITH THE REPLACEMENT COST BETWEEN $1000-$1600! THIS VEHICLE WILL NOT ILLUMINATE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR SAFETY WARNINGS, NOR WILL IT STORE CODES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PRESENTLY PRINTED OUT AT OCCURRING TIMES.

NHTSA ID

11360599

Incident

Aug 9, 2019

Mileage

71,111 mi

I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WHERE MY CAR WON'T START AT TIME I HAVE PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY AND HAD THE ALTERNATOR CHECK ALL GOOD SOMETIMES I SMELL SOMETHING BURNING AND I NOTICE THERE'S A RECALL ON 2013 BUICK REGAL GS

NHTSA ID

11341394

Incident

Jul 24, 2020

I'VE HAD FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HAD ISSUES WITH MY 2013 BUICK REGAL TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING CAUSING A FEW ACCIDENTS THAT HAS NEARLY CAUSE ME MY LIFE. THE CAR HAS HAD MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES I'VE TRIED GETTING FIXED AND I'VE DEALT WITH DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE DUE TO THIS. CAR HAS TURNED OFF ON ME WHILE IN MOTION. I'VE REPLACED THE BATTERY AND I'VE SPENT SEVERAL 1,000S OF DOLLARS TRYING TO GET IT REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

11329679

Incident

Jun 18, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

ELECTRICAL ISSUES, MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR REPLACED 3 TIMES HAS CONTINUED TO GO OUT, VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN WITH NO CODES AVAILABLE, VERY HAZARDOUS, VEHICLE WILL NOT START UNLESS YOU DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL AND RESET THE COMPUTER, AFTER THAT THE VEHICLE WILL RUN FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ADD WILL SHUT DOWN AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326757

Incident

Jun 1, 2020

Mileage

117,000 mi

ON MY 2013 BUICK REGAL GS THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR HAS CONTINUED TO SHUT DOWN 3 TIMES AND HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES, THE CAR CONTINUES TO SHUT DOWN WITH NO GM CODES. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP OR I'LL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CONTACT MY COUNSEL TO FILE A LEGAL COMPLAINT AGAINST GM FOR DANGEROUS CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326735

Incident

May 31, 2020

Mileage

11,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK REGAL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER LEAVING WORK AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER THE LOCKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. IT TOOK THE CONTACT OVER 10 MINUTES TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE EALER SHEEHAN BUICK (2800 N FEDERAL HWY LIGHTHOUSE POINT FL 33064-6849 (866) 586-9080) TRIED TO SET AN APPOINTMENT AND WANTED TO CHARGE A DIAGNOSTIC FEE OF $180. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,200.

NHTSA ID

11300656

Incident

Jan 7, 2020

Mileage

54,200 mi

PRIOR TO THIS EVENT THE RADIO AND INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHT WOULD FLICKER AND THE RADIO WOULD TURN OFF COMPLETELY. THE BATTERY WAS THE ORIGINAL BATTERY SO WE REPLACED IT. BUT IT WASN'T COMPLETELY SHOT AT THAT POINT. DURING THE SAME TIME OF THIS HAPPENING THE BATTERY IN THE KEY FOB WENT BAD ALSO. SO I THOUGHT THAT MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. HAD TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY COMPLETELY TO RESET THE COMPUTER BECAUSE THERE WAS ANY POWER TO THE CAR AT ALL. WAITED A FEW MINUTES HOOKED IT BACK UP AND IT ALLOWED US TO JUMP THE CAR OFF.. THE RADIO AND LIGHTS HAVE ON A FEW OCCASIONS DID THE SAME AS BEFORE BUT NEVER THE ISSUE OF STARTING. SO NOW IT DID THE SAME THING AS BEFORE SO ONCE IT WAS JUMPED AGAIN I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL AUTOZONE AND HAD THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR CHECKED AND GOT AN ALL GOOD REPORT. IN ADDITION THIS TIME THE ABS AND THE STAILITRAK AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CANE ON AND WOULD GO OUT UNTIL THE COMPUTER WAS RESET BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY. I'VE READ A COUPLE OF FORUMS AND THE SEEMS TO BE MORE OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH OTHER OWNERS. SOME EVEN STATED THEIR VEHICLE EVEN SHUTOFF IN MOTION. AS I SIT FILLING THIS FORM OUT THE RADIO AND THE LIGHT IN THE GLOVE BOX CONTINUE TO COME ON AND OFF.

NHTSA ID

11277187

Incident

Oct 30, 2019

Mileage

63,000 mi

THE HEADLIGHT WIRING SYSTEM DOES NOT CONTINUE TO FUNCTION, FOR SOME REASON IT DOES NOT GIVE POWER TO THE HID HEADLIGHTS.

NHTSA ID

11271399

Incident

Oct 27, 2019

Mileage

100,300 mi

AT LESS THAN 90K MILES MY POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY WITHOUT WARNING STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL ABRUPTLY WITHOUT WARNING STAY STUCK IN A LOW GEAR WHILE I AM DRIVING. I TURN OFF THE CAR AND START IT AGAIN AND IT'S FINE. MY COMPUTER SCREEN WILL GO BLACK AND STAY THAT WAY, WHICH CONTROLS THE RADIO, NAVIGATION, ETC., THEN IT WILL BEGIN WORKING AGAIN AFTER A FEW MINUTES, HOURS, DAYS, JUST WHENEVER IT DECIDES TO START WORKING. THE SCREEN HAS ALSO HAD RAPID MOVING LINES OF BLACK AND WHITE. MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL WORKS, BUT YET IT CONSTANTLY HAS A RAPID TURN SIGNAL SOUND LIKE IT IS GOING OUT OR IS OUT, YET EVEN WHEN I CHANGE THE BULB IT STILL MAKES THE SOUND. THE POWER STEERING I JUST FIXED A MONTH AGO, ALL OTHER ISSUES ARE ON GOING.

NHTSA ID

11244548

Incident

Aug 1, 2019

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT STOPS OUT OF NOWHERE AND CUTS BACK ON. THERE IS A BURNING/MELTING SMELL COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE CAR IS OFF SOMETIMES THE BATTERY IS DRAINED. THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHT KEEPS GETTING MOISTURE INSIDE AND CAUSES THE BULB TO GO OUT.

NHTSA ID

11220023

Incident

Jun 12, 2019

Mileage

89,507 mi

TAKATA RECALL.....THE ECM IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AFTER THE RECALL IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AGAIN. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS CAR WILL CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC.SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!!!

NHTSA ID

11195612

Incident

Apr 11, 2019

Mileage

100,000 mi

,A MONTH AGO MY DRIVER HEADLIGHT WENT OUT TRIED REPLACING BULBS TWICE STILL NO LIGHT TRIED A RELAY SWITCH STILL NOT LIGHT, LIGHT WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING TO WORK.

NHTSA ID

11154722

Incident

Oct 1, 2018

Mileage

56,000 mi

LIGHT ON DRIVER SIDE CONTINUE TO BLOW LIGHT OR BULB

NHTSA ID

11144587

Incident

Oct 15, 2018

Mileage

50,000 mi