The 2012 Regal is a rebadged Opel Insignia with solid bones but some catastrophic weak points. The 2.0T engine can suffer early piston ring failure leading to massive oil consumption, and the transmission cooling system is a known failure point that can destroy the transmission if ignored.
2.0T Piston Ring Failure & Catastrophic Oil Consumption
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Burns 1+ quart per 500-1,000 miles, Blue smoke on startup or acceleration, Low oil pressure warnings, Carbon buildup causes misfires, Spark plugs fouled with oil
Fix: Piston ring land design flaw causes rings to collapse. Requires complete engine rebuild with updated pistons or short block replacement. 18-25 hours labor depending on approach. Many owners discover this after oil starvation damages bearings, requiring full rebuild.
Estimated cost: $4,500-7,500
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Failure
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 70,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Transmission fluid leaking from radiator area, Pink fluid pooling under engine bay, Transmission slipping or delayed engagement, Milky fluid in transmission pan (coolant contamination), Overheating transmission
Fix: Cooler lines corrode and rupture at crimp connections, or internal cooler fails allowing coolant/trans fluid mixing. If caught early, just lines and flush (3-4 hours). If coolant enters transmission, needs full transmission rebuild or replacement plus radiator. 12-20 hours total.
Symptoms: Clunking from rear suspension over bumps, Rear end feels unstable or loose, Visible rust on rear subframe mounting points, Wheel alignment constantly pulling, In severe cases, complete bracket separation
Fix: Three separate NHTSA recalls addressed rear suspension bracket corrosion, but salt-belt cars still suffer. Brackets rust through at mounting points. GM extended warranty to 10yr/150k but many cars now exceed that. Requires welding or complete bracket replacement. 4-6 hours per side.
Estimated cost: $600-1,200
Timing Chain Stretch (2.0T)
Occasional · high severity
Typical onset: 100,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: Rattling on cold start for 2-3 seconds, Check engine light with cam/crank correlation codes (P0016, P0017), Rough idle, Loss of power, Won't start if severely stretched
Fix: Chain stretches due to high-pressure direct injection loads and oil consumption issues starving guides. Requires timing chain, guides, tensioner, and cam phasers. Front cover removal. 8-12 hours. Often discovered during piston ring diagnosis.
Estimated cost: $1,800-2,800
Transmission Mount Failure
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunk when shifting from Park to Drive/Reverse, Excessive engine movement visible during acceleration, Vibration at idle in gear, Grinding sensation through shifter
Fix: Hydraulic transmission mount tears internally, allowing excessive drivetrain movement. Common failure point on 6T platform. Replacement is straightforward but requires supporting powertrain. 2-3 hours.
Estimated cost: $350-550
Power Seat Track Failure
Occasional · low severity
Symptoms: Driver seat won't move forward/back, Grinding noise from seat motor, Seat stuck in one position, Intermittent operation
Fix: Plastic drive gears in seat track strip out. NHTSA recall 14V353 addressed some, but issue persists. Requires seat track assembly replacement. 2-3 hours to remove seat and replace track.
Estimated cost: $400-700
Turbocharger Wastegate Rattle
Occasional · medium severity
Typical onset: 80,000-130,000 mi
Symptoms: Rattling sound at idle or light throttle, Slight loss of boost pressure, Check engine light with underboost codes (P0234), Metallic ticking from engine bay
Fix: Wastegate actuator arm wears and develops play, or flapper rattles in housing. Can sometimes be addressed with actuator replacement (4 hours), but often requires turbo replacement or rebuild. 6-8 hours for full turbo R&R.
Check oil level every 500 miles religiously — early detection of oil consumption can prevent catastrophic engine damage
Inspect transmission cooler lines annually on salt-belt cars; replace proactively at 70k miles
Use full synthetic 5W-30 Dexos oil and change every 5,000 miles max to slow piston ring wear
Have rear suspension inspected for rust on every alignment or brake job — catastrophic failure can occur suddenly
Budget $1,500-2,000 yearly for deferred maintenance if buying high-mileage — these aren't Camrys
Only buy if you can verify oil consumption is under control and transmission cooler has been addressed — otherwise you're gambling on a $5k+ engine or transmission replacement within 20k miles.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012–2013 Buick Regal Turbo and GS trim-level vehicles that were sold or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. The rear suspension toe links may have received improper corrosion protection, which can result in rear toe link fracture.
Consequence: Rear toe link fracture can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 3, 2026. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N252537580. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall numbers 20V764, 21V633, and 21V00F.
SUSPENSION:REAR · 21V00F000
2021-12-22
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
Consequence: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recalls 20V-764 and 21V-633.
SUSPENSION:REAR · 20V764000
2020-12-21
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.
Consequence: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST · 14V447000
2014-07-23
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Consequence: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · 13V173000
2013-05-06
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist. These vehicles may have a condition in which the Generator Control Module (GCM) may not function properly. This could cause a gradual loss of battery charge and the illumination of the malfunction indicator light.
Consequence: If the vehicle is continued to be driven, the engine may stall and/or the vehicle may not start. In addition, there may be a burning or melting odor, smoke, and possibly a fire in the trunk.
Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will test the GCM and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13136.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL · 12V484000
2012-10-04
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Buick Regal and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with two turn signal bulbs in each front turn signal. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, there is no indication to the driver. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Consequence: If the driver is not aware that a turn signal is not functioning properly, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle. If half of a front turn signal is not illuminating, other driver's may not be aware that the affected vehicle is turning, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Buick at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 12212.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING · 12V093000
2012-03-07
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 BUICK REGAL VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 22, 2011, THROUGH FEBRUARY 22, 2012 FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108 LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, THE PARKING LAMPS DO NOT ACTIVATE WHEN EITHER THE PARKING LAMPS OR HEADLAMPS ARE TURNED ON.
Consequence: INADEQUATE LIGHTING COULD REDUCE THE VISIBILITY OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A CRASH.
Remedy: GENERAL MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE BODY CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 29, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GM AT 1-800-521-7300.
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