On [XXX], my son drove the car to Wendy’s to get lunch around 12:30 pm. He returned, parked the car in the driveway. My son entered the house and while we were eating lunch the doorbell rang, it was the police informing us that my car was on fire in the driveway. The fire department was called and they eventually extinguished the fire which started under the hood of the car. The jaws of life were used to cut the hood of the car loose to fully extinguish the fire. The car is destroyed. There is no fixing it. Marion, Virginia Fire Department extinguished the fire and stated that a report could be obtained but they were positive the fire started in the engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2001 Buick Regal engine problems
86 complaints (46% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 111,000.
- owner complaints
- 86
- of this car's complaints
- 46%
- typical mileage
- 111,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 3
Which part fails
- Exhaust system3
- Engine3
- Engine: gasoline2
- Cooling system2
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Buick Regal engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Buick Regal engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 to address the possibility that engine oil may drip onto the hot exhaust manifold.
- Risk
- Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
- Remedy
- The remedy applied under recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, and 15V‑201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V‑118, 09V‑116, or 15V‑201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1‑800‑442‑6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Recall number 15V701000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking.
- Risk
- If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537, and pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 or http://www.pontiac.com or http:www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V116000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 buick regal and pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l supercharged v-6 engine. These vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage.
- Risk
- Certain underhood fires may be caused by drops of engine oil, from seepage or spillage, being deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and, in some instances, the fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and front-valve-cover gasket with new parts of an improved design and remove the engines plastic cover and plastic oil-fill-tube extension, along with the 1-3-5 spark plug wire retainers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. , free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during may 2016. Until the remedy is completed, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions (1) that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, car port, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle. The dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080 or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668, or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V118000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Engine compartment fire
By letter dated march 12, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (identified by the federal safety agency recall number 08v‑118) to address a defect in approximately 207,542 model year (my) 1997-2003 buick regal gs and pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the l67 supercharged version of gm's 3800 series ii v6 engine.the recalled regal gs vehicles were built from august 1996 to june 2003 and the grand prix gtp from march 1996 through january 2003.according to gm, oil may escape past the valve cover gasket on the front cylinder bank (cylinders 1-3-5) and deposit onto hot exhaust system components.under certain conditions, it is possible for this oil to ignite a small pilot flame, which may spread to the adjacent plastic spark plug wire channel, the spark plug wires themselves, the plastic engine cover, and other under hood components.reports indicate this most often occurs on higher-mileage vehicles shortly after the vehicle has been driven and then parked.typically, the fire was discovered within 5 to 15 minutes after the vehicle was parked.during this time window, under hood temperatures may become elevated.such elevated temperatures combined with a lack of airflow through the engine compartment may permit a small pilot flame to propagate and ignite other fuel sources.to correct the safety defect, gm will install an improved design front valve cover gasket and spark plug wire retainer.this remedy will be suppliedfree of charge for all recalled vehicles.until sufficient parts become available to repair all of the affected vehicles, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions: (1) they strongly recommend that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, carport, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle - the dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; and (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual.the action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.the subject fire incident rate on the c-, g-, and h-platform subject vehicles is low.the agency will continue to monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.accordingly, this investigation is closed.see document file for additional information regarding this resume.
EA07008
What 2001 Buick Regal owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My car lit on fire under the hood
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 buick regal. While the vehicle was idling flames appeared from under the hood. No injuries were reported. The cause was undetermined. The contact stated that while parked with the engine on flames were suddenly present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. A fire department and police department reports were taken at the scene. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The VIN look up indicated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency recall campaign: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Losing oil not visible, appears to be valve cover gasket, oil pan, hose. Adding a quart a month.
Recall fixed the front valve cover and the rear one should of been done also due to the leaking of oil that could potentially start a fire from leaking on the block and possibly burn on the exhaust manifold.
I was driving doing almost 50 when it shut off with no warning the steering wheel locked up the brakes were not working. The first time this happened I just let the car coast to a stop, the second time was exactly the same except I put the car in neutral while I still had a good bit of speed and crunk it back up. The car always crank right back up with no problem and drives fine. I've change my fuses and certain lights (low tire, low coolant, check engine)on the dashboard won't go off and I just recently had my car inspected in which it passed
I bought this car a year ago. Today I tried to crank the car while sitting in my yard a big boom happened and the car engine caught on fire. The plastic covering melted off the engine as well as some of the back part of the engine it was engulfed in flames. The recalls associated manufacturer recall numbern150757 the federal safety agency recall number15v701
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 buick regal. While driving approximately 65 MPH and pulling into a parking lot, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. The contact exited the vehicle and ran into ferry facility to call the fire department. The contact stated that by the time the fire department arrived at the scene, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The contact was not sure whether a fire report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and the remnant was towed away. There were no injuries. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. Approximately seven months later, the contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 170,000. Parts distribution disconnect. *bf
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 buick regal. While the vehicle was parked on a local street, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A passerby noticed the vehicle was on fire and contacted the fire and police departments. A fire and a police report were filed. The cause of the fire was not determined. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
Takata recall... While driving in our city all instrument panel light went to flashing and the gauges were quivering, bells went off and my car died right there in the traffic while going 25 MPH. I had my daughter and grandson in the car with me and by the grace of god we avoided an accident. Car wouldn't restart for about 10 minutes but eventually did with the same thing happening with the instrument panel. Daughter got the car off the road. Husband got the car home and left it. It wouldn't start back the next day but after continually trying it eventually started but had a horrible grinding noise and the instrument panel still going crazy. Husband called our local garage while I started a search on the web for possible explanations. I came across others with the same complaint as we were experiencing and found that their problem was the ignition switch. Our local garage suggested we look for ground wire problems. I watched a video of a car doing the same thing mine was doing, that person replaced the ignition switch and all was well. I read and watched a video of where one said to turn on the flashers or headlights before try to start the car, this allowed the car to start with no problems. Tried it and it worked. One other thing without the flashers or headlights on, the sifter is locked and will not come out of park. Called our local dealership about a recall and was laughed at and spoken to as if I was a child. She said if there was a problem with the ignition switch and 1 person had a complaint there would have been a recall. I told her there was plenty documentation on youtube to go watch it. I am reading many that are calling this as a "death trap" and that some have died because of this problem.
Questions about the 2001 Buick Regal engine
Does the 2001 Buick Regal have engine problems?
Owners have filed 86 complaints about the engine of the 2001 Buick Regal, 46% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2001 Buick Regal engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 111,000 miles.
Is there a recall for the 2001 Buick Regal engine?
Yes, 3 recalls: 15V701000, 09V116000, 08V118000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
Other 2001 Buick Regal problems
Electrical 32Steering 14Acceleration 13Brakes 12Transmission 11Airbags 8Body 7Fuel system 7Visibility 7Lights 6Tires 5Seat belts 2Suspension 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1Seats 1Wheels 1
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