2003 Buick Regal: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Aug 4, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · IL · fire

I backed the car in drive and the guages were normal. When I got out I saw a small amount of smoke coming from under car but within a minute there were flames coming from under the car and within a few minutes the flames were above the car. I called 911 when I saw flames and knew I wasn't going to be able to put the fire out myself. The fire dept arrived, it took them at least 30 minutes to put the fire out. A county deputy arrived and there is a police report (I tried to upload it and it failed each time). The damage has been inspected by an insurance representative from the owner of the house (upload failed.

Filed Aug 3, 2020 · Engine · AR · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle repeatedly shut off without warning after multiple attempts. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact's friend opened the vehicle's hood and discovered that the engine was engulfed in flames. The police and fire department were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished. Police and fire reports were filed at the scene, no injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. Two months later, the contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency recall number: 09v116(engine and engine cooling) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer nor the dealer were notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Dec 26, 2018 · Seats · MN

My daughter was sitting in the passenger front seat. The seat kept heating up almost unbearable. The next day car was off all night my battery died and the heated seat was still hot never shut off all night long I found a sensor under the seat and unplugged that but am nervous of my driver seat also she has newborn baby was with us and the seat definitely could have started on fire very disturbing also very dangerous.

Filed Jun 4, 2018 · Engine · 258,200 miles · MN

Recall #15757 was performed by dealer on 2/24/2016. The vehicle at the time of the repair had 255,300 miles on it when I took it to the dealer (brookdale chevrolet buick.gmc on 5/30/18 when I took it back to the dealer for oil dripping on the manifold it had 258,200. There is smoke coming from under the hood. We had it in storage after the repair and took it out this spring. The wife said it smoked and then I drove it and I had a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. Since the repair we only put 2,900 miles on the vehicle. Surely if the repair was done correctly we shouldn't be worrying about our safety. The car can't be driven as is. The dealer flatly said they were no longer responsible for any more repairs unless I pay them $1,100 to replace the valve cover and valve cover gasket. The car is registered at the dealer under nl companies because I have a rental. They can't seem to put it under my name. I can appreciate their reluctance to redo the repairs but there is no way oil should be leaking again on the manifold after 2.900 miles. They wrote down the wrong mileage on their 5/30/18 invoice. There should be 4 documents attached if I did it correctly.

Filed Aug 3, 2016 · Engine · 188,000 miles · PA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After parking the vehicle, smoke appeared under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. A fire report was not filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 188,000.

Filed Jan 29, 2016 · Engine · 136,000 miles · MT · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. While driving 70 MPH, the contact noticed smoke under the hood. The contact was able to pull the vehicle over and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the contact, a construction crew, and the local fire department. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine); however, the part to do the repair was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.

Filed Jan 8, 2016 · Engine · 194,000 miles · GA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After driving the vehicle and parking, the driver noticed a burning odor. The driver lifted the hood and discovered flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called to the home. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 194,000. The consumer received a recall notice, regarding the possibility of an engine fire. Updated 01/19/16.

Filed Jan 5, 2016 · Engine · 156,000 miles · PA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 buick regal. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, he noticed gray smoke was coming from the side of the hood. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police and fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine, engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.

Filed Dec 18, 2015 · Engine · 185,000 miles · GA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 buick regal. The contact stated that while parked, the contact was notified that the vehicle was on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.

Filed Dec 17, 2015 · Engine · 175,000 miles · NC · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact lifted the hood and noticed the engine had caught fire, which destroyed the engine and caused a failure with the cooling fans. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact was a certified mechanic and stated that the pressure return regulator, spark plug walls, and air conditioning unit were replaced. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v507000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that in the case of oil dripping into the hot surface of the exhaust, the vehicle may catch fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

Filed Dec 15, 2015 · Engine · NC · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. While driving 40 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal odor in the front of the vehicle. While parked, the vehicle made a loud nose and the vehicle caught fire under the hood. There were no injuries. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not towed or salvaged. There was no police report filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Nov 18, 2015 · Engine · 200,000 miles · ID · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick regal. After driving approximately 5 MPH and parking the vehicle, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The hood was opened and there was smoke. Approximately two weeks later while driving at approximately 5 MPH and then parking the vehicle, the contact was alerted that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact discovered that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v701000 (engine and engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. Updated 02/05/16*lj