Second time, the car has basically shut down. Brake assist, ABS and traction control lights on. Stabilitrak Service light. Had to slow down to 25 miles an hour because it was shaking so bad and limped it home. Last time they said it was a bearing in one of the tires. Also states said it has multiple misfires. Having it towed tomorrow to see what it is now.
Buick Regal abs comes on
103 of the 2,973 owner complaints about the Buick Regal describe aBS light or ABS activating, most of them for the 1991 model year.
- owner complaints
- 103
- worst model year
- 1991
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,030
- typical mileage
- 62,000
Is there a fix? There are 7 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Brake failure 16Warning lights 8Check engine light 8Stalling 6Grinding brakes 5Power steering loss 4Loss of power 4Wipers 2
Trouble codes mentioned
U1016 1U1000 1C1286 1C1265 1C1225 1B2958 1B2957 1B1422 1
What owners say
Driving on the highway and abs, stabltrack and steering lights came on. This is the third time in 2 years that a wheel bearing failed on this vehicle. A magnet ring in the wheel bearing that sensors wheel speed failed and fractured causing a loss of power steering, abs, and traction control.
I was driving and all of a sudden my power steering light came on telling me to drive with care. The wheel tightened up within seconds my abs lights on, no all wheel drive, stabilize for tracation went off. All safety equipment went hairwired. We looked up the part and found out that there was a recall on the steering power prior however everyone is telling us not for our car. I only had it for less than 3 years. The car was manufactured in Sept of 2015 which was part of the recall but they said it wasn't the style car. I had to have it towed back home. This seems like a serious problem for this vehicle and GM should fix this problem before someone gets hurt or worse.
Out of know where my breaking system just decided to stop my automobile. I had brought my car back to the dealership proximally 10 times and it started about a month after I purchased it for the same problems. My new ABS system makes a loud noise once it decides to go on. I know that sometimes for example going under a bridges or going around curves could activate my system. There is absolutely no warning when this car decides to stop on its own, it happen even when there isn't cars, or curves it's just decides to slam on the brakes to stop. It when there nothing in front of my car. I don't line is this one of the apples it scares the [xxx] out of me. You can go from 50 miles an hour to zero without any warning. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 buick regal. The contact stated that the brake and ABS warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent facility for diagnostic testing and failure codes: c1265 (rear ABS motor circuit shorted to ground) and c1286 (ebcm/ebtcm failed to illuminate the red brake warning indicator) were located. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (don brown chevrolet, 2244 s kings highway blvd, st. Louis, mo 63110, (314) 282-7887) where it was determined that the codes indicated that there was a rear motor short to the ground and the electric brake control module activated the brake warning indicators. Further diagnostic testing would be performed by the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick regal. The contact stated that the brake pedal was extremely difficult to depress. The ABS and brake indicators illuminated several times. The dealer (fremont chevrolet buick gmc, 1401 n federal blvd, riverton, wy 82501, (307) 240-3110) diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic for further diagnostic testing. The independent mechanic took pictures of the failure, which showed that a bolt fractured and impacted the engine and braking system. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls and the vehicle was out of warranty by six months. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
On 1997-2004 "w platform" gm autos, including my regal, the ABS sensor design is flawed in that it's wiring is located in an exposed location at the inside bottom of the wheel hub that any road ditritus can impact, causing the track system off dash light to come on and ABS braking to fail. I am now on my 6th replacement incident since 2006, when it happened the 1st time. (2 each on the front wheel hubs and 1 on a rear. Do not know at this time which wheel is involved this time,) every time the little sensor wire breaks or gets cut & you can't just fix the wire, it requires a total replacement of the wheel hub and costs nearly $500 a pop. The wire is ridiculously easy to damage just by driving through plow drift in the driveway or hitting small tree branch detritus on the road that bounces off the undercarriage and snags the wire. Most commonly it breaks inside the insulation and intermitently shorts out when it gets wet, (& disappears when it dries out again) causing the ABS system to stutter when braking, & making it even more expensive to diagnose before fixing (an extra $129). Since it's a common (& frequent) dangerous safety defect on all "w platform" gm vehicles from '97-'04, I find it curious that the ntsb hasn't ordered gm to find a fix for this long ago.
Vehicle had recall 12212"a" performed in oct of 2014 at delarship, this results in sometimes if not every time of a mis-calibrated brake position sensor. The mis-calibration results in my vehicle requiring the brake pedal to be depressed almost to the floor before the park position disengagement sensor is activated. It is at this point when the brake lights are activated. This extra pedal travel results in me being able to come to a rapid stop from 85 miles an hour on the freeway without any rear brake lights activating. The brake lights are not intermittent, they activate every time the pedal is pressed far enough, while driving this is only at the point when ABS would be activated under emergency braking. Buick/gmc is aware this is the case and issued recall 12212"b" on oct 11, 2016 which reads: "this bulliten has been revised to include a note before step 4 of the service procedure. Please discard all copies of bulliten 12212a." the note states: "the brake pedal position sensor calibration must be performed after the brake pedal position sensor,bcm,ECM, or hpcm have been serviced." buick/gmc has not informed drivers under the original 12212a recall that their brake lights will not activate because of this recall service and have refused to honor this newly updated procedure on my vehicle and shows as "complete" on nthtsa website. Bottom line the original botched 12212a results in brake lights not activating and anyone that had 12212a done should get 12212b notification and recall coverage.
Driving on highway at 70mph and car completely shut down almost causing a serious accident and dash board went haywire brakes locked and service stabiliktrack system and ABS assist warnings and it smelled like my car was on fire brakes locked steering and lost power totally shut down glad someone was in car to help me steer to side of road out of traffic had to have towed and there was a recall for this problem before apparently gm didnt get it right I could have died and they are refusing to repair problem since the previous owner had it done before I purchased it and there are other owners having same issues again
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: electric: control module: software
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Buick Regal vehicles. In the event of a vacuum-power brake assist failure, a software error in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may result in a loss of power brake assist. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 135, "Light vehicle brake systems."
- Risk
- A loss of power brake assist can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the EBCM software, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters advising owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 19, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Buick's customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 22V465000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
- Risk
- A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Recall number 18V576000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: drum
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with rear drum brakes. The bolt head(s) on the rear spindle rod can separate.
- Risk
- The rear wheel can shift, causing rear steering of the vehicle. The driver could lose control and a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear spindle bolts.
Recall number 00V143000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Some of these vehicles with the key in the "on" position, exhibit a condition in which the antilock brake system (ABS) motor shorts to its case and grounds through a flexible brake fluid pipe.
- Risk
- This short can cause extreme heating of the flexible brake pipe where it can melt a nearby flexible plastic fuel hose, which could result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a ground cable from the electronic brake control module (ebcm) to the engine compartment body rail.
Recall number 99V170000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The right front brake pipe can contact the piower steering assembly causing the brake line to wear through.
- Risk
- This condition can result in the loss of brake fluid and eventual loss of half of the vehicle brake system.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for proper clearance between the brake line and power steering assembly. Assemblies found to be out of position will be repositioned and all assemblies secured to maintain proper clearances. Additionally, those brake lines found to have been damaged will be replaced and properly routed.
Recall number 97V223000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- The left front brake line can contact the transaxle mounting bracket or attachment bolt.
- Risk
- This condition can cause the brake line to wear through, resulting in loss of brake fluid and eventual loss of one-half of the vehicle's brake system, increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicle for proper brake line clearance and reposition those brake lines found to have less than minimal clearance. Additionally, those brake lines found to have an indentation caused by the contact will be replaced and properly routed.
Recall number 96V069000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- The rear wheel brake hose(s) can contact the rear suspension components causing the brake hose(s) to wear through.
- Risk
- This condition can cause loss of brake fluid and eventual loss of the vehicle braking system increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for proper brake hose position and replace those hoses in an incorrect position with new hoses and correctly routed.
Recall number 95V061000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Regal abs
Why does the abs come on in the Buick Regal?
Owners who report it most often also describe brake failure, multiple warning lights and check engine light, and the codes they mention most are U1016, U1000 and C1286.
Which Buick Regal years have aBS light or ABS activating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1991 (19 complaints), 1994 (9 complaints) and 1999 (9 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ABS light or ABS activating on the Buick Regal?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,030 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Buick Regal?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history