Exterior Lighting Problems of Buick Regal - part 1

There is a water seal leak around the driver side headlight. I have photos showing proof of standing water. It has now caused the headlight, left turn signal, and drivers side brake light to fail. My passenger side headlight is doing the same. I have no headlights, no driverside lights period. I drive 2 children around in this car and it's gotten very dangerous. I contacted gm, and the local dealership and they won't fix it. I'm a [xxx] and don't have the $3200-$5000 I was told the repair would be. It is a problem in certain gm models, Cadillac srx 2010-2015 having the same issue and the recall being fixed for those drivers. So, I have no choice but to drive around with no headlights, no left blinker, and no driver side brake light with two you children. I have to work and have no other options. It's a catastrophe waiting to happen, I live in the metropolitan area of atlanta, georgia. Please help me with this, I am terrified to drive this car around. I've had two people flag me down at a red light to let me know my brake light is out which is terribly dangerous and if it starts raining while I am out I have no headlights. This has become an emergency situation for me and my children. I have photo proof of the water pooling inside the headlight assembly. The seal is so bad that even covered the condensation pools inside the headlight. Please help me get a dealership to fix this issue. They want to charge me $275 for diagnostics and this is already and issue on this model car, reported by many drivers with the recall on the Cadillac. They need to fix it before I end up a casualty to this problem. Thank you so much. I can send a video of the emergency flasher and signal not working. I replaced the headlight in January and the new one never worked. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2012 Buick Regal 🔎.

2nd bad headlamp assembly that develops moisture and causes lamp to go out. First was passenger side now driver side.

Driver side headlamp draws moisture, keeps blowing bulbs at 104. 99 a pop. Water gets in the headlight assembly and shorts out the ballast. This happens even when driving down the road at random. It could be pitch black and suddenly you have no headlights and are forced to drive with only fog lamps.

See all problems of the 2011 Buick Regal 🔎.

Driver side hid headlight filling with condensation on lens and water collecting inside the headlight capsule where the wiring for the bulbs and ballast run through. Daytime running light now out and potential loss of headlight use is foreseen.

See all problems of the 2014 Buick Regal 🔎.

The driver headlight assembly has water in it and unable to fix it without replacing whole assembly that can be as much as $1500. The light bulb and valance was replaced. The valance was filled with water. The headlight still wouldn’t work. Upon further investigation there is a part sealed into the assembly that also has water in it with no way to get it out or replace. This is a safety risk since I am unable to see on driver side in dark without my light. There are no recalls but have found many complaints on same issue. The part water is in is sealed and shouldn’t have a way for to get in. The only fix is replacing entire assembly. I have no light at all on that side until fixed.

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!!!.

See all problems of the 2013 Buick Regal 🔎.

Left headlamp assembly and driver’s window regulator were replaced under warranty and now have reoccurred and both need replacing again. My car just reach 60k miles. This began 6 months ago so I haven’t been able to drive at night or during storms nor crack my window to talk to strangers. I am a realtor and feel my safety is at risk. This headlight problem was going on in 2011 & 2012 yet Buick continued to use this headlamp assembly, knowing it fills with moisture then blows the bulb & fuse. With all the online complaints, I am shocked that our government has not forced Buick to do a recall. I could kill someone or hit something with only one headlight!!!! very concerned when my 4-year-old grandson is in my car too! both problems are on the driver’s side and both keep reoccurring. The headlight assembly is almost $2k to replace. How many times am I going to have to pay for this reoccurring safety issue that Buick knew they should have redesigned years earlier? I may be reached cindy o’hara 839 via formia punta gorda, FL 33950 941-661-6797.

The contact owns a 2012 Buick Regal. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, he became aware that the electrical system was not functioning properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the body control module. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA campaign number: 12v093000 (exterior lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 16,000.

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.

Condensation gets into headlight assembly and shorts out hid headlight. Issue occurred with drivers and passenger headlights. Car will not have headlights because of short. Thus causing a safety issue.

I purchased my 2015 Buick in may of 2015. At about December of 2017 the drivers hid head light was breached and moisture crept in creating an inner fog and eventually a puddle of water. In the falloff 2018 the same thing happened on the passengers side. I've removed both head assemblies and tried to fix the problem with very little success. Now I am looking at replacing both lamp assemblies at a cost of $2200 not counting labor.

See all problems of the 2015 Buick Regal 🔎.

Moisture has been collecting in both headlight assemblies for the past 3 years, whenever the car is outside or driven in the rain. Recently, this caused both high/low beam headlights to burn out. Replacing the bulbs is not enough, as the bulbs immediately burn out/smoke and blow out because of the water accumulation. On the driver side headlight, there was actually standing water in the headlight assembly that came pouring out when the cover was removed to replace the bulb. Dealership says both headlight assemblies must be replaced entirely to resolve the issue, due to corrosion. The vehicle has never been in an accident (there are no cracks from collision, etc. ). This appears to be a manufacturing defect or an issue with seal. This is a crazy expensive repair, to have to have the entire headlights replaced on the vehicle, on both sides, because they are not properly sealed/allow condensation and accumulation of water to take place. Can gm please cover the cost of this? otherwise, this might be the last gm car I ever buy. . . This is also a major safety issue, as one must have working headlamps. Without an entirely new headlight assembly on each side, the lightbulbs, when replaced, burn out unexpectedly almost immediately, within weeks of replacement.

Driver side headlight assembly condensation. Heavy condensation is continuous and never clears up. No visible cracks or broken seals. Upon investigation, this seems to be an issue with Buick. There are numerous complaints among owners. The condensation diminishes the effectiveness of the headlight and limits the vision while driving.

After heavy rain in mid-September 2022, both headlights just stopped working. The dashboard will usually display a warning or pop up symbol that something is not working, but I had no warning and got pulled over driving at dusk with no headlights. There has been been other issues with this vehicle too! the other issues include: bluetooth connection not working at all, the transmission has “jerking” issues while changing gears and the engine revving too high while only going 30mph while driving in suburban massachusetts. The car has less than 70k miles, these issues should not be happening. The main issue is the headlights, considering they cost around $200/ea and just stopped working with no notice.

My head lamps have water in them, and is making my lights too dim to.

See all problems of the 2016 Buick Regal 🔎.

I was driving on a back road when my car started smoking and blazed up on passenger side headlights an I see were people have been saying this was seriously fire issue now I'm out of work no car and I was only owner fa 5 months.

Drivers side headlight has condensation in it & stopped working. Vehicle hasn’t been involved in any accidents or incidents that would have caused this. Dealer advised of the problem while performing oil change.

Moisture in headlights causes light to fail while driving .

Both headlights have condensation and are not working.

Condensation in drivers headlight caused headlight malfunction. I have seen multiple posts regarding this issue that have not been addressed. Serious safety issue. No warning lights or indicators tell you light has malfunctioned either.

The driver side headlamp assembly has a faulty seal which allows water to leak inside the housing under normal daily conditions. When this happens the water leaks down through the assembly where the headlight ballast is mounted, causing water to collect in the ballast, and killing it (making the headlight go out) as well as the electrical components that power the l. E. D. Daytime running lights also making those stop functioning. There is no quick and easy fix for this, as the headlamp assembly must be replaced to restore the headlight because even replacing the burned out ballast will only provide light temporarily again until that too is again destroyed by water. Because there is no good alternative available with an aftermarket replacement, I was forced to purchase an entirely new assembly which cost $1,505 and took months to save and be able to afford. This is a manufacturing flaw that should have been recalled and addressed. My warranty does not cover any damage due to water, so I had to pay for this myself, along with many many other people with the same issue. Having my headlight randomly stop working was a dangerous situation to be put into.

I purchased the 2016 Buick Regal used in 2021 with 40,000 miles. , it now has close to 70,000 miles. It’s still in well cared for mint condition, except for the driver side headlight. Condensation appeared and has been getting worse, dealership says the only option is buying another complete headlight assembly for $1200. 00. The led part of that headlight has stopped working. , it’s inevitable that the bulbs themselves with fail also. This is a safety issue. It’s absurdly cost prohibitive for me and most everybody else to spend that kind of money to fix a headlight. . , and $1200. 00 is the cost of the part alone, we’d be adding labor to that. This is a manufacturer defect that so many people are suffering with. They say we’re getting no relief from this because not enough people have filed complaints to the NHTSA. Gm should be compelled to provide this part to us at a much more reasonable price. I’m just a poor widower dad with a daughter in college. Thank you.

Water leaking into both front headlights results in dimming of headlights making it hard to see during nighttime driving and a real concern that the hid ballast wiring will short out causing complete loss of headlight operational function. There are many reports online of customers complaining that their hid headlights blew out due to water leakage and they were unable to see properly during nighttime driving. This is huge safety issue. Dealer confirmed fault with both front headlight assemblies and verified significant water leakage into headlight assemblies. Customer called gm customer service where issue was escalated to senior advisor. Senior advisor was unable to offer any cost assistance to customer despite significant safety concerns, due to vehicle age of 5 years and 2 months. Total cost approximately $2300.

I previously reported an issue with a he condensation in the driver side headlight which every one of these models with the hid headlights has this issue. Now it is becoming a safety issue as both headlights are doing it and are randomly going off while driving I almost hit a telephone pole with my infant in the car this is an extremely common issue with these vehicles and Buick has no fix they even stopped producing the replacement headlights this is an extremely dangerous issue I’ve made both nhsta and Buick aware of these issues and if nothings done to rectify them and something happens I will pursue legal action.

The contact owns a 2012 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the driver’s side headlight assembly developed condensation inside causing the light bulb to blow out. The contact indicated that the entire headlight assembly needed to be replaced to fix the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and the local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact's uncle owns a 2012 Buick Regal. The contact stated that the front headlights were burned out. The contact was unsure whether there was warning light illuminated. The contact did not provide further information. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who diagnosed that there was condensation in the frontal headlights and that the front headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Drivers side lightbulb has been changed multiple times. Noticeable condensation in light itself. Driving at night and lights went out completely. Had to drive with only fog lights on. Issue happens sporadically and without warning so it is hard to address.

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Regal. The contact stated that after a rainstorm, moisture entered the driver’s side headlight housing causing the bulb to blow. The contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 12v484000 (exterior lighting) which he linked to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Front headlamp burned out due to moisture in the assembly. There is an issue with the ballast in the headlamp assembly for the turbo model. The seal may be faulty due to the headlamp shorting out except for the daytime running lights. I realized that it had malfunctioned and there was moisture in the assembly itself. My repair shop quoted $1500. 00 for the repair/replacement as the whole assebly needs to be replaced. This is definitely a safety hazard and a common one for this make and model. This should be a recall due to the faulty headlamp assembly.

Headlight housing leaks water into headlight. This appears to be a problem with this vehicle as I read numerous complaints about this.

I purchased a cpo 2017 Buick Regal sports touring edition on 11/13/2020. On 12/12/2020 I took it to get washed at a hand carwash as I do with all my vehicles. I had to wait for my real license plate to arrive as the paper/temp one would have been ruined. After the car was finished, I noticed that there was a substantial amount of condensation with in my passenger side headlamp. After arriving home, I researched and found this is a known issue that has been going on for approx. 10 years with these specific vehicles. I went and look at the car again and found there to be a crack in the housing which appears to me to be a manufacturing defect. This is most definitely a safety hazard as my research shows that it has been blowing peoples ballast and bulb causing a dangerous situation for both driver, passenger and others around including pedestrians. It also shows that wires with these head assemblies have been melting make it more likely as a potential fire hazard. I check the driver side as well and it appears to be on the verge of cracking as well as the pictures show.

See all problems of the 2017 Buick Regal 🔎.

Faulty headlamp allowing water to accumulate and short out ballast. This is a $1300 part that should not be going out like this.

Condensation inside both headlights. We didn't notice the problem until we moved from the warm west coast weathe to the midwest where the climate is colder.

The headlight area had condensation in it that resulted in water in the headlight. This caused the headlight to go dark. This is a safety issue as one of my headlights is not working. I can’t see that section of the road or adjacent sidelines. Very dangerous particularly at this time of year with deer running into road from the side. There are many other Regal owners with this problem which can be verified by googling the problem. This is the second time the light has failed for condensation. Other drivers and pedestrians are at risk because they cannot be seen with the headlight out. Headlight was replaced once and has failed again. Cost to repair 2 years ago $1600 new estimate $1800. This is for one headlight but recommended to replace both.

Issue with the condensation/water getting inside our hid headlights. Have replaced once and now they are both full of water again. Dealer refuses to cover as a defect. Very expensive to repair. Huge safety issue because lights can fail at any time going down a dark road! safety to thers as they may not see me coming.