Are Buicks Reliable? Buick Reliability by Model
Buick reliability varies significantly by model year. Among the 6 Buick models analyzed, the Verano has the fewest flagged years at 0, while the Enclave has the most at 5. The sharpest single-year spike belongs to the Regal, whose worst year logged up to 8.7× its own median complaint rate. Because complaint totals are not adjusted for vehicle sales, this analysis identifies strong and weak years within each model — it does not rank Buick models against one another.
Analysis by CarWhere Research · Updated August 28, 2026 · Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall campaigns · Data as of July 2026 · How we rate model years · Download the dataset (CSV)
5,823 NHTSA complaints
model years flagged on federal data
Verano
Buick problem areas by service-bulletin volume
The vehicle systems drawing the most federal service-bulletin (TSB) filings across the 6 Buick models we analyze — a volume signal of where the manufacturer issues the most fix guidance. These are TSB counts by NHTSA component category, not owner-complaint counts.
Buick reliability by model
| Model | Complaints | Years to avoid | Best years | Worst year vs. its avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Lacrosse | 1,245 | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 | 2015, 2016 and 2017 | 2.4× |
| Buick Enclave | 2,470 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014 | 2021 and 2023 | 4.6× |
| Buick Regal | 635 | 2011, 2012 and 2013 | — | 8.7× |
| Buick Encore | 585 | 2019 | 2020 | 1.6× |
| Buick Verano | 439 | None | 2015 | — |
| Buick Lucerne | 449 | 2008 and 2009 | — | 2.8× |
Counts are raw federal filings (NHTSA owner complaints), not adjusted for sales volume. A model year is flagged when its severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — never a comparison against other brands. Follow any model for its full year-by-year verdict. Full methodology.
Where Buick owners report the most trouble
Buick Regal: 3 model years flagged to avoid (2011, 2012 and 2013) — the worst logged up to 8.7× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Buick Enclave: 5 model years flagged to avoid (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014) — the worst logged up to 4.6× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Buick Lucerne: 2 model years flagged to avoid (2008 and 2009) — the worst logged up to 2.8× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Cleanest Buick records: the Verano carries no model year flagged to avoid in the current federal data.
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FAQ
Are Buicks reliable?
Buick reliability varies sharply by model year, not by badge. Among the 6 most-documented Buick models, 5 carry at least one model year we flag to avoid on NHTSA complaint and recall data — the Verano has the fewest flagged years (0) and the Enclave the most (5). These are raw federal complaint counts, not adjusted for how many vehicles Buick sold, so they can't be read as a single cross-brand reliability score — use the per-model, per-year verdicts below.
Which Buick model years should I avoid?
The Buick models carrying the most flagged years are the Enclave (5 flagged years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014); the Lacrosse (5 flagged years: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013); the Regal (3 flagged years: 2011, 2012 and 2013). A flag means that model year's severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — it is not a comparison against other models or brands. See each model's page for the full year-by-year verdict.
Which Buick models have the fewest flagged years?
Among Buick models with enough federal complaint history to rate, the Verano carries no model year flagged to avoid. That is not a cross-model reliability ranking — complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — and a thin record is never counted as a clean one: model years with too little data rate "insufficient" instead.
How do I check a specific Buick before buying?
Start with the free Buick window sticker lookup at carwhere.com/window-sticker/buick to confirm the exact trim and factory options, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report for that VIN — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for the exact model year plus a market price check from verified buyers. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Sources & data notes
All figures are drawn from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation — the public NHTSA owner-complaints data and safety recall campaigns — across the 6 most-documented Buick models and every model year on record for each. Retrieved July 2026. Counts are raw federal filings and are not adjusted for the number of vehicles sold or registered, so they cannot be read as a single cross-brand reliability ranking; each model year's verdict compares it only against the rest of that model's own history. Full scoring at the methodology page.
Suggested citation
CarWhere Research. "Buick Reliability by Model & Year: NHTSA Complaint and Recall Analysis." Based on 5,823 NHTSA owner complaints across 6 Buick models, model years 2008–2025. Updated August 28, 2026. https://www.carwhere.com/research/reliability/buick
This dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to CarWhere Research and a link to this page.
Download the dataset (CSV) — per-model complaint totals, flagged years and verdict counts for every brand we cover (version 2026-08-28).