Selling a junk Buick Rainier
Any Rainier sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
Step 3 of 3 · Get your offer
Prefer an instant online offer?
Peddle quotes online in every state and arranges the pickup. You give your details to Peddle, not to us.
If you sell through this link, Junk Cars Nation may earn a referral fee. It doesn't change your offer.
What owners report about the Buick Rainier
NHTSA has 525 owner complaints on file for the Buick Rainier, model years 2003 to 2007, the 386th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are electrical system (147, 28%), fuel system (75, 14%), lights (57, 11%). 33 complaints involved a crash, 24 a fire, and 3 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 70,066 miles. The 2004 model year has the most complaints (205). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is electrical system, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car that doesn't run: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Buick Rainier by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 205 | Electrical system | 17 | 5 | 2 | 65,215 |
| 2005 | 158 | Electrical system | 14 | 9 | 1 | 70,000 |
| 2006 | 117 | Fuel system | 2 | 7 | 7 | 76,051 |
| 2007 | 44 | Fuel system | 0 | 3 | 5 | 63,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Buick Rainier recalls
NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (3), visibility and wipers (3), electrical system (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2006 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 15V599000, Sep 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver…
- 2006 model year, lights (campaign 15V519000, Aug 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, 2006-200…
- 2006 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 14V404000, Jul 2014): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Flu…
- 2006 model year, electrical system (campaign 13V248000, Jun 2013): General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid m…
- 2006 model year, electrical system (campaign 12V406000, Aug 2012): General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles, originally sold o…
What a Buick Rainier is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Rainier on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Buick models
- Buick Lesabre 3,868
- Buick Enclave 3,230
- Buick Regal 3,183
- Buick Lacrosse 2,926
- Buick Century 1,833
- Buick Rendezvous 1,798
- Buick Park Avenue 1,369
- Buick Lucerne 1,332
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Buick Rainier worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Rainier gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Buick Rainier that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Buick Rainier?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Buick Rainier numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.