Selling a junk Buick Regal
Any Regal 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.
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What owners report about the Buick Regal
NHTSA has 3,183 owner complaints on file for the Buick Regal, model years 1995 to 2020, the 138th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are electrical system (503, 16%), engine (421, 13%), engine and cooling (299, 9%). 138 complaints involved a crash, 306 a fire, and 90 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 81,025 miles. The 2011 model year has the most complaints (442). 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 Regal by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 218 | Air bags | 19 | 5 | 8 | 96,329 |
| 1996 | 273 | Brakes | 19 | 22 | 4 | 85,000 |
| 1997 | 174 | Steering | 3 | 19 | 8 | 107,000 |
| 1998 | 376 | Steering | 8 | 47 | 7 | 91,000 |
| 1999 | 301 | Engine | 8 | 51 | 8 | 89,477 |
| 2000 | 245 | Electrical system | 19 | 35 | 10 | 99,139 |
| 2001 | 229 | Engine | 7 | 55 | 8 | 95,000 |
| 2002 | 150 | Electrical system | 4 | 26 | 5 | 86,199 |
| 2003 | 139 | Electrical system | 7 | 18 | 5 | 97,987 |
| 2004 | 94 | Electrical system | 0 | 2 | 4 | 95,000 |
| 2005 | 8 | Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 1 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 1 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 2 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 442 | Engine | 13 | 14 | 4 | 70,000 |
| 2012 | 138 | Lights | 5 | 4 | 7 | 66,000 |
| 2013 | 137 | Lights | 12 | 4 | 6 | 61,200 |
| 2014 | 51 | Other | 3 | 0 | 2 | 48,863 |
| 2015 | 50 | Engine | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25,000 |
| 2016 | 61 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27,000 |
| 2017 | 26 | Brakes | 1 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 33 | Brakes | 8 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2019 | 31 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2020 | 3 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
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 Regal recalls
NHTSA lists 46 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (7), brakes (7), steering (6). 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.
- 2012 model year, suspension (campaign 26V113000, Feb 2026): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012–2013 Buick Regal Turbo and GS trim-level vehicles that were sold or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, M…
- 2018 model year, brakes (campaign 22V465000, Jun 2022): 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 po…
- 2012 model year, suspension (campaign 21V00F000, Dec 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indi…
- 2013 model year, suspension (campaign 21V633000, Aug 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,…
- 2012 model year, suspension (campaign 20V764000, Dec 2020): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indi…
What a Buick Regal is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Regal 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 Lacrosse 2,926
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- Buick Rendezvous 1,798
- Buick Park Avenue 1,369
- Buick Lucerne 1,332
- Buick Encore 910
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Buick Regal 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 Regal gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Buick Regal 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 Regal?
- 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 Regal 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.