Selling a junk Chevrolet Lumina
Any Lumina 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 Chevrolet Lumina
NHTSA has 1,890 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Lumina, model years 1995 to 2008, the 194th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine and cooling (257, 14%), brakes (220, 12%), steering (198, 10%). 170 complaints involved a crash, 33 a fire, and 2 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 87,056 miles. The 1995 model year has the most complaints (670). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine and cooling, 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 with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Chevrolet Lumina by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 670 | Visibility and wipers | 66 | 8 | 7 | 111,500 |
| 1996 | 312 | Engine and cooling | 34 | 3 | 3 | 102,000 |
| 1997 | 438 | Steering | 45 | 11 | 2 | 82,968 |
| 1998 | 276 | Steering | 12 | 6 | 4 | 97,063 |
| 1999 | 132 | Engine and cooling | 12 | 5 | 3 | 72,000 |
| 2000 | 36 | Transmission and drivetrain | 1 | 0 | 6 | 77,500 |
| 2001 | 25 | Suspension | 0 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2008 | 1 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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.
Chevrolet Lumina recalls
NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for brakes (4), seat belts (3), air bags (3). 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.
- 1998 model year, engine and cooling (campaign 15V701000, Oct 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo ve…
- 1998 model year, engine and cooling (campaign 09V116000, Apr 2009): GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 1,497,516 MY 1997-2003 BUICK REGAL, MY 1998-2003 CHEVROLET LUMINA, MONTE CARLO AND IMPALA, MY 1998-1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE, MY 1997-2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 3.8L V6 NA…
- 1995 model year, other (campaign 07E021000, Mar 2007): CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGUL…
- 1997 model year, steering (campaign 03V527000, Dec 2003): CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE RETAINERS COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.
- 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 02V329000, Dec 2002): ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND MINI VANS, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER AIR BAG THAT WAS MANUFACTURED WITHOUT A CHECK VALVE PIN. AN AIR BAG WITHOUT THE CHECK VALVE PIN COULD PRODUCE INCREASED …
What a Chevrolet Lumina is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Lumina 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 with a blown engine 
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 Chevrolet models
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- Chevrolet Impala 15,194
- Chevrolet Tahoe 12,433
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- Chevrolet Silverado 10,454
- Chevrolet Cobalt 10,115
- Chevrolet Trailblazer 9,175
All Chevrolet models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Lumina 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 Lumina gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Lumina 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 Chevrolet Lumina?
- 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 Chevrolet Lumina 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.