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Model file · GMCUpdated · 13 sources

Selling a GMC Envoy that won't run

As of October 10, 2026, GMC Envoy owners had sent NHTSA 110 complaints describing a fire, 192 describing a crash, and reports of 11 deaths. Of the 3,527 Envoy complaints overall, the electrical system (822) and the gasoline fuel system (653) come up most.

A white GMC Envoy Denali SUV parked in a shopping-center lot, seen from the front corner
Photo: IFCAR · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Model years in EPA data
2002-2009
Complaints to NHTSA
3,527
Complaints reporting a fire
110
Year with the most complaints
2004 (718)
Component named most
Electrical system (822)
Recall campaigns
28
Engine (2002-2009)
4.2 L LL8 inline-six

GM stopped the Envoy during the 2009 model year, so every one left is at least that old. If yours has quit, sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

The Envoy, briefly

Wikipedia lists two generations. The first (1998-2000) was a 4.3-liter V6 sibling of the S-10 Blazer, built in Moraine, Ohio. The second (2002-2009) is the one EPA's data covers. It ran a 4.2-liter inline-six, came as the Envoy, the longer seven-seat Envoy XL and the Envoy XUV, and added a Denali version for 2005. Moraine built the regular Envoy; Oklahoma City built the XL and XUV.

When Oklahoma City closed, the XL was dropped and the Acadia took over its role. Moraine ended production on December 23, 2008, with a white GMC Envoy as its final vehicle. The Envoy also got a Poor rating in the IIHS frontal offset crash test.

What owners reported, system by system

Read these as owner reports to NHTSA rather than a reliability grade. Envoys from the final model years also spent less time in service before this tally.

Electrical, heaviest on 2003-2006

The 2004 has the most complaints of any Envoy year, 718, and 288 of them name the electrical system. From 2002 to 2006, the electrical system sits in the top three every year, with 745 complaints in all. Two early recalls touch it. 03V096000 reprograms the instrument cluster on 2002 SUVs. 04V046000 fixes 2002-2003 wipers that won't turn on, stop mid-use or switch on by themselves.

Fuel system, 2003-2007

Complaints naming the gasoline fuel system total 611 on the 2003 to 2007 models. The 2006 has 210 of them, and it also has 29 complaints reporting a fire, more than any other year. On the 2002, recall 02V121000 replaced fuel filter retainers: a loose fitting could leave the SUV unable to start while fuel pumped out of the filter.

Driver's door switches, 2006-2007

Per Wikipedia, GM's 2012 recall pulled in more than 258,000 SUVs across the U.S. and Canada because power window and door lock switches could short and start fires. NHTSA lists three campaigns for 2006-2007 Envoys: 12V406000, 13V248000 and 14V404000. In each, fluid can get into the driver's door module. Their 278,174, 193,652 and 184,611 vehicles include the TrailBlazer, Rainier, Isuzu Ascender and Saab 9-7x, not just Envoys.

Lights

Exterior lighting is named in 200 complaints, 60 of them on the 2007. Recall 04V527000 covers 2002-2004 tail and stop lamp bulbs that loosen from heat and vibration. Recall 15V519000 replaces the headlamp driver module on 2006-2007 models; its 429,170 vehicles include Buick and Pontiac cars.

2002: the launch year

The 2002 has 15 recall campaigns, the most of any Envoy year, and 567 complaints led by the power train (82) and engine cooling (77). One campaign, 01V334000, recalibrated the 4WD transfer case module.

Complaints and recalls by model year

These are NHTSA complaint counts pulled October 10, 2026. One campaign covering 2002-2004 appears in each of those three rows, so adding up the last column gives the wrong total. Five complaints sit under 2001, before EPA's Envoy years.

Model yearComplaintsCrashesFiresDeathsNamed mostRecall campaigns
20015000Electrical (2)1
200256744152Power train (82)15
200363854115Electrical (115)9
200471835181Electrical (288)2
200562428142Fuel system (180)2
200660316291Fuel system (210)8
200727810190Fuel system (64)5
200877540Electrical and lighting (14 each)0
200917000Exterior lighting (6)0

Selling the Envoy whole

  1. Write down the VIN, mileage, whether it's an Envoy, XL or XUV, and 2WD or 4WD.
  2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
  3. Describe the spot it's in and if the wheels still turn. If it burned or won't go into Neutral, tell us so the right truck comes.
  4. Keep it whole. The inline-six, the converter and the wheels should stay on, and tell us about anything that's already been removed.
  5. Bring out the title and your ID when the tow truck shows up. After you sell covers plates and insurance by state.

Should you fix it first?

Put a written quote next to what a running Envoy of the same year brings. On an SUV this old, the quote often wins.

  • Wiring faults or dead switches? The electrical problems guide covers how to weigh them.
  • Smell of fuel, or it already caught fire? Park it away from buildings and read fire damage.
  • 2006-2007? Run the VIN at NHTSA. Open door module work is free.

Looking at other GMC SUVs? See the Jimmy it replaced, the Terrain that followed it, the Acadia, or every GMC we cover.

Questions people ask

Which Envoy model years have the most NHTSA complaints?
The 2004 leads with 718 in NHTSA's October 10, 2026 count, followed by the 2003 (638), the 2005 (624), the 2006 (603) and the 2002 (567). The 2008 and 2009 have far fewer: 77 and 17.
Was my Envoy part of the door switch fire recall?
If it's a 2006 or 2007 Envoy, or a 2006 Envoy XL, it may be. Three campaigns (12V406000, 13V248000 and 14V404000) dealt with fluid getting into the driver's door module. They also covered the TrailBlazer, Rainier, Ascender and Saab 9-7x. To learn if an Envoy got that fix, search its VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Can I sell an Envoy that already burned?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, fire-damaged ones included. Sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Tell us how much of it burned.
Do you take the Envoy XL and XUV too?
Yes. EPA lists the Envoy, Envoy XL and Envoy XUV in 2WD and 4WD, and we take any of them whole.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), GMC Envoy, downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  2. EPA fuel economy data: GMC Envoy, Envoy XL and Envoy XUV fueleconomy.gov
  3. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 01V334000: transfer case module calibration, 2002 nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 02V121000: fuel filter fitting, 2002 nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 03V096000: instrument cluster reprogramming, 2002 nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 04V046000: windshield wiper module, 2002-2003 nhtsa.gov
  8. NHTSA recall 04V527000: tail and stop lamp bulbs, 2002-2004 nhtsa.gov
  9. NHTSA recall 12V406000: power window and door lock switches, 2006-2007 nhtsa.gov
  10. NHTSA recall 13V248000: driver's door module, 2006-2007 nhtsa.gov
  11. NHTSA recall 14V404000: driver's door module, 2006-2007 nhtsa.gov
  12. NHTSA recall 15V519000: headlamp driver module, 2006-2007 nhtsa.gov
  13. Wikipedia: GMC Envoy (generations, engine, plants, 2012 recall, end of production) en.wikipedia.org