2004 BUICK RAINIER Complaints

IN OCTOBER, 2003 I PURCHASED A NEW 2004 BUICK RAINIER. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT AND THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY DIMMED AND THEN CAME BACK UP. IT HAPPENED AT LEAST TWICE THAT NIGHT. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE FIXING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS AT THE SAME TIME SO WE ASSUMED IT WAS FIXED. LAST WEEK, OCTOBER 28, 2004, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OVER A DARK MOUNTAIN PASS WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OFF. THEY STAYED OFF FOR 2 TO 3 SECONDS BEFORE COMING BACK ON. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T CRASH BECAUSE THE LIGHTS OF A NEARBY SEMI KEPT ME FROM CRASHING INTO THE FREEWAY BARRIER. I FOLLOWED THE SEMI AFTER THAT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THEY WOULD GO OFF AGAIN. A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD, IN A NARROW ON-LANE CONSTRUCTION AREA THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMED SEVERAL TIMES BUT NEVER WENT COMPLETELY OUT. HEN I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY HE WAS ABSOLUTELY WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND UNDERSTOOD COMPLETELY HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS. BUT, THE GM REPRESENTATIVES AND CORPORATE OFFICE REFUSES TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN REPLICATED IN THE SHOP SO WILL NOT AUTHORIZE OUR DEALER TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THE DEALER HAS CALLED GM SEVERAL TIME AND I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES. GM BASICALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T CARE IF I DIED AND/OR KILLED OTHER PEOPLE AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. *AK

THERE ARE NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE. WHEN IT GETS DARK CONSUMER CANNOT SEE THE SPEED. THE DEALER STATES THEY CANNOT REPAIR THE DEFECT. MANUFACTURER INDICATES IT IS NORMAL.*AK

POWER MEMORY SEAT WENT TO EXIT POSITION IN VEHICLE AND WILL NOT RETURN TO DRIVING POSITION FORCING VEHICLE TO BE DRIVEN WITH SEAT ALL THE WAY BACK. MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO REACH PEDALS. RETURNED TO DEALER WHO HAD TO ORDER PART (SEAT TRACK). PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. CALLED GM AND ASKED THEM TO PROVIDE A PART FROM THE FACTORY, WHICH THEY WOULDN'T DO. TOLD ME I WOULD NEED TO WAIT UNTIL PARTS PROCESS LOCATED PART. VEHICLE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SWAYED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR LIGHTS FLASHED AND THE CONSUMER FOUND DIFFICULTLY STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSFER CASE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE VEHICLE WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. AS A RESULT, THE ENCODER SENSOR WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE TRANSFER CASE MODULE. THERE WAS AN OCCASION WHERE THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL. THE CONSUMER WOULD ALSO FEEL A DRAGGING ALONG WITH A HARD TIME STOPPING. *SC *JB

TRANSMISSION LEAKING, SHIFTING HARD, REVVING HIGH DURING SHIFTING, AND 'HUNTING' FOR GEARS WHILE TRAVELING. *AK

AT DUSK THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS FADE, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY OF THE SPEEDOMETER AND GAUGES. *AK *LA

A 2004 BUICK RAINIER WITH FULL TIME 4 WHELL DRIVE AND LOCKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL WHICH MY WIFE AND I BOUGHT THE LAST WEEK OF NOVEMBER HAS A SEVERE SAFETY PROBLEM. THE CAR SLIDES OUT OF CONTROL ON CORNERS UNDER THE SLIGHTEST ACCELERATION WHEN ANY SNOW IS ON THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER TWICE, THE SECOUND TIME I WAS TOLD BY ONE OF THE OWNERS OF MACK PONTIAC, GMC, BUICK IN HICKSVILLE, NY, RODNEY GOMEZ, THAT ALL 2004 RAINIERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE LOCKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL. I REALY THINK YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS AS IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANK YOU. *LA