2004 BUICK RAINIER Complaints

ELECTRICAL ? MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER HAS HAD A PROBLEM FOR A FEW YEARS NOW WITH THE INTERMITTENT DIMMING OF THE HEADLIGHTS. AS BEST AS I CAN FIGURE OUT, IT HAPPENS NOTICEABLY AT NIGHT WHEN I AM COASTING AT 30-32 MPH. THE BATTERY VOLTAGE METER WILL DROP DOWN TO AROUND 11, CAUSING THE LIGHTS TO DIM AND THEN GO BACK UP. IT MOSTLY HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS MOISTURE IN THE AIR, IT IS NOT GENERALLY AN ISSUE DURING THE MONTHS OF JAN-MAR WHERE IT IS CRISP AND DRIER. I START MY VEHICLE AND LET IT RUN FOR ABOUT A MINUTE OR MORE BEFORE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND DURING MY NIGHT TIME TRAVEL, IT MAY HAPPEN 3 TIMES OR MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A DRAIN ON THE POWER OR HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE. I FIND THIS DISCONCERTING WHEREAS MY LIGHTS ARE NOTICEABLY DIMMING TO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. IT MAY APPEAR TO OTHER DRIVERS THAT I AM INDICATING WITH THE ?FLASHING? OF THE HEADLIGHTS THAT THEY CAN CUT OUT IN FRONT OF ME OR MAKE THE TURN FROM A SIDE STREET. I HAVE HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS IN THIS REGARD BUT I DRIVE KNOWING THAT IT COULD BE AN ISSUE. IT ONLY APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WHEN I AM COASTING AND NOT APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDAL. *TR

FRAME ROT ? I BROUGHT MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER IN FOR SERVICE AND HAD THE MECHANIC CHECK THE STATUS OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HE DISCOVERED THAT THE FRAME NEAR THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WHEEL WAS ROTTED THROUGH. THE STEEL DESIGN OF THE FRAME IS ?CUPPED? NEAR THE REAR WHEELS AND THERE WAS NO DRAIN HOLE IN THE AREA TO ALLOW THE ROAD WATER AND DEBRIS TO ESCAPE. HE ADVISED THAT IF I WERE TO GO OVER A POTHOLE OR HIT A BUMP THAT THE REAR WHEEL WOULD CAVE INWARD AND CAUSE A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. HE WELDED ON A STEEL PLATE TO STABILIZE THE AREA AND DRILLED A HOLE IN THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR FRAME ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND UNDERCOATED THE AREAS TO PREVENT ADDITIONAL DAMAGES. THE COST OF THE STEEL PLATE REPAIR, UNDERCOATING AND LABOR WAS $180. *TR

BOTH REAR AIR BAGS ARE STARTING TO LEAK CAUSING BACK OF CAR TO SIT LOW. WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED IT WILL AIR BACK UP BUT WILL GO BACK DOWN AS SOON AS THE CAR IS PARKED. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENTS TO CAUSE THE DEFECT. I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO FIND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOUND IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL. I AM WANTING TO KNOW IF THIS HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A SAFETY RECALL OR A DEFECT THROUGH THE MANUFACTURE. *TR

SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER STEP MOTORS MALFUNCTION AND DO NOT GO BACK DOWN UPON DECELERATION. MY SPEEDO WILL SHOW I'M DOING 40 MPH WHILE STOPPED AND SOMETIMES PEG OUT WHILE DRIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS CREATES AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH SPEED MANAGEMENT IN ALL TYPES OF DRIVING CONDITIONS.

AIR BAG SUSPENSION WILL NOT STAY AIR UP. CONSTANTLY HAVE TO WORK ON THE ABS. *TR

THE CURRENT INVESTIGATION INTO FAULTY IGNITION SWITCHES IS MUCH BROADER THAN CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED.. IN 2004 I PURCHASE THE BUICK RAINIER ABOVE. ON INITIAL TEST DRIVE WITH SALESMAN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AT 35 MPH. AFTER REVIEW BY THE MECHANIC IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A COMPUTER ISSUE. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AFTER RETESTING. DURING THE NEXT 4 YEARS THIS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 MORE TIMES. EACH TIME IT WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A COMPUTER UPGRADE. I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE THEN IN 2008. THE SYMPTOMS AND THE RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH ALL REPORTED FAILURES. I ALSO HAVE A FRIEND WITH A BUICK FULL SIZE CAR 2006 I BELIEVE WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUE. THE REPORTS THAT THIS HAS NOT OCCURRED ON BUICKS OR SUV IS NOT CORRECT. THIS IS A LARGER PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 4 YEARS AND THE SPEEDOMETER HAS NOT WORKED FOR 2.5 YEARS NOW. IT WILL WORK IF I RESET THE BATTERY OR TURN THE KEY OVER UNTIL THE NEEDLE GOES BACK TO 0. I AM TOLD THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS BAD AND I SEE THAT THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS ALSO. PLEASE HELP. I NEED TO KNOW IF THIS IS COVERED AT A GM DEALERSHIP FOR FREE. THE VEHICLE ALSO SPUTTERS AND I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND HAD THE INJECTORS LOOKED AT. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL ME OR CONTACT ME I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. *TR

WHEN I PARK MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER IN MY GARAGE THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE WHICH IS GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. I WENT ON THE INTERNET TO RESEARCH AND ULTIMATELY FOUND THAT THE 2004 GM ENVOY (SISTER VEHICLE) HAD A RECALL DUE TO A SIMILAR ISSUE AND THAT GM CONFIRMED IN 2008 THAT THE 2004 BUICK RAINIER FUEL LINE CAN RUST AND CAUSE THIS CONDITION. ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND GM EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS AND 120,000 MILES THERE WAS NO NOTICE TO CONSUMERS THAT I AM AWARE OF. MY TRUCK IS 9 YEARS OLD BUT HAS 128,000 MILES. I WILL GO TO THE DEALER THIS WEEK TO SEE IF THEY CAN HELP. HISTORICALLY THE DEALER HAS BEEN LESS THAN HELPFUL WITH PROBLEMS AS I DID NOT PURCHASE THE VEHICLE FROM THEM. BEING UNEMPLOYED I WOULD RATHER FIX MY TRUCK AT THIS TIME AS A NEW CAR IS NOT A REASONABLE SOLUTION. ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU CAN OFFER TO HELP ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

MY 2004 BUICK RAINIER HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHERE THE BATTERY KEEPS BEING DRAINED BY A DEAD SHORT IN THE SYSTEM AND RENDERING THE CAR USELESS SPORADICALLY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE PROFESSIONALS I HAVE TALKED TO DON'T SEEM TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM AND I DON'T WANT TO KEEP THROWING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD IN MY ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE IT. *JB