2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS Complaints

FUEL GAUGE FOR 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS CXL WAS READING INCORRECTLY. THE OPERATOR OF THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF GAS WHILE GAUGE INDICATED FULL TANK. DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW FUEL KIT. DEALERSHIP (CERTIFIED BUICK DEALERSHIP) INSTALLED NEW FUEL KIT. NEXT DAY, THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF FUEL ON DRIVEWAY. VEHICLE WAS LEAKING GASOLINE FROM FUEL TANK. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED AND ABLE TO CORRECT. DURING SAME TIME PERIOD, TRANSMISSION WAS NOT PROPERLY SHIFTING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WOULD NEVER SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE AND WOULD SOMETIMES SHIFT ABRUPTLY OR VERY HARD (JERKS). DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED NEW TRANSMISSION. DEALER CORRECTED. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, VEHICLE TURNING BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT AND POWER STEERING FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP INDICATED NEEDED AN ENTIRE NEW RACK AND PINION. DEALER CORRECTED. CURRENT DEFECT INVOLVES COOLANT LEAKING INTO ENGINE DUE TO A LEAKING LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. SEVERAL SERVICE BULLETINS OUT FOR SAME COMPONENT IN THIS AND OTHER GM VEHICLES. DEALER INDICATED THAT THIS WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ENGINE IF NOT CORRECTED. CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO HAVE VEHICLE SERVICED IN 2 WEEKS. TOTAL REPAIRS FOR 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE ARE NOW OVER $8000. ALL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PAID BY OWNER AND NONE HAVE BEEN COVERED BY DEALERSHIP. *JB

THREE SAFETY RELATED ISSUES WITH MY 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS CXL. THE ABS SENSORS FAILED WHICH WAS A DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO DIAGNOSE AS THE PROBLEM WAS ACTUALLY CAUSED BY WATER IN THE INSULATION TO THE SENSOR WIRING HARNESSES. I'M NOW BEING NOTIFIED OF A FRONT WHEEL BEARING PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT YET REACHED A FORMAL RECALL. SECOND ISSUE INVOLVES THE AWD REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY (DIFFERENTIAL). MOANING NOISES START IN THE REAR END, IN LOW SPEED TURNS SUCH AS PARKING LOT MANEUVERS. OCCURRENCE INCREASES IN SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY FAIRLY QUICKLY. THE REAR AXLE IS TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. BUT I NOTICE THAT THIS IS NOT A RANDOM OR UNUSUAL PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR/MODEL BUICK. I WOULD THINK THAT BOTH OF THESE ISSUES DUE TO THEIR RATE OF OCCURRENCE WOULD TRIGGER A FORMAL RECALL. WHY DOES THE REAR DRIVE AXLE CONTINUE TO FAIL? IF IT SHOULD FAIL CATASTROPHICALLY, WILL IT POSE A SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IF HIGHWAY SPEEDS ARE INVOLVED AND THE VEHICLE BECOMES UNSTABLE? *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE DASHBOARD ELECTRONICS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE BCM MODULE; HOWEVER THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THE DEALER COULD FIND NO PROBLEM.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS AN ERROR MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD, THE POWER CONTROLS WERE INOPERABLE AND THE LIGHTS DID NOT WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE BODY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

I WAS DRIVING IN THE DARK AND THE LIGHTS SHUT OFF ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH, LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER IN TIME, BUT THIS ISSUE AFFECTS ALL THE LIGHTS SO NO ONE CAN SEE ME STOPPING. *JB

BUICK RENDEZVOUS 2002. AWD DISABLE LIGHT ONGOING PROBLEM. DEALER CAN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AFTER 3 TIMES IN THE REPAIR SHOP. *NM

I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH THIS VEHICLE. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER THE OTHER DAY TO HAVE THE FRONT WHEEL BEARING REPLACE (PAID FOR BY GM) AND IN THE PROCESS, THE MECHANIC FOUND ANOTHER SERIOUS PROBLEM. I HAD BEEN HEARING A BANGING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR END FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. I JACKED THE REAR END OF THE CAR UP AND COULDN'T FIND THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT IT IS THE RIGHT REAR KNUCKLE THAT WAS MAKING THE NOISE. WHEN THEY GOT IT ON THE RACK, THEY FOUND THAT THE TIRE IS MOVING FRONT TO BACK ABOUT 2 INCHES. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT I WILL NEED TO GET IT FIXED ASAP AT A COST OF ABOUT $750. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER MECHANIC TO GET A SECOND OPINION. I GOT THE SAME DIAGNOSIS FROM THE SECOND MECHANIC WITH THE ADDITION OF "WE'VE NEVER SEEN ONE OF THESE GO BAD. YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO REPLACE THIS PART" THEY WENT ON TO SAY THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS WORK BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY LABOR INTENSIVE AND NOT THEIR SPECIALTY. I AM GOING TO TAKE IT TO A FRAME SPECIALIST AND HAVE THE WORK DONE THERE. DID I MENTION THAT I HAD TO REPLACE THE BODY CONTROL MODULE TWO WEEKS AGO?. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WENT BAD. THE WHEEL BEARINGS MADE A LOUD SOUND AND WERE REPLACED. THE REPLACEMENT WHEEL BEARINGS WERE ALSO DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED.

AT APPROX 20,000 MILES MY AIR CONDITIONER UNIT WENT BAD. I BELIEVE IT WAS THE CONDENSER. AT APPROX 23,000 MILES MY RADIO WILL STAY ON AFTER WE EXITED THE CAR AND WOULD DRAIN OUR BATTERY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. THEY REGROUNDED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. AFTER A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES SAME ISSUE RETURNED AND DIDN'T BOTHER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER. AT APPROX 30,000 MILES WE WERE GETTING A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BUT DEALER DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS AIR IN THE FUEL TANK. HAD SAME ISSUES FOR A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT DIDN'T BOTHER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER. AT APPROX 45,000 -50,00 THE COMPUTER UNIT WENT BAD. THE SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND FUEL GAUGE WAS GOING HAYWIRE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPUTER UNIT AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY FOUND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS BAD. THEY WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED IT. AT APPROX 50,00 - 52,000 THE KEY CYLINDER WENT BAD. I COULDN'T PUT IN THE IGNITION KEY AND HAD TO TOW THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER. I NEVER HAD THOSE PROBLEMS WITH PREVIOUS VEHICLES. NOW AT APPROX 57,500 MILES THERE IS A NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THERE'S NO NOISE WHEN THE ENGINE IDLES WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED. WHEN THE TRUCK STARTS SPEEDING UP YOU HEAR A HUM IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FASTER YOU GO THE LOUDER IT GETS. IT ALSO GETS LOUDER IF YOU STEER TO THE RIGHT. I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG. THE PROBLEM IS THAT AFTER YOU GET THE CAR FIXED, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME OTHER THINGS GOING BAD. ONCE AFTER ANOTHER. I HAVE TO BE AT THE DEALER ONCE A MONTH. THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT YOU CAN REFERENCE TO THESE SIMILAR INCIDENTS THAT CORRESPOND TO WHAT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING. IT IS HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_75095.HTML. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKING IN THE DRIVEWAY STRONG GAS SMELL WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THERE WERE TRACES OF GASOLINE PRESENT ON THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE FUEL TANK HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL # 03V454000 BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE REAFFIRMED THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINATION THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. CHANGED COMP CODE.PCO