2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS Complaints

PROBLEM WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE ON 2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS. I AM UNHAPPY WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON THE BUICK. AFTER SOME DISCUSSION WITH THE REPAIR DEPARTMENT OF THE DEALER, DESCRIBED IN THE COPY OF THE LETTER TO THE DEALER BELOW, I WAS TOLD THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY AND THEY FIXED IT; OF COURSE UNDER WARRANTY. BUT, IN MY OPINION, THE BRAKE IS STILL NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY. IT DOES NOT HOLD THE CAR. THE CAR FEELS SAFELY STOPPED ONLY WHEN IN 'PARK.' I HAVE AN OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE AND WHEN WE PUT ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, IT HOLDS THE CAR. IN REPLY TO THE ATTACHED LETTER I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ANDERSON DEALERSHIP, MR. TAYLOR. HE TOLD ME BY PHONE THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON THE BUICK RENDEZVOUS WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE OLDSMOBILE BY DESIGN AND THAT IT REALLY WASN'T INTENDED TO FULLY HOLD THE CAR WHEN IT IS STOPPED BUT IN 'DRIVE.' I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. 1. HOW IS THE BUICK RENDEZVOUS SUPPOSED TO BE STOPPED IN THE EVENT OF REGULAR BRAKE FAILURE? 2. IS THIS SOMETHING WITH MY PARTICULAR BUICK OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN UP WITH GM TO FIX? ************BELOW IS MY ORIGINAL LETTER TO MR. MORTIMER*************** I AM UNHAPPY WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON THE BUICK. I RAISED THIS WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ON MY FIRST OR SECOND VISIT AFTER PURCHASE. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I WAS TOLD WAS THAT FOR SERVICE TO LOOK AT THIS WOULD COST ME SOME MONEY. THIS IS WHEN THE CAR HAD ONLY A FEW THOUSAND MILES ON IT AND IS UNDER A BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. WHEN I POINTED THIS OUT THE GENTLEMAN SAID IT MIGHT TAKE TIME TO FIX BECAUSE THE BRAKE MAN WAS NOT IN. I SAID I WOULD WAIT. AFTERWARDS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE BRAKE WAS NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY AND THEY FIXED IT; OF COURSE UNDER WARRANTY. BUT, IN MY OPINION, THE BRAKE IS STILL NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY. IT DOES NOT HOLD THE CAR. IN THE SILHOUETTE, WHEN WE PUT ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, IT HOLDS THE CAR. *TR

2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENT. CONSUMER STATES THAT SHE HAS REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN TWICE. *KB THE LEFT OUTER TIE ROD END WAS LOOSE WHICH THE DEALER REPLACED. THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED WHEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WAS ACTIVATED THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WOULD ALSO BLINK. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

FRACTURES APPEARING IN WINDSHIELD. STARTING AT LOWER PORTION OF GLASS. FIRST APPEARED AFTER AFTER A COLD CHANGE IN WEATHER WITH SNOWFALL. SECOND APPEARED AFTER EXTREMELY HOT DAY. BOTH OCCURRED WITH VEHICLE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. *TR

COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY. FORTUNATE THAT THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, LOSS OF CONTROL, OR DAMAGE.

TL* - THE CONTACT RECEIVED RECALL 06V417000 FOR 2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS . THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AND ASKED TO BUY IT BACK. THEY MADE HER AN OFFER 0N 12/06/06 WHICH SHE DECLINE DBECAUSE IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE. SINCE THAT TIME THEY HAVE NOT CONTACTED HER TO MAKE ANOTHER OFFER, AND THE TELEPHONE NUMBER THE DEALER GAVE HERWAS NO LONGER IN OPERATION. SHE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CONTACT THEM.*AK

OUR 2006 BUICK RENDEVOUS HAS A WINDSHIELD THAT HAS A DISTORTION PRESENT THAT IS DISTRACTING WHILE YOU DRIVE. DEALER SAID THE DISTORTION IS IN ALL RENDEVOUS BECAUSE OF THE LAMINATE USED FOR HEADS UP DISPLAY (WE DO NOT HAVE A HUD IN THE VEHICLE). IF THIS IS THE CASE AND ALL RENDEVOUS HAVE THIS DISTORTION THE WINDSHIELDS SHOULD BE RECALLED, THEY PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD AND I'M NOT SURE OF THEIR INTEGRITY IN A CRASH. *JB

IN 02-06 I TRADED A '03 BUICK RENDEZVOUS FOR A '06 RENDEZVOUS. TAKING A FINANCIAL LOSS ON THE TRADE, BECAUSE, WITH A SERIOUS HEART CONDITION, I WAS WILLING TO TAKE THE LOSS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE SECURITY AND SAFETY OF A "NEW" CAR UNDER WARRANTY, SIGNING A LOW LEASE" AGREEMENT. INSTANTLY I NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE ROUGH DRIVABILITY OF THE CAR. A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN WOULD RESULT IN THE WHEEL PULLING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE TURN WHILE THE "WHEEL" THEN "SKIPPED" BACK AROUND TO CENTER.THE GAS MILEAGE WAS NOT AS REPORTED BY GMAC. I'M LUCKY IF I GET 250 MILES PER16 GAL. TANK. THE GAUGE DROPS 1/4 TO 1/2 A TANK IN LESS THAN 10-12 MILES, OR REGISTERS 1/2 FULL AFTER BEING "TOPPED OFF". I NOTIFIED GMAC THAT I WANTED OUT OF MY LEASE AGREEMENT DUE TO THEIR UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS. IN 4 DAYS GM COULDN'T BALANCE 10 NEW TIRES OR FIX THE GAUGE. I'M DISTRESSED AND ANNOYED. CARL BLACKS SALES REP, BOB HASCOM, SAID HE WOULD INITIATE A "BUY BACK" ON 08-01-06. THE MATTER HOWEVER HAS BEEN IGNORED. WAITING PATIENTLY 3 HRS. ONE DAY AT THEIR SERVICE DEPART.(AFTER BEING INSTRUCTED TO COME BACK AFTER PUTTING 500 MILES ON THE CAR) FOR THE ABOVE ISSUES, I READ A BROCHURE ON "WHEEL VIBRATIION", DETAILING "FORCE OR DYNAMIC WHEEL BALANCING". BUICK HAS PUT 10 NEW TIRES ON MY CAR OVER 4 DAYS ON THE 2ND OCCASION. IT STATED THAT THE INABILITY TO BALANCE TIRES COULD BE A "WHEEL TO AXLE MOUNTING ERROR", WHICH I SUSPECT IS THE TRUE PROBLEM. WITH THE GAUGE ISSUE, I NEVER KNOW IF I AM TRULY OUT OF GAS OR HAVE ENOUGH GAS TO GET HOME. MY SENSE OF SECURITY IS DESTROYED: THE ONLY REASON FOR TAKING A $$ LOSS ON THE TRADE IN THE FIRST PLACE. CAN THIS SITUATION BE INVESTIGATED?*JB

ON JUNE 12, 2006 I WAS LEAVING MY WORK PLACE WITH BOTH OF MY CHILDREN. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF STRAPPING MY DAUGHTER'S SEAT BELT ON HER (AGE 5) WHEN MY 2 YEAR OLD SON JUMPED UP INTO THE DRIVER SEAT AND PULLED THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS, AS IT WAS PARKED ON A GRADUAL SLOPE. I WAS TRAPPED BEHIND THE LEFT SIDE PASSENGER DOOR UNTIL THE CAR MADE A SLIGHT TURN AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT FROM BEHIND THE DOOR. WITH THE DOOR STILL OPEN THE CAR THEN MADE A HARD RIGHT TURN AND THE PASSENGER DOOR OPENED WHERE MY DAUGHTER WAS SITTING CAUGHT THE TREE AND BOUNCED BACK FORWARD APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET WHERE IT CAME TO REST. I RAN DOWN TO THE CAR GOT MY SON OUT OF THE DRIVER SEAT AND PULLED THE KEYS STRAIGHT OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE MOTOR OF THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME EITHER. I PHONED THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE SHIFT LEVER CAN BE PULLED OUT OF THE PARKED POSITION WITHOUT THE BRAKE BEING DEPRESSED, WHICH IT WAS NOT AS MY SON WAS STANDING IN THE FRONT SEAT THE ENTIRE TIME. THEY THEN CALLED GM AND I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER. I CALLED AND AFTER 2.5 WEEKS OF WAITING GM IS CLAIMING THAT THIS PARTICULAR CAR, 2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS CAN BE PULLED OUT OF PARK IF THE KEY WAS IN THE ACCESSORY POSITION, WHICH I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS BECAUSE THE RADIO WOULD HAVE BEEN PLAYING WHICH IT WAS NOT. THEREFORE GM IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DAMAGES TO MY VEHICLE. *JB

2006 RENDEZVOUS OVERSIZED EXTERIOR REARVIEW MIRRORS CREATED A BLIND AREA WHEN THE DRIVER GLANCED EITHER TO THE LEFT OR TO THE RIGHT. *TS *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO ACTIVATE. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ALTER THE WEIGHT REQUIREMENT TO ACTIVATE THE SENSOR. THE AIRBAG WAS INACTIVE UP TO 100 POUNDS. HOWEVER, THE PASSENGER WEIGHED 105 POUNDS, AND THE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT INDICATED INACTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONSULTED, BUT DETERMINED THE AIRBAG SENSOR WAS DESIGNED TO ACTIVATE AT THE SPECIFIED WEIGHT. THE CONTACT FELT THAT IF A PERSON WHO WAS 105 LBS COULD DRIVER A VEHICLE SAFELY WITH AIR BAG, WHY WAS IT UNSAFE TO SIT IN A PASSENGER SEAT. DIDN'T BUY A VEHICLE SO THAT HE AT 105 LBS WOULD HAVE TO SIT IN THE REAR SEAT TO BE SAFE. *AK