2004 Buick Rendezvous problems & reliability
200 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Buick Rendezvous, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
13 complaints report injuries (16 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Buick Rendezvous vehicles were involved in 24 fatal crashes with 16 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 76 | 38% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 23 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 11% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 20 | 10% |
| Steering | 16 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 14 | 7% |
| Power Train | 12 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 6% |
| Engine | 10 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 10 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 68,582 miles (middle 50% between 24,015 and 112,424 miles), based on 159 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“It is an unfortunate fact that since moving to area Federal Hill this vehicle and driver has been illegally surveillanced the car has been broken into with no signs of forced entry. As usual the billboard is visible for locals to observe. My only issue is waiting to act. The vehicle is legal with no visible or…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jun 30, 2025
“Upon arriving at my destination and after i put my in park i was UNABLE to turn my engine off because the ignition was stuck in that position. I ultimately had no choice but to unhook the battery cables along with disconnecting the alternator to get my engine to turn off. Prior to this incident occasionally upon…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 3, 2023
“Electrical problems,manifold gone, ants under my battery the whole vehicle was infected with them, battery wouldn't unbolt tailgate wouldn't open, it overheated”
Electrical System · filed Aug 29, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
Engineering Analysis EA07006 · opened Apr 18, 2007 · closed Sep 13, 2007 · led to recall 07V349000
- FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
Recall Query RQ06009 · opened Dec 14, 2006 · closed Apr 18, 2007
- IGNITION RELAY FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE04075 · opened Nov 10, 2004 · closed Apr 28, 2005
Technical service bulletins
473 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Buick Rendezvous. The 10 most recent:
This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or…
PIP5358D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician…
PIT5099H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 12, 2024
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized…
PIT3271P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2024
Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to…
General Communication · Service Campaign · issued Aug 26, 2024
GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This…
24-NA-141 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how…
16-NA-383 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 28, 2024
This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim.
18-NA-099 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Buick Rendezvous has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Buick Rendezvous?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 68,582 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.