2005 Buick Rainier

I CAME OUT TO MY VEHICLE ONE MORNING TO FIND THE REAR OF MY 2005 BUICK RAINIER RESTING ON THE TIRES, I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT TO MY AUTO REPAIRMAN. BY THE TIME I LEFT MY DRIVEWAY, THE REAR HAD LIFTED BACK UP. IT HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY FOR A FEW MONTHS, NEVER LASTING LONGER THAN THE TIME TO EXIT THE STREET THAT I LIVE ON. SINCE HITTING 150,000 MILES, THE REAR HAS STARTED DROPPING MORE FREQUENTLY AND EVEN WHILE DRIVING. RECENTLY, ON A TRIP FROM TAMPA TO DAYTONA, WITH MY TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, THE REAR DROPPED AND WE BOUNCED THE ENTIRE WAY. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY BEEN GETTING WORSE AND WHEN I DID AN INTERNET SEARCH REGARDING THIS ISSUE I HAVE FOUND THAT ALL BUICK RAINIER OWNERS EXPERIENCE THIS EXACT EVENT. IT IS TERRIFYING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, AS MANY PARENTS UTILIZE THESE VEHICLES AND CHILDREN ARE PUT AT RISK WHEN THERE IS A LACKING IN CONTROL OF THE RAINIER. *TR

I HAVE VARIOUS TYPES OF PROBLEMS WITH MY 2005 BUICK RAINIER. I HAVE OWNED IT FOR ABOUT 6 YEARS NOW AND IT CURRENTLY HAS A LITTLE OVER 93,000 MILES ON IT. I AM REPORTED THE PROBLEMS TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN DOCUMENT THE PROBLEMS TO YOUR LIST AND I AM ALSO HOPING THAT YOU CAN LET ME KNOW IF THERE IS A RECALL FOR THESE ISSUES? 1. AWD IS NOT WORKING. WHEN THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GROUND. IT CAUSED ME TO DITCH MY CAR WHEN I WAS TURNING A CORNER AT A VERY LOW SPEED. THERE WAS A CAR COMING TOWARDS ME, BUT MISSED MY CAR. THANK GOODNESS IT DID NOT INJURE SOMEONE, MYSELF OR MY CAR. THE REAR ALSO SLIDES WHEN IT IS WET/RAINING OUTSIDE. I'M SCARED TO DRIVE IT WHEN IT IS WET OUTSIDE...ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS SNOW ON THE GROUND. 2. MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR CAUGHT ON FIRE. I JUST SEEN THAT MY DOOR COULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY A RECALL, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEN. I PAID FOR ANOTHER DOOR AND INSTALLATION. 3. WHEN I AM TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL TO BACK-UP. THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE. 4. MY SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK. I DRIVE WITH OTHER CARS WHEN I CAN, BUT I ALSO DRIVE SEVERAL COUNTRY ROADS. I HAVE RECEIVED 2 SPEEDING TICKETS DUE TO THIS. 5. MY GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK. I KEEP TRACK OF MY GAS BY MY CURRENT MILEAGE AND PER GALLONS OF GAS, BUT I HAVE STILL RAN OUT OF GAS AT LEAST 8 TIMES AND...NEARLY GOT HIT IN THE REAR SEVERAL TIMES. 6. I BELIEVE THERE IS A WINDSHIELD RECALL. IS IT STILL ACTIVE? I DO KNOW THAT ALL OF MY CAR PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON WITH BUICK RAINIER'S AND I AM HOPING THAT THERE IS ACTIVE RECALLS ON ALL OF THESE SERIOUS ISSUES AND THAT BUICK/GM WILL GLADLY REPAIR THEM. THESE ARE ALL SAFETY ISSUES THAT COULD RESULT IN FATAL INJURIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, RESEARCH AND RESPONSE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

FUEL GAUGE STARTED DISPLAYING ERRATIC GAS LEVEL DISPLAYS. SOON, WHEN TANK WAS FILLED, IT WOULD SHOW EMPTY. ON ONE OCCASION IT LEFT US STRANDED ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD NO WARNING, THE ENGINE DIED, AND I HAD TO SAFELY NAVIGATE FROM THE FAST LANE ON THE FAR LEFT TO THE SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT. LUCKILY, I AVOIDED OTHER TRAFFIC CONTACT WHILE DOING THIS. I ASKED MY MECHANIC AND HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE SENSOR IN THE TANK. HE SAID THE CHEVY TRAIL BLAZERS WERE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS. I CHECKED CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND SAW WHERE MY VEHICLE, A 2005 BUICK RAINIER, WAS ALSO IN THIS GROUPING. MY MECHANIC THOUGHT THE MANUFACTURER HAD OFFERED SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN MAKING THE REPAIRS. I AM ABOUT TO FIND OUT. THEY SHOULD! I SEE THERE HAS BEEN A PETITION FOR THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE AND CONSIDER A RECALL. I THINK THEY SHOULD. MY SCENARIO COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD IF I HAD BEEN STRUCK BY OTHER CARS AS I TRIED TO MOVE OFF THE INTERSTATE WITH NO ENGINE POWER - JUST MY COAST AND FORWARD MOMENTUM. MY VEHICLE IS DUE FOR IT'S SAFETY INSPECTION, AND MY MECHANIC CANNOT PASS IT WITHOUT THIS REPAIR. DOESN'T THAT SAY SOMETHING IN ITSELF ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVED. HE SUGGESTED I GO TO MY BUICK DEALERSHIP, WHICH I WILL TOMORROW. IF THE DEALER AND BUICK GIVE ME TROUBLE WITH THE REPAIR, YOU CAN BET YOU FOLKS WILL HERE ABOUT THAT TOO! THE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER IS DP10001. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH INTO THE DRIVEWAY, SHE HEARD THE MUFFLER SCRAPE AGAINST THE CONCRETE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR AIR SPRINGS HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE INCIDENT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

THREE YEARS AGO THE FUEL SENSOR ON MY BUICK RAINER FAILED. GM HAS ISSUED A BULLETIN ON THE REPAIR THAT COVERS 50% OF THE COST. I VIEW THIS AS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM GM THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SENSOR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A BUICK DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE TO REPAIR THIS ITEM IS AROUND $200. AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE I GAVE UP ON TRYING TO GET GM TO COVER 100% OF THE COST. AFTER TALKING TO YOUR OFFICE I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ENGINEERS ARE STILL LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE. DO YOU KNOW WHEN THIS WILL BE RESOLVED? *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT READ THE CORRECT SPEED. SOMETIMES WHILE TRAVELING AT 55MPH IT WILL STATE I AM ONLY GOING 40 WHILE OTHER TIMES IT WILL STATE I AM GOING 120. SOMETIME WHEN I START MY VEHICLE THE NEEDLE WILL READ BELOW 0 AND OTHERS IT WILL READ OVER 80 WHILE JUST IDLING. THIS ON TOP OF THE GAS GAUGE NOT READING ACCURATELY, STATING I AM ALMOST OUT OF GAS AFTER I JUST FILLED IT TELLS ME THERE IS SOMETHING MAJORLY WRONG WITH THE ELECTRONICS ON THIS MAKE. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS PUT IN THE WORDS "2005 BUICK RAINIER SPEEDOMETER GAS GAUGE FAILURE" AND FOUND WAY TO MANY INCIDENTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED BUICK AND THEY ARE GOING TO SEND ME TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT, I HAVE A FEELING THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE ME. AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE A PREVALENT ISSUE AND MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 60K MILES ON IT FOR AN ALMOST 8 YEAR OLD CAR. IF I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT, IT WILL BE THE LAST GM CAR I PURCHASE. ESPECIALLY SINCE MY GRAND DAUGHTER IS GETTING OF DRIVING AGE AND I WANTED TO PASS THIS ON TO HER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO REACTIVATE THE LIGHTS BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE CONTACT HAD TO HOLD THE SIGNAL IN ORDER TO HAVE THE HIGH BEAMS LIGHTS REMAIN ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT THE RELAY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED SEVERAL MONTHS LATER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

WHILE DRIVING AT AROUND 50 MPH THE SPEEDOMETER WENT DOWN TO ZERO. AFTER STOPPING AND STARTING AGAIN IT WENT TO 120 AND STAYED THERE. STARTING THE CAR NOW IT STAYS AT 120 MPH AND DOES NOT RETURN TO ZERO. THIS IS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL GM CARS. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT IT WILL COST $500.00 TO $600.00 DOLLARS TO REPAIR. I THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO CHECK THIS OUT AS A RECALL. THIS IS AN ITEM THAT SHOULD WORK 100% OF THE TIME ALL THE TIME AND A FAILURE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT. PLEASE ADVISE WHAT CAN BE DONE.

THE SPEEDOMETER HAS BEGUN REGISTERING SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER SPEEDS THAN THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING. AT ONE POINT, A GPS DEVICE IN THE VEHICLE INDICATED A SPEED OF 55, AND THE SPEEDOMETER FOR THE VEHICLE REGISTERED MORE THAN 100 MPH. IN OTHER CASES, WHEN STANDING STILL, THE SPEEDOMETER SHOWED A SPEED OF 35 MPH. SUBSEQUENTLY, AND INTERMITTENTLY, THE SPEEDOMETER WORKS CORRECTLY, AND THEN REVERTS TO DEFECTIVE MODE. GM ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THE COST OF REPAIR WOULD HAVE TO BE BORNE BY THE VEHICLE OWNER, EVEN IF IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. A GM DEALER IN VERMONT INDICATED THAT THE ENTIRE "BUNDLE" FOR THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WHEN GIVEN THE OK TO PROCEED, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT NEW BUNDLES WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE, AND REBUILT BUNDLES WOULD HAVE TO BE USED - AND NONE WERE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. THEY SUGGESTED LEAVING THE VEHICLE, REMOVING THE BUNDLE AND SENDING IT AWAY FOR REBUILDING, AND THEN INSTALLING IT BACK INTO THE VEHICLE. I DECLINED THAT OFFER. THE DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM CONTINUES TODAY, AND I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE UNAVAILABILITY OF NEW BUNDLES, IF CORRECT, MEANS THAT THIS IS LIKELY A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND POTENTIALLY MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I RECENTLY WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE WHEN I REALIZED THE SPEEDOMETER WAS INCORRECTLY WORKING. FOR A FEW DAYS IT WAS ACTING UP THEN STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. THEN A WEEK OR SO LATER THE GAS GAUGE READS EMPTY WHEN I HAD JUST FILLED IT. I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH THESE MATTERS FOR I USE THIS VEHICLE TO TRANSPORT 3 VERY SMALL CHILDREN AND BOTH ISSUES ARE VERY UNSAFE. I READ NOW THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THESE MATTERS ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER ISSUES WITH THE SAME MAKE OF VEHICLE. I WOULD THINK THAT GM WOULD OFFER A RECALL ON THESE ISSUES BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH VERY EXPENSIVE TO HAVE FIXED. WHEN I PRICED THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER MY MECHANIC WANTED OVER 500.00 TO FIX AND I CURRENTLY CAN NOT AFFORD THESE COSTS DUE TO BEING OUT OF WORK ON MEDICAL LEAVE. *JS