I own two 2004 buick rainier's and have had this issue with both, also have talked to many friends that had the same issue. The issue is that the headlamp bulb connectors are melting where they plug into the bulb, causing intermittent or no function at all of the headlamp. When trying to find a new connector for the bulb I was told I would have to buy the entire headlamp housing assembly, which is quite expensive. I know there are more cases out there with this as an issue, as gm uses these type of connectors on the chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, oldsmobile bravada, and the buick rainier. I think this issue should be addressed because it is a very common problem caused by defective materials.
2004 Buick Rainier lights complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 22 of 22, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2004 buick rainier. Speedometer is saying 120mph when only going 25. It would adjust itself for a day but then it was all over the place and now staying at 120 more often. This started at the end of may. For a few years now the hatch window lock is a problem. Can't open it because I have an issue with getting it locked again without slamming it. Have also had condensation in my head and rear lights since I've gotten it. Why they have yet to recall about the speedometer is crazy. This is a safety issue especially when children or the elderly are involved! The cost to fix the cluster alone is 455.80$ (cheapest). This should not be my responsibility when most, if not all, of the rainiers are all malfunctioning in the same way.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH and above, the low beam headlights would fail on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised her that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I have had trouble with the headlights dimming while driving since the beginning, the dealership has several times worked on the problem, which I think has cleared up..so far. Now my speedometer has started messing up, it says I am going 50 while parked and 120 while driving. I only drive short distances and mostly into and back from town 6 mile one way. I have 50,969 miles on my 2004 vehicle, I keep its checkups and oil changes regularly: dealership has records. I feel this vehicle has had electrical issues from day one, I see turn signal and brakelight issues in recall so I don't believe I am wrong about this. They want to charge me over $400 to change the "cluster" as the economy goes, I too cannot afford this kind of charges on an item that should not have issues. Especially when I take good care of it and really has low mileage and wear and tear (perfect condition).
At night, headlights flicker between dim to bright for no apparent reason. This has been an on going problems since april 2004. Buick service manager admits that this is a known problem but they have no idea how to fix it.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's speedometer has inadequate lighting. While driving in the day time the lighting in the dash is not adequate enough to light the speedometer making it difficult for the consumer to see the speed the vehicle is traveling. The vehicle was taken to the dealership. Updated 2/27/2006 -
Dt: headlights flicker on/off, and gm doesn't have a solution for this problem. Have contacted the manufacturer, and they cannot fix it. This happens intermittently. *ak
Awd does not engage. Very dangerous on a slick road. Had SUV to dealer 3-4 times. They never fix the problem. Front wheels of SUV make grinding noise after a few hours of driving. Headlights go dim/and even turn off for a few seconds while driving at night. Took to dealer, of course no problem was found. Someone's going to be killed because of both these problems with the buick rainier.
Headlights dim while driving at night. The headlights some times flicker bright to dim then back to bright and the voltage gauge fluctates. This has escalated to where for no reason the headlights will go dim for approximately 5 to 10 seconds then return to normal, at this time they go dim enough that you can't see when driving and have to pull over. The service manager has spoke to gm and buick representitives for the past couple of days and was basically told: there is a problem - we're aware of it - we don't know how to fix it.
The vehicle's engine has been sputtering, missing and surging since it was purchased. *nm the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to find the cause of the problem. The vehicle battery failed. Water leaked through the front driver's side floor. Water also leaked into the vehicle by the hood release lever when raining. The passenger's side fender rattled. Headlight assembly seemed loose. Rack and pinion leaked.
While driving 35 MPH consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor, but stopped. Vehicle was hit from the rear. The other driver informed consumer that he did not see the brake lights from behind. Consumer was able to drive vehicle home. Will call the dealership for an appointment.
In october, 2003 I purchased a new 2004 buick rainier. A couple months later my wife and I were driving home one night and the headlights suddenly dimmed and then came back up. It happened at least twice that night. We took it to the dealer and reported the problem. They were fixing several other problems at the same time so we assumed it was fixed. Last week, october 28, 2004, I was driving on the freeway over a dark mountain pass when the headlights went completely off. They stayed off for 2 to 3 seconds before coming back on. Luckily, I didn't crash because the lights of a nearby semi kept me from crashing into the freeway barrier. I followed the semi after that because I was afraid they would go off again. A few miles down the road, in a narrow on-lane construction area the headlights dimmed several times but never went completely out. Hen I reported the problem to the dealer the next day he was absolutely willing to do anything to fix the problem and understood completely how dangerous it was. But, the gm representatives and corporate office refuses to even recognize that there is a problem because it hasn't been replicated in the shop so will not authorize our dealer to find the problem and fix it. The dealer has called gm several time and I have called several times. Gm basically told me that they didn't care if I died and/or killed other people as far as they were concerned there was no problem.
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