2002 Buick Rendezvous: sudden loss of power

Filed Jun 16, 2010 · Brakes, Electrical · 101,000 miles · VA

2002 buick rendezvous otherwise known as the money pit. Seems that as usual our latest expense (101,000) is not covered under the recalls, due to the manufacturing date of the vehicle. Smelled gas for a week, then noticed gas gauge fluctuating, never showing empty even though trip odometer showed it had almost an empty tank. Mechanic stated crack in the fuel tank, but car was manufactured before the recall date, so buick did not cover the cost of repairs. Have recently also experienced loss of all power to cigarette lighters, drivers side window fell down and entire regulator unit was replaced. Back hatch handle fell off, again. Rearview mirror also fell off. Ac fan will no longer blow at highest setting. These are all minor compared to the faulty ABS sensor, loss of traction control, AC condenser, tie rods, 2 replaced batteries, front wheel bearings, rotors. And those repairs are just from the last 3 years....

Filed Jan 1, 2010 · Electrical · 139,000 miles · KY

I own a 2002 buick rendezvous and on many (at least once per month for the last 3 yrs) occasions driving (especially at night), the power goes out to all the outside and inside lights and the car seems to do a system reboot. We've been scared out of our mind and have to pull over to remedy it (by unplugging battery and putting it back on) we've had the whole car shut off, lose power steering and nearly run off an embankment. We've taken it to mechanics, but it still happens. Other website complaints show it is the body control module and gm is aware of it, but no recall has occurred. I am attempting to get this looked at now, but after looking at the website complaints, I'm not the only one dealing with this. These have all been near-misses for our family and one was extremely scary when you have an 18-wheeler coming at you with not lights and no power steering at night. Please move forward and have gm do something about this before it results in something more severe than near-miss accidents.

Filed May 28, 2008 · Engine · 90,000 miles · NH

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 buick rendezvous. On at least 50 occasions, the vehicle just completely shut down and lost power without warning. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle would "buck" and stall as if it were out of gas. Within the last six months, the vehicle would not start for approximately thirty minutes, even after refueling. When the vehicle would completely shut off, the contact would have to wait between thirty minutes and two hours before it would restart. He also noticed that the amount of time it would take the vehicle to restart would coincide with how hot it was outside. Many times when the vehicle shut off, the air conditioning was activated. Both the dealer and a local garage were unable to duplicate the failure. The current mileage was approximately 150,000 and failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Apr 30, 2008 · Electrical, Lights · 110,000 miles · NY

2002 buick rendezvous all the lights turn off and turn back on- there is not a loss of engine power. This has happened over 50-60 times in the last year. Lost count on the previous years before that. We've been to the dealer twice and they state they can not get the problem to happen (while in the shop), and without it happening at the precise time, they can not fix the issue. It's only a matter of time until something really bad happens. We want to sell this vehicle, but I can't sell it myself knowing this will happen to the buyer. Dealer will not give us even close to a trade in value (pricing obtained from three separate sources) stating the vehicle is plagued with electrical problems.

Filed Jun 5, 2007 · Engine, Locks · 59,795 miles · CO

I am having electrical problems with my 2002 buick rendezvous. First, the power door locks, windows, air conditioner, radio and remote keys entry would lock. Then yesterday the vehicle lost all power while I was driving in traffic. Somehow I managed to turn a corner (without power steering) and park the vehicle. After waiting a while and removing and replacing the connection from the battery to the fuse box under the hood, I was able to get it restarted and return to work. When I tried to leave work, it died in the driveway. Again I was able to reset everything after several tries and park the vehicle. I am afraid to drive it. I also have problems with squeaky brakes, which have been bad since I purchased the vehicle but the dealer and an independent garage cannot find a cause. I also am starting to have problems with the coolant level going down with no visible leak.

Filed Mar 5, 2007 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · SD

I have a 2002 buick rendezvous and I believe it should be recalled. We have had many problems with this car! On top of our 400 dollar a month car payment we can not afford to replace all of these problems. Our AC condenser and blower do not work properly. In fact only the two highest settings of the heater work on our car. So it's great driving hours to christmas knowing that our three young daughters will either be freezing or sweating. Next the wheel bearings went. That was going to be a very costly repair. We purchased a wheel bearing at sturdevants to help us save money. Then when that didn't fix the problem we brought it into the buick dealership again. Only then did they tell us that they were recalled and replaced them for free. The 150 we spent personally to buy the wheel bearing? Too bad gm said. The electrical unit does not work properly. The car will lose power or not start at all sometimes like the battery is dead, but then it will work fine 20 minutes later. My kids love sitting in a cold car when it's 20 below zero here in south dakota for 20 minutes until our car decides to start. This is great for the 8 month old baby. A small gust of wind hit our car door when we were getting out and now the whole darn thing is off it's track and ruining the front panel of our car. We can barely get the door open at all. Another repair we can not afford. Every spare dollar that we have gets put into this [xxx] car. We pay 400 dollars a month in car payments and the rest of our money fixing it. Too bad for my daughters that we can't afford to put money in their college fund until we get a reliable car. Only 3 more years left on our loan. Wonder if the whole [xxx] thing will blow up before we get it paid off. We've only owned it 7 months!!!!!!*jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Oct 12, 2003 · Suspension, Transmission · 25,391 miles · NY

While driving 65 MPH vehicle suddenly lost power, was not able to shift any gears. Managed to pull over to side of road. Vehicle was towed to dealership, and the mechanic said that problem was had to with the transmission. *ak the transmission began to slip and make noise while driving. The vehicle was towed and repaired. One week later the transmission suddenly failed while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they overhauled the transmission. The consumer has not faith in the transmission. The front left and right bearing separated occasionally. *ph

Filed Apr 16, 2003 · Engine · TX

The engine lost power, when accelerating from a stop.