The first indication of the problem was that the when the heater was turned on, it would not get warm or hot. I took the car to the dealership, they stated that it was the intake manifold gasket, which is a $900 repair. What they did not tell me was that, when this gasket leaks coolant, it will mix with the engine oil and cause the engine to blow or seize. In researching on-line, I have discovered that this is a well-known problem that both general motors and buick are well aware of. In fact, gm sent out an internal service bulletin in july 2001 stating that the intake manifold gasket was defective and that when brought in to the service dept., it should be fixed. Only they will not recall the defective part or pay for or reimburse consumers for the repair. This is outrageous! There are thousands upon thousands of people out there stating this same exact problem, yet gm refuses to recall it! There is a class-action lawsuit in canada for this exact problem and a petition for gm to recall this defective part in the u.s. Gm should be forced to recall this defective part that they have been deceiving consumers about all along. There is no excuse for continuing to sell vehicles with this problem and not so much as do a recall. I want to gm to pay for the repair as well as recall the part. I have already spent over $700 in repairs to the car, including wheel bearing sensors, brakes, and a gas-line leak. These are also well-known issues with the buick rendezvous.
2003 Buick Rendezvous engine complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 62 of 62, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Engine ran hot. Service repaired the intake manifold gasket. All coolent was lost, but no leak was found under car. Gasket was replaced.
Had to replace leaking intake gasket @ 56,000 miles on 2003 buick rendezvous. Buick customer services said this failure was to be expected on a vehicle with 50,000 miles. Traded rdv one year later when head gasket failed.
2003 buick rendezvous @ 59000 miles needs rear head gasket replaced. First noticed an overheated condition. Took it to a monroe shop and was told radiator cap was bad. Then it happened again and took it to gm dealership 2-02-07. Told that it held pressure and no leaks. Found orange snow under car 2-14-07. Took it back to dealer and told it is leaking at rear head gasket. Cost for replacement is $1500. Called buick customer service. They are helping. Found that canadians are suing gm for this problem. The gasket material breaks down when dex-cool is used. This problem causes coolant leak. Engine seizure, gelled oil and possible replacement of engine can be possible results. I would hate to be driving down the road when the engine seized up. Could be an accident waiting to happen. Gm called the dealership and will cover some of the cost of the repair and I will pay a deductible amount. I am taking it in to be fixed 2-16-07.
Leaks antifreeze and antifreeze getting into the oil. Will replace the head gasket.
In 11/05, at approximately 43k miles, my 2003 buick rendezvous cxl required a new intake gasket & thermostat after the vehicle rapidly lost all of its engine coolant and I was forced to make an emergency stop. This was a certified used gm vehicle, but the warranty expired at 39k miles so I incurred at $700+ repair bill. Now, at 59k miles, I am having a similar problem; the engine coolant overheated, also leading to an emergency stop and towing, and the repair shop says that the same intake gasket has failed again.
Intake-manifold started leaking at 69,000 and will cost me $800.00. Was told this is a common problem with 2002-2003 buick rendevouz's.
Intake manifold gaskets corroded by gm coolant after a couple years. Specific to combination of factory coolant and factory gasket. Mechanic replaced gasket with one that doesn't corrode when in contact with the factory coolant. This required 6.5 hours of labor plus parts totaling $600.
Buick rendevous. 1st was a 2002 cxl - problems: rear differential slipped, passenger side window regulator broke, AC condenser broken, rear view mirror fell off, back up sensors shut down vehicle - because of this fried entire electrical system, brakes and rotors replaced at 30k. 2nd is a 2003 cxl - problems - rear differential slipping, passenger side window regulator broken, driver 1 & 2 memory broken, engine running hot because of leak in radiator - again 30k
I am writing to complain about the premature failure of the intake gaskets on the general motors 3.4 liter engine. The failure most common with 2002 and 2003 buick rendezvous. My rendezvous had 40,000 miles on it when the gaskets failed and was out of the 36,00 mile warranty. The first indication of the failure was that my heater was not blowing hot air. I took it into a local shop and the mechanic suspected gasket failure before even looking at the car stating that "this is a common problem with this engine and we repair 2 or 3 a month in our shop. The problem is you think you are just loosing (dexcool) antifreeze from evaporation during the summer but in the winter when you try to use your heater it does not heat properly. The engine does not leak antifreeze on the ground, it goes into your engine oil and can cause catastrophic engine failure if not caught quickly enough." I called my local buick dealer to see if gm could help me out since my car was only 4.000 miles out of warranty. They said bring it in and they will look at it. They called me back and said it was the intake gaskets that failed and it would cost me $900 to repair. I called gm customer service and after a week of negotiations, I finally got my car repaired at a reduced price($360). Now I am worried about the damage that has been done to my engine after having engine coolant contaminating my engine oil. I was told by the buick service tech. That "no coolant got into the oil. It goes outside the engine." that is very strange, because part of the repair is to change the engine oil. I want to make it clear that at no time was there ever any indication of any type of fluid leaking from the engine. If you google "gm engine coolant leak" more than 100,000 items come up on this.
Failure of manifold intake gaskets, and manifold cracked, both at 43,000 miles.
Within the last seven months we have had to replace the window motor on the drivers sie,blower motor, load leveler. Now the power steering is going and the 02 sensor has to be replaced.
I have an 03 buick rendezvous and the intake manifold gasket ($875) was identify by the dealership as the source of the problem at the same time my front hub bearings were fixed at just over $400 by the buick dealership in new jersey. The dealership took my money gladly and later that day I find out in this forum my vehicle should have been repaired at no cost to me. I find it hard to believe the service manager/dealership were not aware of this problem and the notice posted by gm. I feel used and abuse at this point and my vehicle is still have problems with leaking coolant/overheating even after getting the problem fixed. All I want from gm is justice for all us who work hard each day and have continue to support their company and products. I would like to be added to class action lawsuit, can anyone give me information on getting on that train. I found other consumers across the country and in canada on this website with the same problems http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/buick-rendezvous/t1tik6gq01p6ghp7d/p3.
2003 buick rendezvous cxl 75000 miles cooling temperature varied widely indicating a possible problem. Took auto to authorized repair shop who replaced intake manifold gasket at 75000 miles.
Dt*: the contact stated the engine intake gasket was consistently leaking. During the time of the leakage, the engine did not stall. When the engine coolant became low the engine would get hot. The vehicle was only at 50000 miles and the contact expressed that the vehicle should not be having these problems at this point. The vehicle was repaired at an independent repair shop. The manufacturer was alerted and determined there would be no reimbursements for the repairs because the repairs were performed by an independent repair shops; repairs would be eligible for reimbursement if performed by the manufacturer's dealer. Updated 7/7//2006 -
Water pump failure at 40,000 miles. Head gasket coolant leak at 45,000 miles. Replaced the water pump. Replacing the head gasket.
Transmission failure- replaced 12/04, wheel hub bearing failure-replaced 06/05, heating/AC problems since new 09/03, brake problems since new, window regulators replaced 2x's, hatch latch failure-multiple, parking brake failure 07/04-present, overheating 07/04-present
While turning right or left at any speed the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection but the mechanic could not distinguish the problem. *mr the battery light has begun to illuminate intermittently.
When attempting to start the vehicle power failed. As a result, vehicle became inoperative. Dealer could not duplicate the problem.
Consumer states that while driving at any speed engine light comes on and will stay on the remainder of the time the vehicle is being operated. Dealer notified.
Engine noise and over heating, transmission hard shifts between 1-2.
While driving the vehicle stalled intermittently and without. The dealer has been unable to duplicate the problem.
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