My 2002 rendezvous almost had a crash because of instant brake failure due to a rapture of the original brake-line. I had the brake line repaired immediately and was told all my original brake lines are corroded and need to be replaced. I contacted gm with this issue , got a case number [xxx], and was told by [xxx]( the highest ranked resolution officer ) gm does not consider this a latent defect issue and will not correct the brake line problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Buick Rendezvous brake failure problems
27 of the 1,241 owner complaints about the Buick Rendezvous describe brake failure, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 27
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 98,120
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 4Transmission failure 1Stalling 1Power windows 1Power steering loss 1Overheating 1Fire or smoke 1Grinding brakes 1
What owners say
On 3/13/2015 my car had gone to a firestone location in indiana due to a check gauges light on.they replaced my alternator and battery. My vehicle was only kicking out 300 cca. I took my car home and parked it. The following day I put approximately 350 miles of interstate driving on my truck. When arriving home, I parked my truck. On 3/15/15 I took a short 2 mile drive and lost my brakes.I have a severe back problem, which makes quick and sudden moves painful. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I was on a winding road and it made it difficult to control the truck at 40 MPH. There was no warning to my brakes going out. I had to have my car towed in to the shop as I was not going to attempt to drive it any further with no brakes. I have own many different makers of cars and never encountered this type of problem. If there was any kind of hint it was going , you would think they would have caught it 2 days earlier when it was in the shop. I am currently unemployed and expenses like this are very hard to accommodate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick rendezvous. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the brakes failed and the emergency brake was used to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who noticed that the warning indicator low brake fluids warning light was illuminated. The mechanic diagnosed that the brake lines that crossed over from the drivers side to the passenger side were fractured due to rust on the inside. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000. Updated 09/05/14*lj the consumer stated the brake line was rusted which caused the leak. The rust was hidden under the shield. Updated 12/4/2014
I was traveling on I - 75 at 65mph and the vehicle engine stopped. No power steering no brakes. I coasted to the median turned of the ignition waited aprox. 15 seconds and turned on the ignition and the vehicle started.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick rendezvous. While driving 35 MPH, the brakes failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The dealer stated that the brake and fuel lines were severely rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 180,000.
1st occasion (3/11/11): I was driving east bound on a freeway, in the right lane, and at a speed of approximately 45 miles per hour. I also had my two young boys (ages 4 and 7) in the car with me. I had to brake suddenly when traffic backed up unexpectedly and it was at that moment my brakes failed and I had to veer off the right shoulder and up onto the embankment and fortunately did not crash into another car. I had minimal brake power. My regular repair shop was about 3 miles away and was able to very slowly drive my car there. The brake line on ABS pump to right wheel had to be replaced. 2nd occasion (2/28/13): I was driving east bound in the right lane of a busy road during rush hour traffic. I was going about 30 miles per hour. I had to brake hard for traffic backed up at an intersection. Again, my brakes failed and fortunately there was enough distance for me stop before hitting the car in front of me. I had minimal brake power. At the intersection I turned right, heading south bound and then was able to safely pull into a parking lot and park my car. This time I had to be towed to my repair shop. The same brake line failed ' the brake line on the ABS pump to right wheel had to be replaced again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 buick rendezvous. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the brakes failed when engaged and the brake pedal became stuck to the floorboard. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of a parked vehicle. In addition, the engine rpms increased excessively. The contact was able to stop the failure by shifting into park while the vehicle was still in motion. The contact sustained injuries to the hip, shoulder, knee and ankle from the impact. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed a local body repair center fo further inspection. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.
Rear brake line broke because of rust. Pedal went to the floor then lost all brake fluid for rear brakes after a couple stops.
I was driving home from work, I tried to stop my car and the brakes went to the floor, the car started smoking, and I had to put the car in low so it would slow down. And when it slowed I finally got it to stop. The mechanic said the car was put together funny and that the brake line corroded cause its over the exhaust. I didn't get hurt but I could have, but if it were someone who didn't know how to slow down a car, or a new driver it could have been bad.
I was parked on a hill facing up wards. I made a u turn in the street to go down the hill as I always do. As I approached the stop sign I lost all pressure to the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I went through the stop sign but no accident occurred. I was able to come to a very slow stop. While I continued driving to the nearest mechanic I noticed smoke coming from under the hood and now the "low brake fluid" warning light came on and warning chimes were ringing constantly. I pulled over and noticed brake fluid hitting hot engine components causing the smoke. I could see brake fluid dripping under the vehicle too but under the engine. The mechanic inspected the line and said that the line runs up to the fire wall behind the top of the engine and that he didn't want to work on it. "real nice". I have to find a shop who is competent to do this job. I would have no doubt been in a very serious accident had I been on the freeway while this happened. From reading some other similar issues online this should be a recall issue. Apparently all these brake lines run up to the fire wall where installation holds moisture and causes failure. This is not a normal wear and tear issue. If the line wasn't in or close to insulation this wouldn't be happening. *tr
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Buick Rendezvous brake failure
Which Buick Rendezvous years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (13 complaints), 2002 (10 complaints) and 2004 (1 complaints).
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