Fuel line heat shield rusted and is leaking gas. I noticed gas outside before getting into car few days before gas leak was noticeable. I could not tell if it was my car or not as it was always in a parking lot that I noticed smelling gas. Yesterday, I noticed I had to pump the gas a couple times in order to start car. Went to the grocery store, and when leaving store, gas oder was strong. Once I was on my way home, 5 miles from store. Gas smell was strong inside cabin, and once home gas continued to leak for another 5-10 minutes after turning car off. I inspected the the leak this morning, and could see the heat shield on fuel line was rusted through along the underside of fuel line u joint. I am waiting for my car to be inspected by Fire Departmnet so that I can have to towed (Nebraska requirement to towe car with gas leaking issue) to repair shop.
Buick Rendezvous fuel smell problems
63 of the 1,241 owner complaints about the Buick Rendezvous describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 63
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical mileage
- 89,000
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel leak 23Check engine light 6Won't start 3Fuel gauge 3Overheating 2Fuel pump 2Transmission failure 1Stalling 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0445 1
What owners say
I bought my car from a used car lot. I had it about 3-4 months and out of the blue it overheated very quickly, the warning light was on, some type of loud buzzer was going off so I pulled over and let it cool off, it took about 45 minutes but it started back up. I checked all the fluids and coolant levels and everything was ok. This continued to happen for about 3 weeks, quickly overheat, lights, alarms pulled over, checked fluids over and over. After about 3 weeks it would quickly overheat and then shut off on its own and several times it happened so fast I barely got off the road.i took it to a mechanic that drove it around a little until it overheated which at this point only took about 3 minutes to happen. He said there was air in my radiator and he released it and it was fixed, I drove about 3 miles and it overheated again so I returned to the same mechanic and after about 6 minutes he came and told me it was a head gasket but they didn't repair those there so I called the next closest mechanic who looked at the car for about 3 minutes, stuck an air hose in the radiator and he said it was blowing out gas fumes from the radiator meaning I had a cracked head. I had to tow it 200 miles to my house, my wife drove it back and forth to work which was only 1 miles from home, she was able to do that for about a month and then the engine would start stalling at different times such as slowing to turn, pulling in to park, and some times it would stall while driving in busy 4 lane roads. Well, a little over a month went by with all these things happening all the time and finally one day she came home from work and started to pull in the parking spot and it shut off again, we had to push it into the spot but once it shut off that day it has never started since
After filling the fuel tank there is a strong gas odor that is present until the tank is almost empty. When walking around the vehicle or loading/unloading the vehicle, the strong gas odor is always present. This vehicle was at a dealership and they took it to the local personal auction company where i bid on it and bought it along with household items.
My grandson and I were shopping, then I filled my gas tank. We then went into the grocery store came out, smelled gas and looked under car. It is leaking gas, we hurried home--went from full tank to 1/4 full tank in 58 miles. It is sitting and not driven. And I have a 2003 rendezvous that has a gas smell that is very strong but hasn't leaded out gas yet.
Whenever I put gas into my car there is a strong unbearable gas odor in the car.
Strong smell of gas outside the rendezous at first after filling car which seem to occur only when newly filled. Now the strong smell outside of car is continuous and fuel is leaking. This is a subject of recall but date of recall is too old for gm to honor the recall. Have been told that the fuel tank has to be replaced.
Vehicle showed check engine code for emissions for some time. Now smelling fuel from car. Mechanic diagnosed as cracked tank, same as recall number 06230a. Vin does not match recall. Dealership and buick were not helpful at providing alternatives to getting issue fixed. Upon more research there are many complaints online of this same issue. Cracked tank and VIN is not listed in recall. This provides very dangerous conditions. Car smells like fuel inside and out. Never been in an accident or had any issues that would cause this problem.
While driving the anti-lock and awd lite on and smell of gas from inside of cabin and sometimes from under the hood . Also when trying to accelerate the car bogs and the RPM fo high but the carvseama to lose power . Ob2 code is p0445
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick rendezvous. While driving at 5 MPH, the contact noticed a very strong fuel odor in the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed fuel was leaking very heavily from the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to their residence, then to an independent mechanic where the technician informed the contact that the fuel tank needed replacement. The dealer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 07v349000 (fuel system, gasoline) and offered no further assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 121,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rendezvous. While the vehicle was parked, there was a strong fuel odor and a fuel leak was noticed from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to reliable buick gmc (400 automall dr, roseville, ca 95661, (916) 783-5233) where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank check valve was cracked and leaking. The contact was informed that the fuel tank needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 07v349000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer offered no further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000. *tt
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: storage
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles, variations in the manufacturing process or exposure to high ambient temperatures may lead to fracture of the fuel tank inlet check valve (icv).
- Risk
- A fracture may allow fuel vapors to pass through and allow droplets of fuel to accumulate on the side of the fuel tank. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel tank. The recall will be mailed in two phases with the first phase beginning on december 4, 2007. The second phase will be mailed on december 13, 2007. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668. The vehicle population includes buick rendezvous and pontiac aztek vehicle built in may 2003; chevrolet venture and pontiac montana vehicles built from june through august 2002; and all vehicles registered in nevada, arizona, virgin islands, puerto rico, and hawaii.
Recall number 07V349000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, a weld between the fuel tank inlet check valve and the fuel tank can fail.
- Risk
- If these parts separate, the driver may notice an odor of fuel, the service engine soon or check engine light may illuminate, and/or fuel may leak onto the ground. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the serial number of the fuel tank to see if it is on the list of affected tanks. If the serial number matches, the fuel tank will be replaced. Owner notification began november 4, 2003. Owners should contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080 or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668.
Recall number 03V454000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Rendezvous fuel smell
Which Buick Rendezvous years have gas smell in the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (25 complaints), 2003 (16 complaints) and 2004 (10 complaints).
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