Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Buick Rainier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Have noticed after a heavy and driving rain that the electrical systems acts up. We call it crazy car! All the dash lights blink & flash, bells ding and gauges fluctuate while the vehicle is at rest and on the move. We shut the engine off, sit for a minute and restart only to get the same thing. That May happen for the entire ride duration or we May get no dash lights at all. It appears to me that there is a short or a moisture that creates this happening because after a few days of good sunny weather where the water has evaporated from the roadways, our beloved rainer comes back to normal. We still experience the dimming of the headlights as we are driving at night when we are cruising with no gas pedal application at around the 32 MPH marking which is rather annoying as other drivers feel as if we are flashing them. …
After parking my vehicle and shutting the engine off the daytime running lights did not turn off automatically. There is no switch in the cabin to turn them off and they did not turn off on their own. I had to disconnect the battery to shut the lights off and prevent the battery from draining completely. I looked at the fuses and relays next to the battery and noticed that the solid state relay number 46 controlling hdm was bulged out on one side and smelled like burnt electronics. I swapped relay 45 into the 46 position and reconnected the battery and the daytime running lamps did not illuminate with the different relay in place. I noticed the NHTSA campaign id number:14V755000, in my case it would not shut off after the relay failed. I have never reported any vehicle problems like this before but wonder if a wider recall May need to be considered.
Drivers side door electrical fire - very similar to recall 15700 -fluid entered into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches, locks, etc to become inoperative. Also resulted in an electrical fire. Vehicle was unattended in a parking lot and window was open just an inch. Upon return to car window was up and door would not open with remote. Opened vehicle with key and noted horrible smell of electrical fire and all drivers side door electrical features were inoperative
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Buick Rainier. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, she smelled an odor of burning wires. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle examined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000. Updated 10/10/12
Low beam lights go out when right turn signal is applied and returns to center position. A/C cooling fan does not cool compressor enough to run A/C at low speeds causing pressure to build up in feron receiver. Car is at idle or low speed.
While driving on the freeway I noticed that the speedometer reading was too high as I was changing lanes to exit during evening rush hour. After exiting and stopping for a traffic light, my speedometer was showing 55mph. As I continued on the service drive I observed 75 and 85mph in a 35mph zone! Very distracting when driving next to a 70mph freeway. I not going that fast I'm crawling. When I turned on to my street I was still observing the speed at 65mph and nearly ran over my neighbor who was putting his trash out at the curb. Almost passed my driveway and drove over a bit of the other neighbors grass. I could not believe a 4-yr old vehicle with 64000 miles had a bad speedometer. So I changed the instrument cluster fuse and the speedometer started to work again and seemed to be accurate. On my way home from work it again shot up to 120+MPH and that is where it stayed. …
The dash cluster lighting is too dim in the daylight and non existent at dawn and dusk. There is not a manual override that allows you to select night lighting during these transitional times and on certain days so you can not see the speedometer output nor the driver advisory display. I discussed it with several dealers and they say some work this way and some don't. They have no way to tell which work properly and which ones will not. They all refused to replace it under warranty as Buick says that is the way the system is supposed to work. For up to 15 minutes in morning and night the display is totally unreadable while it is slowly transitioning night time visibility. Yes, I have the lighting set as bright as the system will allow at any given time but it is still not visible to me or anyone else that drives the car. …
My husband and I purchased a used 2004 Buick Rainier with 33,000 miles last May 2008. One evening during the summer we were making a 20 minute trip and the speedometer just stopped working while en route. Since then the speedometer gets stuck while making 20+ minute trips and will only go down 5 MPH each time you shut off the SUV and restart. So you have to shut off and restart several times before it reaches back down to zero and it will then operate okay for a little while until you make that 20+ minute trip again. Sometimes while just driving around town running errands it will get stuck. So I would say at least once a week it gets stuck. It's very frustrating when you have to watch your speed especially around the school zones. I often take my eyes off the roads to watch my RPM's and try to calculate how fast I'm going. …
I have been experiencing a problem with the instrument cluster in my Buick Rainier. It started with the speedometer which was either to fast or showing below zero at highway speeds. It started about 2 years ago but at that time it happened occasionally. The problem has continued to migrate to other gauges in the instrument panel-- the oil pressure reads anywhere from 50 to the 80 or peg, the tack will read below zero at highway operating speeds and the volt meter reads 14+. These problems happen individually or several at once. I have contacted the dealer where I purchased it and they do not acknowledge it as a problem and offer no financial assistance with a replacement or repair. The dealer will replace the instrument cluster for $370 for parts and labor at $92/hour - approximately $600. …
A person ran two stop signs and entered vehicle path. The two vehicles hit head on and this vehicle made impact at 40 MPH after it decelerated from 43 MPH. The two vehicle hit head on with near perfect even impact, based upon third party visual description of the front end of the vehicles damage. The vehicle decelerated at a max sdm recorded velocity change rate of -14.07 (MPH) and a algorithm enabled to maximum sdm recorded velocity change of 127.5 msec. Driver of the vehicle hit the steering wheel with head knocking the person out. Airbags did not deploy. OnStar was not notified that there was an accident. Computer shows the seatbelt was worn by driver. When the OnStar was manually activated by the driver when he came too, the GPS showed the vehicle further north up the road causing incorrect police division being called. Vehicle was going up hill when the accident occurred. …
Electrical complaints in other Rainier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Buick Rainier?
NHTSA has 83 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Buick Rainier, 53% of the model year's 158 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Buick Rainier electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Buick Rainier, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Buick Rainier electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 3 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.