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 2005 Buick Rendezvous owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
On, Thursday, July 9th 2005, I tried to start my vehicle, it started but the ignition seemed to keep trying to start. None of the start up lights worked (oil, brake, service engine, seat belt), so I knew something was wrong. I turned the engine off and tried restarting it and it wouldn't start. I kept trying to start it for about 10 minutes. I finally gave up and went inside. I came back out and tried to start it again about 15 minutes later and it started up just fine and everything was working inside. On Monday, July 13th 2005, I tried to start it and nothing happened. I waited about 10 minutes and it started right up like nothing was ever wrong. I feel like there's a problem with the ignition somewhere. I'm afraid of what will happen if the car stalls while I'm driving it. The ABS seems to come and go as it pleases as well, I don't know if there have been any complaints about that.
In the spring of 2012 (approximately 48,000 miles), I was driving in a 40 - 45 MPH zone, made a sharp left turn into a parking lot and the engine shut down and power steering to shut down. I previously reported this incident to my local Buick dealer, pinegar Chevrolet, branson, mo, just to have this incident on record. On December 29, 2014 (89,000 miles) this same type event occurred when slowing down (in a 45 MPH zone) and making a sharp left turn into a parking lot. Car shut off, had to completely stop, place gear in park and restart. Sounds like same ignition issues discovered in GM cars recently, but the Buick Rendezvous has not been included.
We found out that we had a problem with my wife's vehicle. Initially, the vehicle was stationary. I took it to get an oil change and was asked to come into the shop to be shown that the antifreeze was like yogurt in the reservoir. We were told that we needed a coolant flush. This LED to being told that we needed a new radiator; bypass hose; and last but not least, head gasket job amounting to approximately 1600.00. We were told that there was no open recall but yet there was litigation going on regarding dex-cool antifreeze and that it was causing all of the problems that were and are having with this vehicle.
I was driving down eastern and stewart in las vegas nv when the car stalled and would not start again while trying to coast into a 7-11 parking lot hit a wall and car rear ended me . I replaced the fuel pump, ecv and the vehicle worked fine there was gas leaking from the ecv now I cant get the car to start at all I believe it has to do with the electronic ignition system.
It feels like the transmission is going out but only sometimes. On occasion it will be driving fine then I go to pull off from a stop and it just wont really go like maybe skips 1st gear or at least part of it. It's crazy and dangerous. I do not believe it to be the transmission. Only happens from complete stop, sometimes. Buick Rendezvous 05
A few months ago my car stalled at the bus stop and shut down. It would not restart. The car needed to be jumped. The warranty was going to be up soon so we took the vehicle to rice Buick in knoxville, tn to get looked at. They hooked it up to the machine and it didn't do it so they determined that it must have been something I did that made the car stop. This past Wednesday I was parked at the bus stop with my car running with the blinkers on in park and with the emergency brake on. My car shut down again and would not restart. It is habit for me to take the emergency brake off when I go to start the vehicle so it remained off while I tried to start the car. I kept taking the keys out and trying to start the car like it was the first time in it that day. I again checked to see if I was in park and it was. …
I started driving my car and a few blocks away my locks started to lock and unlock constantly and they would not stop. My seat moved on its own (has electric memory seating). The car started to shake like it was going to die. As soon as I came to a stop the car started to shake and would not accelerate. An "error" messages displayed under the non working speedometer where your miles usually show". Came to another stop and tried to turn onto a street and the car would not accelerate and kept "jumping" all the while the locks were still locking and unlocking and my running daytime headlights kept flickering on and off. I'm lucky that the car didn't just quit with oncoming traffic. From what I read, it's the BCM and this causes major problems regarding the safety of the vehicle. Buick is aware and will not make a recall on this defective part. …
One day I was on my way to drop of the kids at daycare when the care suddenly turns off, I was going at least 60 MPH;I was on the highway. Thank god nothing happened , I was able to pull over safely I waited for a while then maybe 15 min later it turns back on.I started to notice that the car started smelling, like gas, I took it to the mechanic,several times but they never could figure out what it was. After that incident it went down hill it started to heat up on me, wasted more gas, would turn off on me a lot and air/heat stopped working. I replaced the transmission because it started to slip, thinking that it will fix the problem and boy was I wrong. It was still doing the same, the smell was getting worse, I took it back to my mechanic. He told me that the head gasket needed to be replaced, I didn't have more money. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Buick Rendezvous. For the last two months she noticed that the brakes seemed to be locking when they were applied which made it difficult to stop the vehicle. When the dealer diagnosed the failure there were no failure codes. On April 12, 2010, the failure recurred; however, on April 19, 2010 the dealer stated that the vehicle was safe to drive and no failure codes were detected. While the contact was driving the service traction, ABS and brake lights were illuminated on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The dealer drove the vehicle and stated that they were unable to duplicate the failure. The failure became progressively worse and it became more difficult to stop the vehicle when the brakes were applied. …
Electrical complaints in other Rendezvous years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Buick Rendezvous?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Buick Rendezvous, 28% of the model year's 138 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Buick Rendezvous electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Buick Rendezvous, though it has 1 recall 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 2005 Buick Rendezvous electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 2 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.