Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
At 65 miles per hour on a highway in rich hour traffic my vehicle stalls out and displays 2 lights 1."reduced engine power" "service traction control system" or something to that effect. The car will not start for 3-5 minutes. Then restarts and continues to do the same thing another 5-7 times before I was able to get to a safe location. When hooked up to a code reader the code that displayed was co240 ABS powertrain control module.. This is extremely dangerous.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Buick Rendezvous. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle emergency services was notified. The contact was notified that the gear shifter cable assembly fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Piece of junk since June when I paid $3,000 for it and have put $1200 into it and still broke down and won't start (ignition switch/key) and I refuse to pay for it to be fixed nor fixing it myself.. Has to be called home sweet home very soon and I need it fixed by GM asap or lawyer will be involved and I'm not sinking anymore into it then I have.. GM products are junk!!! Repair it
I plugged my cell phone into the car charger in the front console. When I returned to the car after about 15 minutes, it was filled with smoke that was coming out of the car charger. I immediately unplugged the charger. I tried to start the car and it was completely dead. After examining the fuses, I noticed that the one for the charger as well as the one for the interior lights was completely melted. After further research it was discovered that the wiring harness under the dash was completely melted - had I not gone out when I did, the car probably would have caught fire. This should never have happened - there should be safety features int he vehicle to cut the power to the charger immediately if there is a short. It was towed to the dealer last night. They are claiming this is not covered by warranty though this is obviously a problem with the Rendezvous. …
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.
Upon arriving at my destination and after i put my in park i was UNABLE to turn my engine off because the ignition was stuck in that position. I ultimately had no choice but to unhook the battery cables along with disconnecting the alternator to get my engine to turn off. Prior to this incident occasionally upon starting my car the ignition would not disengage immediately upon the engine turning over which ultimately resulted in having to replace the starter on this vehicle. I am a single parent and only have one vehicle so this is a major issue for my family. Furthermore the fan speed control knob doesnt work properly because when it is put in position 3 it shuts the fan motor off completely. So there CLEAR to me that there seems to be a MAJOR electrical issue. The suspension on this vehicle is horrendous. …
Multiple times the vehicle has stalled randomly while being driven. This has happened so many times I've lost count (at least 20). This happens at various speeds (from 0 MPH to 70 MPH). The entire electrical system shuts down when the vehicle stalls causing the steering and brakes to be less effective. This could easily result in an accident. The vehicle has been taken to 2 different Buick dealers for diagnostic and repair. The dealerships have not been able to fix the problem. The ignition switch and the ignition relay have both been replaced and all the electrical contacts have been cleaned and checked. These repairs have not fixed the vehicle. I've called Buick customer service and they refuse to do anything further without additional charge to the owner. The owner will not be making further repairs.
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system › Ignition
On certain sport utility vehicles, contamination on ignition relay contacts can cause high resistance. This can affect signals to the powertrain control module and, could cause intermittent vehicle stalls at any time.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ignition relay free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2005. Owners May contact Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and Buick at 1-866-608-8080.
NHTSA investigations
Ignition relay failure
On November 10, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate the failure, malfunction, or other unsatisfactory performance of the engine control system which May result in engine stalling in certain model year (my) 2004 Buick rendezvous (gmt250) and Pontiac aztek (gmt250) vehicles allegedly caused by ignition relay failure.odi is aware of 68 non-duplicative…
Frequently asked questions
Which Buick Rendezvous years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (103), 2004 (76), 2003 (45), 2005 (38) and 2006 (21) model years. Electrical complaints make up 21% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Buick Rendezvous electrical problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-157 (ignition, Apr 20, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Buick Rendezvous electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles; 29% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (22 mentions), followed by the instrument cluster/panel (22).
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.