Problems with 2004 Buick Rainier ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

I've been having sporadic flickering low beam issues with this car since i bought it, and have spent untold hours and time trying to figure it out including taking it to the dealer. (i work nights.) last week the low beams failed on the way home from work at midnight. researched it, and finally saw the recall for gms and subsequently an ap story about widening the recall that was dated april 29. (i work at a newspaper and saw the wire story). i bought and replaced the module myself last week, and things are working well now and seem to be fixed. however, the dealer informs me that this car has not been included in the gm recall for failing headlight modules, so i can not get my money back for the module. this make and year model should be added to the recall. please be aware that other models and years than have been recently recalled, are having this issue. it truly is a safety issue and up until last week, i was always wondering when my headlights would fail. not a nice feeling when you work nights.

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

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. we see a down surge in the battery gauge drop for 14 volts to 11 volts and then come back up. sometimes this can happen once or twice during a 10 mile ride or as many as 50! we wonder, when, oh, when will gm pay attention to these complaints or are we just talking into the wind?

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.

I tried to get my car inspected today in virginia but it failed due to the dummy lights on in the dash board abs and brake. the dealer could not comm with comp but changed the fuse for the cig lighter then the codes read ebcm module fault.. in 2014 my running headlights would just go out.. no lights until i put on high beams i have had them worked on and changed but still burn out

I have an intermittent problem with my low-beam headlights not working. all the other lights work fine. both low beams will suddenly go out, but sometimes will start working again after a few minutes. other times it may take several hours before they will work. *tr

Power door locks and window locks are inoperative. have lost all power in the door locks and windows as well as the radio and the heater. i was trapped in my car this morning for about 5 minutes with the windows up and the heater was blowing out hot air. i was unable to stop that as i couldn't turn off the car or open the doors, i pried the door lock open and was able to get out of the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the speedometer failed. the contact also stated that the oil pressure light illuminated as the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic where they stated that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 170,000.

My 2004 buick rainier has an issue with the electrical system where the battery keeps being drained by a dead short in the system and rendering the car useless sporadically. unfortunately, the professionals i have talked to don't seem to know the answer to the problem and i don't want to keep throwing good money after bad in my attempt to resolve it. *jb

I just bought a buick rainier 2004. i was driving it and stopped at a red light and the speedometer never went back to 0.took it to a shop and they tried to reset it . no luck . the shop told me that they have gotten a lot of them with the same problem. must have it taken out and sent to be fixed. i think this is a safety problem it its happening to a lot of cars and suvs.is their any recall on this .will their be any recalls on this .i went on line and read a lot of complaints about the same problem i am having . can you advise me what to do .thank you for your time. *tr

This is my second complaint rising from the same issue, i own two 2004 buick rainier's and they both have had an issue with the low beam headlamp bulb and connector being melted due to poor connection. this is a costly repair since the gm parts catalog does not list a replacement connector, they would rather sell the entire headlamp assembly. the first complaint occurred on my other rainier now this one. no headlamp is a safety concern, and due to the wiring overheating and melting could be a potential fire hazard.*tr

Speedometer and tachometer step motors malfunction and do not go back down upon deceleration. my speedo will show i'm doing 40 mph while stopped and sometimes peg out while driving in the neighborhood. this creates an unsafe situation with speed management in all types of driving conditions.

I have had this vehicle for 4 years and the speedometer has not worked for 2.5 years now. it will work if i reset the battery or turn the key over until the needle goes back to 0. i am told the instrument cluster is bad and i see that there are other complaints also. please help. i need to know if this is covered at a gm dealership for free. the vehicle also sputters and i have already replaced the fuel pump and had the injectors looked at. if you can please email me or contact me i would greatly appreciate it. *tr

Driving on a city street- speed limit of 35 mph my meter read 75 mph. i put my gps system on to monitor my mph. at traffic light while idling the meter read 45 mph. 2004 buick rainier had been sitting outside for 3 days with the temperature in the 20's and this was the 1st time i had driven it. tried accelerating and stopping a little suddenly hoping to jolt the meter back to normal. no results. parked for about 30 minutes, started the car and it began to register at 65 mph when driving 35 mph per gps. idling read 25 mph. after more stops and restarts the idle speed would read just below 20 mph. called onstar for a diagnostic and they connected me with gmc tech. they were going to try and reset the speedometer but found out it could not be done and wanted me to go to a local dealership. i was 400 miles from home and instead contacted my dealership at home. i was informed that this is an ongoing complaint about 2004 rainiers and that i should have no trouble traveling home in 2 days and that my speed control should work fine. i am very displeased that the gmc tech did not convey this information to me knowing that i was traveling and was concerned about safety. the next day i drove about 30 minutes parked the car for 1 1/2 hours and when i started driving then the speedometer was back to normal. googled this problem and found many complaints and stories just as mine and found out the there has been no recall because there were not enough complaints about the problem. shame shame shame on buick!!! i have since visited my local dealership and will be having a cluster replaced next week. s. so consider this a complaint about 2004 buick rainier and a complaint about gmc tech handling of what i consider a safety issue. i intend to trade in a year or two - but at that time i will certainly reconsider purchasing a gmc and/or buick. *tr

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. other vehicle was going downhill. the other vehicle was a subaru. vehicle computer data was retrieved by a bosch crash data retrieval tool using version 8.0 software. i have a copy of this data. gm reports that the computer was correct not to deploy airbags and not call for help using onstar. the vehicle had a software modification due to a fault with the fan speed calibration setting off a warning light. we had complained that things were never correct after this modification of the software and took the vehicle to two different dealerships complaining that computers were doing strange things after this firmware modification. vehicle vin: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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. other vehicle was going downhill. the other vehicle was a subaru. vehicle computer data was retrieved by a bosch crash data retrieval tool using version 8.0 software. i have a copy of this data. gm reports that the computer was correct not to deploy airbags and not call for help using onstar. the vehicle had a software modification due to a fault with the fan speed calibration setting off a warning light. we had complained that things were never correct after this modification of the software and took the vehicle to two different dealerships complaining that computers were doing strange things after this firmware modification. vehicle vin: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

After driving for a approximately one hour at 65-70 mph on the interstate the speedometer reading drops off from 70 eventually down to 0 mph. upon stopping and restarting the engine at a rest stop the speedometer returns to an accurate reading for a short while. i relied on my garmin gps to give me a speed approximation when the speedometer went out completely. relying on a accurate speedometer is a critical safety issue especially at night. without the gps giving me a speed reading it would be next to impossible to judge a safe speed in the darkness on a road illuminated only by my headlights. this defect must be similar to other models in the gm family, trailblazer and envoy. if one person were to rely on this faulty speedometer they might think they were driving 40 when in actuality they could be driving in excess of 70. *tr

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 *cn

The gauge cluster works sometime. the only gauge that works properly is the speed. there seems to be a short. took it to the dealership and they seem to think the cluster is bad but aren't 100% sure sense it works sometime. there has been a couple of times that i have been driving and have lost all elec components (no radio, no power windows locks, or any of the gauges) after reading im not the only one having the same kind of problems. *tr

Electrical ? my 2004 buick rainier has had a problem for a few years now with the intermittent dimming of the headlights. as best as i can figure out, it happens noticeably at night when i am coasting at 30-32 mph. the battery voltage meter will drop down to around 11, causing the lights to dim and then go back up. it mostly happens when there is moisture in the air, it is not generally an issue during the months of jan-mar where it is crisp and drier. i start my vehicle and let it run for about a minute or more before driving the vehicle and during my night time travel, it may happen 3 times or more than a dozen times. there does not seem to be a drain on the power or handling of the vehicle. i find this disconcerting whereas my lights are noticeably dimming to other vehicles on the road. it may appear to other drivers that i am indicating with the ?flashing? of the headlights that they can cut out in front of me or make the turn from a side street. i have had a few close calls in this regard but i drive knowing that it could be an issue. it only appears to be a problem when i am coasting and not applying pressure to the gas pedal. *tr

Going down the road speedometer stuck at 120. *tr

Gauges don't function right. speedo reads too fast, too slow or not at all, fuel gauge reads twice as full. needle pegged to stop as is the oil gauge needle. buying this was the biggest mistake ever made. *tr

1) fuel gauge - the fuel gauge has done a 180, the needle is now upside down. and doesn't work really. i searched the internet and found out the there is a recall on 2005- 2007 buick rainiers but not on my 2004. maybe with my complaint, maybe it will include 2004 models. 2) drives door lock - the car key will no longer open the car door. i can only open the door with the remote button. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. the contact stated the vehicle headlights turned on and off intermittently. the air bag, the seat belt, and the brake warning lights also illuminated. the speedometer displayed the incorrect reading. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 83,868.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. the contact stated that the instrument cluster malfunctioned and the speedometer failed. in addition, the abs warning light was illuminated whenever the vehicle was started. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they advised the contact that the abs sensor and instrument panel would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was unknown.

I have a 2004 buick rainier. speedometer is saying 120mph when only going 25. it would adjust itself for a day but then it was all over the place and now staying at 120 more often. this started at the end of may. for a few years now the hatch window lock is a problem. can't open it because i have an issue with getting it locked again without slamming it. have also had condensation in my head and rear lights since i've gotten it. why they have yet to recall about the speedometer is crazy. this is a safety issue especially when children or the elderly are involved! the cost to fix the cluster alone is 455.80$ (cheapest). this should not be my responsibility when most, if not all, of the rainiers are all malfunctioning in the same way. *tr

2004 buick rainier- instrument panel - speedometer, temperature, fuel and oil pressure gauges all started working intermittently and providing false readings (120mph at dead stop with engine off, temp in red zone at start up). this appears to be all to common of an issue with gm trucks/suvs of this era and needs to be addressed via recall. the problem is now getting progressively worse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. the contact stated that the speedometer would become stuck at 40 mph and sporadically, would not return to zero when the vehicle was at a complete stop. the dealer inspected the vehicle and advised that the stepper motor in the speedometer had failed. the failure mileage was 71,000 and current mileage 71,488.

I bought this car monday and the dealer stated it had all scheduled service, including the 130k mile service on february 26, 2011. we drove around the neighborhood and the car seemed to drive beautifully, and appeared to be immaculately maintained. until i drove to work this morning, and the speedometer started going higher and higher, reaching 80 mph, even though i had slowed down and pulled over. i shut the car off and restarted it. it appeared normal for the first 30 mph, then stuck at 40, even though i was following traffic in a 70 mph zone. it stayed at 40 mph, even after the car was turned off. i did some research on this problem and found that the instrument panel cluster has been a known problem in gm cars, and was supposed to have been corrected as the result of a class action lawsuit. there are several tsbs related to the speedometer, gas gauges, or other instruments in this cluster. i find it unforgivable that the national highway traffic safety administration has allowed an unsafe condition exist in virtually an entire brand of cars for over 7 years and has not issued a recall on these vehicles. this allowed the dealer to sell the car, knowing about the problem, but not required by law, to disclose it. and should i be on the highway, driving along at 90 mph, when my speedometer says 60, nobody is safe. not me, not the other cars on the road, certainly not pedestrians, since the braking distance is obviously far longer than my speedometer leads me to believe it is. how many millions of defective vehicles have been placed on the road in the last 7 years? how would you feel if your 5 year-old rode a bicycle into the street as i drove by? thinking i was going 30, but really going 60? this isn't just an inconvenience, it is a fatality waiting to happen. you have the authority, and the moral responsibility, to fix it. recall these cars before somebody dies. *tr

Erratic windshield wiper operation. when you turn the wipers on for use they immediately go to "normal" mode of operation and can be switched to "high speed" and back to normal but will not go to "delay" or turn off. then they may stay on for days before they will stop on their own. they do not trun off with the switch. this has been a problem for about 6 months but is getting worse. *tr

The speedometer on my 2004 buick rainier stops working intermittently. there is no pattern as to when this occurs, it has happened in all types of weather and all temperatures. sometimes it says i'm going faster than i am, sometimes it says i'm going slower. sometimes it stops working all together. i have researched and this is a common problem with rainiers. i'm wondering why this hasn't been recalled? the vehicle has about 100,000 miles on it now, but the speedometer stopping has been an issue for a few years. *tr

It is a known fact by buick/gm that there is a major issue with the instrument cluster/electrical make up of this vehicle. hundreds of people are complaining of electrical issues with their vehicle, first and foremost is the failure of the instrument cluster. from what we have deducted so far, this is an electrical issue stemming from a ground short near the radio. we just can't pinpoint it yet. some days the instrument cluster works, some not. usually starts working on a wet day - indicating the ground short. there is no excuse for not recalling this, other than they realize how many would be involved. i spent thousands on this vehicle and now gm will not back their product. the problem didn't start until after the warranty was past, surprise surprise. i have to use a gps system with a speedometer to avoid speeding/getting fined. all the dealerships agree - the hours of labor to resolve this are beyond my pocketbook. step up and acknowledge your fault in this, gm. now. *tr

Speedometer failing and/or working intermittently. *tr

Odometer freezes. *tr

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. i contacted gm about the problem and they acknowledge there is a problem with instrument clusters in certain vehicles during that period of time but my vehicle is no involved. if you research this on the internet you will find several sites with discussions and complaints about the instrument clusters on this particular vehicle, including this site. i think this is a wide spread problem and should be corrected with a mandated government recall. i had an identical problem with a 2003 cadillac escalade xt and there was a recall and free replace for the instrument cluster. *tr

Speedometer failure. at a standstill the speedometer reads anywhere from 10mph to 40mph. on a few occasions it seems to read correctly. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. while driving approximately 35 mph all of the interior and exterior lights came on. the lighting on the instrument panel also became inoperable. the vehicle stalled and upon restart, the lights began functioning normally. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to diagnose the failure. approximately 5 months later, the failure recurred with the headlights and running lights. the manufacturer advised the contact that he had to pay a fee in order to perform a diagnostic test. the vehicle was not examined or repaired. the failure mileage was 63,000 and the current mileage was 68,000. updated evoq 10/04/10

Speedometer sticks. do not know how fast the vehicle is going. *tr

I have filed a complaint before about our speedometer being messed up. now the entire instrument panel is malfunctioning. all the gauges are "pegged". there is no reason what so ever buick can not place a recall on this problem. no fire as of yet, but what if the car overheats? we can't tell as the gauge is not functioning. no damage to other property, but this is my vehicle and there is damage to it, since something is broke. no crash as of yet, but it will happen. what happens when i run out of gas cause the gas gauge is showing beyond full? *tr

We have a 2004 buick rainier. during the colder times, our speedometer tick, and it stops working completely, so you don't know how fast or slow you are going. as of this day its not working at all, this is a safety issue. having no way to tell your speed, we could get a ticket, cause an accident. i have also noticed online, numerous people having the same problem. there needs to be a recall. we have not had it fixed. it would $600 to fix, and should not be charged to us, but to buick for a malfunction. *tr

2004 buick rainier instrument cluster failure was a problem the chevy trail blazer and it is the same one that is in the buick rainier however they will not fix or at least help with the problem.if the same components were used in the 2 different vehicles and there was a recall on the chevy's why was the buick rainier not on the recall list. *tr

No particular event just driving and speedometer stopped working a few weeks later gas gauge stopped once in awhile the speedometer starts but is inaccurate all of the instrument cluster is going . many other complaints online for same problem . tried to have the dealer co operate and fix the defect but got nowhere need help as this is a extremely expensive fix on a faulty part that should have a recall as it is a unsafe situation. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i own a 2004 buick rainier and the instrument cluster, specifically the speedometer, oil and gas gauges have failed. called buick about the issue and received service request # [xxx] . called a local dealer, wagner buick/gmc in belleville, il to get service and the service manager stated that i would be responsible to fix this issue. the service request will get me nothing since i didn't purchase the vehicle initially. looking on the internet to find a fix for the issue i have noticed numerous complaints about failed/failing instrument clusters in these vehicles. i'm sure there are other gm vehicles with the same problems outside of the rainier. request the nhtsa look over this issue. *tr

2004 buick rainier speedometer works sporadically. sometimes it works then other times it registers to high or to low. from what i've read this is a common occurrence on the buick rainier. *tr

The first incident we ran out of fuel with the fuel gauge showing we still had fuel in the tank. next incident, the oil pressure gauge indicated a very high oil pressure reading, leading me to believe something was wrong with the engine. took the car home and drove another vehicle until i could do some testing on the vehicle. oil gauge returned to normal operation. in april of 2010 i was driving exiting an interstate highway onto a four lane road and the speedometer reading became inaccurate. i was traveling faster than the indicated speed. after stopping at an intersection the speedometer never moved from zero when i was moving down the road. this occurs after a brief period of driving. mechanics i have spoken to inform me this is a common occurrence with this model vehicle. gauges such as fuel gauge, oil pressure, tachometer and speedometer are not trustworthy and give inaccurate readings. this is a very expensive item to replace and should be considered a safety hazard because you cannot determine your speed at any given moment.

My speedometer on my 2004 buick rainier is erratic. it says i am going 100 when doing 70 and sometimes says i am going 0 when on the highway. *tr

Failure of speedometer. quit working at about 32,000 miles. *tr

I own a 2004 buick rainier v-8 and the speedometer has stopped working. it will be functioning properly and then suddenly it will show 120 mph. sometimes it will work properly but then it goes to 120 mph again. i wouldn't normally file a report for this but after research on the internet i see where there are dozens of owners reporting the same problem with the same vehicle. i am in the process of getting it fixed. *tr

I have a 2004 buick rainier and the speedometer and the other gauges don't work i don't know how fast i am going or how my car is running its been like that a little after i got it and it works some times but sometimes it don't i have talked to other people who have a car like mine and they have the same problem to. *tr