2004 Buick Rainier Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Rainier years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 158 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Buick Rainier. That is the most of any Rainier model year in the database (5 years). The most reported problem area is electrical system (83 complaints, 53%), typically at around 60,071 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 4 fires, 10 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 158owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Buick Rainier problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 83 | 53% | 60,071 | “instrument cluster” (12%) | $890 |
| Exterior Lighting | 21 | 13% | 102,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 15 | 9% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 8% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 10 | 6% | 74,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 6% | 97,400 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 4% | 101,183 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 4% | 40,702 | — | — |
| Suspension | 6 | 4% | 82,300 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 3% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 3% | 25,702 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 3% | 43,066 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 2% | 26,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 88,122 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 10,050 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 1% | 85,250 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 1% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 114,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Buick Rainier recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:turn signal
Problem: On certain trucks and sport utility vehicles, the driver wishing to signal a turn by moving the directional signal lever, (up or down) may cause the front marker/turn lights and rear turn lights to flash in a manner similar to hazard warning, rather than flashing on the desired side only.
Risk: The driver may not be able to clearly signal their intentions to turn, change travel lanes, or potentially warn others of an impaired vehicle operating condition increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2005. Isuzu began mailing owner letters on august 4, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, buick at 1-866-608-8080, and oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Exterior lighting:brake lights
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, vibration and heat may cause the tail lamp/stop lamp bulb to loosen in its socket. If this occurs, the bulb may flicker and eventually become inoperative.
Risk: An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tail lamp/stop lamp assemblies, and if necessary, replace them. The recall began on november 22, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of Headlights (RQ17002) — opened Apr 24, 2017, closed Mar 29, 2021.
- Fuel pump module leaks gasoline (EA07009) — opened Jul 10, 2007, closed Aug 28, 2008.
- Brake lamp failure (EA04021) — opened Aug 3, 2004, closed Nov 4, 2004, led to recall 04V527000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. The contact stated that the headlights turned off intermittently without warning. The contact stated that the headlights remained off for approximately six minutes. When the lights turned back on, the lighting was dim. The vehicle was taken to j.d. Byrider…
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 buick rainier. While driving approximately 30 mph in the rain, the vehicle hydroplaned. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wall. As a result, the contact was rendered unconscious and transported to the hospital via ambulance. The contact's head…
I noticed in november of 2016 my buick rainner was smelling like gasoline after i got out and left it running while i was dropping stuff at home from work. When i got back in my vehicle i didn't smell anything, but could smell outside the vehicle. I went about another 10 miles later to my…
Headlights fail intermittently while driving. While driving last night the low beam headlights went out. The high beams still worked. This is about the sixth time this has happened. I changed out the headlight relay just before this occurred as i had seen a recall on 2006 and 2007 rainiers showing…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. After parking the vehicle, a fuel odor was noticed outside the vehicle. Once the contact entered the vehicle, the odor was stronger. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that the fuel lines were rotted and the fuel pump…
Other Buick Rainier years
← 2003 Rainier · 2005 Rainier →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Rainier | 38 | 5 |
| 2006 Rainier | 91 | 7 |
| 2005 Rainier | 103 | 1 |
| 2004 | 158 | 2 |
| 2003 Rainier | 1 | 0 |
See all Buick Rainier problems by year, every Buick model, or the Buick VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Buick Rainier?
Owners most often report electrical system, exterior lighting, power train problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 83 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Buick Rainier?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Buick Rainier a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Rainier model years, the 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.