2006 Buick Rainier Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Rainier years
- More complaints than other years 3rd of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 91 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Buick Rainier. That ranks 3rd out of 5 Rainier model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is fuel system, gasoline (25 complaints, 27%), typically at around 58,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 5 fires. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 91owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2006 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 25 | 27% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 17 | 19% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 12 | 13% | 101,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 8 | 9% | 64,870 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 8% | 64,741 | — | — |
| Suspension | 7 | 8% | 46,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 7% | 167,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 4% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 4% | 84,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 4% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 3 | 3% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 3% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 3% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 3% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 3% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 2% | 9,278 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 2% | 167,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 2% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 47,829 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2006 Buick Rainier recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Visibility:power window devices and controls
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter 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 to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced.
Risk: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700.
Exterior lighting:headlights
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, 2006-2008 Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (HDM) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.
Risk: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.
Visibility:power window devices and controls
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.
Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.
Visibility:power window devices and controls; electrical system
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.
Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Fix: Owners will be contacted and dealers will test the driver's door module. If the module is functioning properly, a protective coating will be applied. If the module is not functioning properly, it will be replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners, Isuzu and Saab will contact their respective owners. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463, Isuzu owners at 1-800-255-6727, and Saab owners at 1-800-955-9007. GM's campaign number is 12180. This recall is an expansion of recall 12V-406.
Visibility:power window devices and controls; electrical system
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles, originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.
Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Fix: Parts for this recall are expected to available in March 2013. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners when parts are available. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. Isuzu owners will be notified by Isuzu Motors when parts are available. Owners may contact Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727. SAAB owners will be notified by SAAB Cars North America when parts are available and for inquiries, owners may call SAAB customer service at 1-800-955-9007.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Certain trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were shipped with tire and loading information labels listing an inacccurate vehicle capacity weight.
Risk: A misprinted label could lead to improper vehicle loading specifications or tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners will be provided with corrected labels and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can install the label for them. The recall began on march 31, 2006. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, hummer at 1-800-732-5493, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
Steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with a power steering hose that is not to specification. Under extreme steering maneuvers, such as turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right while braking, the hose may fracture and leak fluid.
Risk: If this were to occur, power steering assist would be lost and increased steering effort would be required. On vehicles equipped with hydro-boost power brakes, it could also result in loss of power brake assist and increased braking effort would be required. If the power steering fluid spray were to spray onto hot engine parts, an engine compartment fire could occur.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the power steering hose(s) for two suspect date codes and replace them if required. The recall will begin on october 14, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, or hummer at 1-800-732-5493.
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.
- Driver's Master Power Window Switch (EA12004) — opened Jun 11, 2012, closed Jun 21, 2013, led to recall 12V406000.
- Fuel level gauge system failure (PE11014) — opened Apr 25, 2011, closed Sep 23, 2011.
- Fuel Level Gauge System Failure (DP10001) — opened Jan 7, 2010, closed May 23, 2011.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Rainer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel jerked independently without warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the brake…
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Rainier. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in his driveway, the contact attempted to use the remote starter key fob to unlock the doors, but the doors failed to unlock. The contact stated that he manually unlocked the doors. The contact stated that…
During periods of time with ignition switch on, the wipers will loose the ability to both regulate speed and shut off. The wiper cover AC Delco/GM part number 19120931 will fail and loose control of the wipers (fail to shut off while driving). Because you cannot shut off the wipers, the driver's…
Low beam lights go off intermittently while driving and eventually come back on. This does not affect high beams or any other lights on the vehicle. But causes a serious danger to my needing to drive at night due to my job.
In driving cross country, filled up the fuel tank and resumed travel when the fuel gauge immediately went to empty (I didnât even have time to drive up the highway ramp back onto the highway). The alerts started ringing and blinking and dash board told me there was no fuel. I went to a gravel…
Other Buick Rainier years
← 2005 Rainier · 2007 Rainier →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Rainier | 38 | 5 |
| 2006 | 91 | 7 |
| 2005 Rainier | 103 | 1 |
| 2004 Rainier | 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 2006 Buick Rainier?
Owners most often report fuel system, gasoline, electrical system, exterior lighting problems. The top one, fuel system, gasoline, accounts for 25 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2006 Buick Rainier?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2006 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 2006 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.