Problems · NHTSA complaints

2005 Buick Rendezvous problems

Owners filed 138 complaints about the 2005 Buick Rendezvous with NHTSA between Apr 2005 and Oct 2025. The most-cited component is electrical system (38).

Complaints
138
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
10
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system38
  2. Steering18
  3. Engine18
  4. Power train17
  5. Engine and engine cooling14
  6. Vehicle speed control13
  7. Suspension11
  8. Fuel/propulsion system10
  9. Fuel system, gasoline8
  10. Air bags5
  11. Service brakes5
  12. Electronic stability control (esc)4
  13. Structure4
  14. Wheels3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
200511
200613
20077
200812
20096
20107
201116
201211
20133
201421
20159
20166
20173
20184
20194
20202
20210
20221
20231
20240
20251

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

38 reports3 crashes
“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. He said there was air in my radiator and he released it and it was fixed, I drove about 3 miles and it overheated again so I returned to the same mechanic and after about 6 minutes he came and told me it was a head gasket but they didn't repair those there so I called the next closest mechanic who looked at the car for about 3 minutes, stuck an air hose in the radiator and he said it was blowing out gas fumes from the radiator meaning I had a cracked…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 28, 2023Electrical system, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11541076

Steering

18 reports2 crashes
“My kids and I were driving down the road all of a sudden I heard this loud sound and then my car wouldn't turn left or right the steering wheel turned but not the car thank God I wasn't goin very fast I was able to slowly pull to the side of the rd then it started smoking like it was on fire my kids and I had to hurry and jump out an the carlot I got it from is picking it up to be looked at.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 7, 2025SteeringODI 11691851

Engine

18 reports
“The contact owns a 2005 Buick Rendezvous. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and was shuddering while shifting gear. The “Service Engine Now” warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to side of the roadway, turn off and restart the vehicle and drove to her residence safely. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 13, 2022Power train, EngineODI 11460663

Power train

17 reports1 crash
“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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 26, 2018Suspension, Power train, Electrical systemODI 11103995

Engine and engine cooling

14 reports1 crash
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK RENDEZVOUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT BUT THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A HOLE WAS IN THE HEAD GASKET, WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE HEAD GASKET REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,500.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 2, 2012Engine and engine coolingODI 10450110

Vehicle speed control

13 reports1 crash
“MY SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING. MOSTLY IS READS 120 MPH WHEN I AM SETTING STILL. BECAUSE IT FLUCTUATES FROM MOVING OR NOT MOVING. BUT NEVER CORRECTLY. I HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO RELYING SOLELY ON A GPS SPEEDOMETER.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 14, 2016Vehicle speed controlODI 10906752
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.