What breaks most · 2003 to 2007 model years
Buick Rainier problems by year
Owners have filed 391 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Buick Rainier across model years 2003 to 2007. Two years stand out: 2004 for electrical system complaints and 2005 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2003.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2003
- Complaints on file
- 3912003 to 2007, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004158 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1614 fires · 14 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 69kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 158 | 9 | 2 | Electrical system (83) | |
| 103 | 6 | 1 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 91 | 1 | 7 | Fuel system (25) | |
| 38 | 0 | 5 | Fuel system (8) |
What fails on the 2004 Buick Rainier
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 53% |
83 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 13% |
21 | 1 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
15 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
12 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Air bags | 6% |
10 | 7 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
9 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
7 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 4% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2004 Buick Rainier |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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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.
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Power steering leaks, the gas gauge and other gauges don't work, most the electrical don't work inside the car, makes a weird noise when it backs up and the engine revs when it's starts and sometimes when it drives and goes faster even when you are not hitting the gas
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Buick Rainier years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Buick Rainier. The 2004 alone has 158 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Buick Rainier problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 83 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Buick Rainier problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Buick Rainier complaints that include mileage is about 69,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.