Engine Cooling System Problems of Buick Rendezvous - part 1

Rear wheel bearings failed at 30k mi. Cooling system failed at 110 k mi. Car in motion on highway.

See all problems of the 2005 Buick Rendezvous 🔎.

We just bought a 2002 Buick Rendezvous. We were first told that we just needed our flushed. The vehicle's hot coolant light was coming on and the temp gauge was indicating that the vehicle was hot. We got this done and was driving it home and had the same issue. We are now being told that it has a blown head gasket. I decided to research online and am astounded by the amount of consumers that are having this same issue. Some of them are getting it fixed and having the same issue a few years later. I am really frustrated and feel that my hands are tied. What if I get it fixed this time and in a few years it does it again? I can not afford to keep putting huge amounts of money into this vehicle. If this is such a common issue why is there not a recall? this is not how gm should be treating conusmers. They need to take responsibility for a bad product.

See all problems of the 2002 Buick Rendezvous 🔎.

Mechanic stated that intake manifold gasket had failed. This caused engine oil to flood coolant system and coolant to flood engine. Engine needed to be replaced, costing ~$3600. Mechanic stated this is a well-known-problem with this make/model/year. After researching and seeing no remediation by gm, this complaint was filed based on the volume of complaints reported for the same issue.

See all problems of the 2003 Buick Rendezvous 🔎.

The contact owns a 2002 Buick Rendezvous. The contact started the ignition and the temperature gauge displayed a hot level reading with the illumination of the coolant warning indicator. The engine began to overheat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they replaced the head gasket. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 96,000.

I just found this link today. I have been having several problems out of my 03 Rendezvous. I had my brakes changed, and everything has went to hell. The brakes rattle, my awd disabled, and my anti-lock system light is on. I had this problem previously looked at in August 2010. Once the rotors were turned it seemed to have solved the problems. Since the warm weather has returned, the problems has started back. In addition to the brake system problems, I am looking into possible intake manifold being replaced or repaired due to antifreeze leakage. Any help wll be useful. Thanks!.

I have a 2002 Buick Rendezvous with 130,000 miles. At 125,000 I had to replace the thermostat and now it is overheating again. I have done radiator flush, replaced temp sensor, checked relays and replaced fuses. Have now been informed the head gasket needs to be 2nd cooling fan is not coming on but will power up under direct power source. Also being informed it needs a power control module (pcm).

The contact owns a 2002 Buick Rendezvous. While traveling at speeds of 35 mph, the radiator warning light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that two of his head gaskets had failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

October 21, 2010, williamstown, NJ- engine and engine cooling system at 51,000 miles had to constantly add coolant every week; never saw any leaks in the cooling system. SUV now has 87,000 miles, cooling system continues to get very hot, had the thermostat replaced oct. 8, 2010, engines continues to get very hot in just a 8 mile drive. Also, motor oil continues to show up in the overflow/coolant adding container. Checked cooling fan operation and both fans are working.

My 2002 Buick Rendezvous' temperature gauge continues to rise at low speeds and it is constantly low on radiator fluid. Was told that the head gasket would more than likely need to be replaced at a cost of about $1,000. 00. This apparently has to do with the type of coolant that was used in this gm product, for which there was a recall notice for and that I was never notified of (bought the vehicle new in 2002). This is just one problem in a long list of problems that I have had with this vehicle. Would like to know if there is anything that can be done about this, as I am sure a lot of other people would like to know.

Intake manifold gasket is dangerous truck overheats and very expensive to fix I cant afford.

I have a 2002 Buick Rendezvous that has had its general maintenance kept up and then the antifreeze disappeared, the engine temp got extremely hot, and then the intake manifold and head gaskets had to be replaced now the a/c lines and compressor are leaking and who knows what the problem will be next.

I purchased a 2002 Buick Rendezvous, less than 2 months ago. Within 2 wks of purchasing it the overheating light came on. We took it back to the dealership and they said it was a sensor and replaced it. 3 wks after that when the limited warranty was up it overheated again. The sensor was replaced thermostat, engine flushed, radiator cap, finally I came upon a discussion about the intake manifold and the class action suit against dexcool. The mechanic did a compression test and yes it is bad. I am a mother of 5 children and now I will owe over $2000 in repairs for a car less than 60 days old. There needed to be a recall!! if there was a suit why was it not put in the carfax for this make of car? the car still is not fixed I cannot afford it. Now I can't go places with all my children.

I have a 2002 Buick rened. I have had an on going problem with the car overheating and no ac. I have had the ac replaced on the vehicle, the temp gauge, the thermostat, the water-pump, 2 blown head gaskets, the fuel sensor, anti lock brake sensor and the fuel pump. I also have had to replace the window regulator on the passenger side window. I have receipts for all repairs but no I do not have the old parts. These repairs have costs me at least $5000k if not more.

We have a 2003 Buick Rendezvous with 60,000 miles. The car has been maintained according to the manual. We have twice experienced lower intake gasket failure which resulted in two expensive repair bills. Luckily the leaks were noticed before they could cause engine failure. During the last failure, we had lost most of the coolant, which was not indicated by the "low coolant" alarm. Luckily we had the vehicle in for window service at a gm dealer and they noticed the problem during routine inspection. We were told by the dealer that the previous repair, which was done at another dealer, did not correct the problem because they had failed to notice the head gasket seals which were leaking and led to the intake gasket failure. They did replace the head gaskets and seals at "gm goodwill" with no costs for the parts. We have now spent over $3000 in repairs to this engine on something that should not have happened. I have seen other complaints along this line on other forums and I feel this should be addressed .

After buying the car from a gm dealer in July 2004 one year later the ac system leaked and blowout the whole electrical board of ac which had to be replaced and never worked properly. Then in June of 2008 the thermostat needed to be replace. Then in August of 2008 a radiator hose needed to be replaced. Then in September of 2008 the intake manifold and gaskets had to be replaced. In November 2008 the Rendezvous is continuing to overheat. The car has been checked and the coolant pressure cap replaced but still the car continues to overheat the minute you start to drive it. I have had several mechanics check and they can not find anything wrong. In December of 2008 the Rendezvous continues to overheat. It is January 1, 2009 and I am taking it into the shop again. I have read that the a/c system on the 2002 Rendezvous is a major issue which gm is aware of but continues to ignore due to the fact that the car is no longer under warranty. I believe that they should be responsible for this. And if they do not want to take the responsibility on their own then someone should make them accountable.

Coolant leak found by vehicle inspection mechanic. A sealant was put in by dealership as a temporary fix, but due to estimate of $1800, work to permanently fix the problem has not been done yet. I did an internet search and found the problem is a common complaint in the 2002 Buick Rendezvous. I am driving the vehicle as little as possible until I decide on a course of action.

Our vehicle broke down in north carolina Friday November 21st without any warning. The battery light came on and we are shut down. After towing to a local garage we were told there was no oil in the vehicle at all. We knew that the oil change had been done very recently and was coming due at 3000 miles but the oil life was still 38% meaning we still had oil and it was in good condition until the life was 0%. So the oil leak was a mystery. They recommended we leave the vehicle and replace the engine. We chose to drive on to virginia since we were able to get it started and new oil put in. Checked all the way-no overheating etc. Called gm customer service and they told us to take it to the dealer for assessment. They finally gave us the bad news on Tuesday. Engine needs replacement. We were stranded in DC for 6 days waiting on gm to tell us if they would assist with engine replacement and they will not. Had to leave our vehicle there and come home. Now they want us to pay $6000 for a new engine on a vehicle worth $8000, Buick Rendezvous 2003 with 55k miles. We have complete maintenance records showing we took very good care of the vehicle. We found out there was a class action suit that involves our vehicle and relates to engine failure. Action ended oct 2008 so we have no chance of participating-plus there is a canadian class action for the same issues-we knew nothing from gm about defects that would cause our engine to fail. Now I am stranded at home (luckily I work from home but many others would be unable to work with out a rental). Can someone help with exposing this issue before many others suffer from this terrible lack of knowledge and failure by gm to face the problem? according to all research this has been an issue since at least 2004 and there have been tbs issued to dealerships.

Intake gaskets on 2001-2003 (maybe more) leaks premature. Buick has known about this problem for years and has not done anything about this problem. Class action suit in canada about this now. This problem gasket will leak without any indication and cause engine to over heat. Have to put the Rendezvous in the shop to have fixed( approx. $600. 00) Buick will not help in the cost. Rendezvous has approx. 52,000 miles.

Had to replace the intake manifold gasket due to dexcool antifreeze issues on the 3. 4 l v-6 of my 2002 Buick Rendezvous. I saw where there had been a class action suit filed but I never received notification from gm or the dealer where I bought the car. According to the class action web-site, the date for filing a claim has expired. I have had the intake manifold gasket replaced at a cost of $747. According to several internet sites, this was a problem that gm was aware of but never notified their customers. The mechanic told me (substantiated by the internet sites) that dexcool destroyed the intake manifold gaskets and this problem could happen again. I plan to contact gm directly, but wanted to file this complaint first.

I have had to replace the front and back brakes and rotors in my 2003 Buick Rendezvous twice now - one at 36,000 miles and again just recently at 73,000 miles. I had to have $1200 worth of work on the transmission at 62,000 miles because a gasket was leaking and causing transmission fluid to leak into the anti-freeze. Buick knew of this problem and had changed the design in 2003, but after I had purchased my vehicle. Now, I have been told the transmission cooling lines are leaking. Didn't they notice that when I had the transmission work done or did they cause it? mechanic says it has been leaking a long time.

We have a 2002 Buick Rendezvous and had to replace the wheel bearings at only 86k miles and now the air conditioning condenser has failed. These are expensive repairs and there seem to be many of the same complaints on this vehicle . . . Buick should fix these as they are a common occurrence!.

I also have a 2002 Rendezvous that had the head gasket go out at about 40,000 miles and had to replace it myself as Buick denied this problem was rare and because of mileage before occurrence. The leak involved coolant loss. Also had to replace the control module. Have a 2001 lesabre that also had a head gasket go out and is leaking oil; began at about 35,000 miles.

03' Buick rederzvous (with 65000 miles) being told leaking of lower intake manifold while being serviced at dealership for brakes. Given estimates of $1200 for the repair job. To its credit Buick is helping with the tab (ended up of paying 400 out of pocket). While dealer was doing the intake job, he came back to say the water pump is also leaking which costs about additional 350 for the fix.

At 38,000 miles , was told by my service man that I had small head gasket and intake manifold leaks resulting in coolant loss. Was told repair would be about $700, and if the leaks got worse it could jump the bill up to 3,200 dollars. Contacted the dealer about this problem, they kind of chuckled and were very aware of the problem but as of 4/19/09 there is no recall. From internet research this is a very common problem with this car. Looking at all the complaints on this site, it shows it is a very common problem. Gm is neglecting their responsibilities by not doing a recall. Something needs to be done about this.

I am having electrical problems with my 2002 Buick Rendezvous. First, the power door locks, windows, air conditioner, radio and remote keys entry would lock. Then yesterday the vehicle lost all power while I was driving in traffic. Somehow I managed to turn a corner (without power steering) and park the vehicle. After waiting a while and removing and replacing the connection from the battery to the fuse box under the hood, I was able to get it restarted and return to work. When I tried to leave work, it died in the driveway. Again I was able to reset everything after several tries and park the vehicle. I am afraid to drive it. I also have problems with squeaky brakes, which have been bad since I purchased the vehicle but the dealer and an independent garage cannot find a cause. I also am starting to have problems with the coolant level going down with no visible leak.

2003 Buick Rendezvous with 56,534 miles and needing a new head gasket, and new anti-freeze every couple of days. After research I know that I'm definitely not alone in this matter!!! bad stains on garage floor!!! nervous because wife drives it with our kids.

I am writing to complain about the premature failure of the intake gaskets on the general motors 3. 4 liter engine. The failure most common with 2002 and 2003 Buick Rendezvous. My Rendezvous had 40,000 miles on it when the gaskets failed and was out of the 36,00 mile warranty. The first indication of the failure was that my heater was not blowing hot air. I took it into a local shop and the mechanic suspected gasket failure before even looking at the car stating that "this is a common problem with this engine and we repair 2 or 3 a month in our shop. The problem is you think you are just loosing (dexcool) antifreeze from evaporation during the summer but in the winter when you try to use your heater it does not heat properly. The engine does not leak antifreeze on the ground, it goes into your engine oil and can cause catastrophic engine failure if not caught quickly enough. " I called my local Buick dealer to see if gm could help me out since my car was only 4. 000 miles out of warranty. They said bring it in and they will look at it. They called me back and said it was the intake gaskets that failed and it would cost me $900 to repair. I called gm customer service and after a week of negotiations, I finally got my car repaired at a reduced price($360). Now I am worried about the damage that has been done to my engine after having engine coolant contaminating my engine oil. I was told by the Buick service tech. That "no coolant got into the oil. It goes outside the engine. " that is very strange, because part of the repair is to change the engine oil. I want to make it clear that at no time was there ever any indication of any type of fluid leaking from the engine. If you google "gm engine coolant leak" more than 100,000 items come up on this.

I have an 03 Buick Rendezvous and the intake manifold gasket ($875) was identify by the dealership as the source of the problem at the same time my front hub bearings were fixed at just over $400 by the Buick dealership in new jersey. The dealership took my money gladly and later that day I find out in this forum my vehicle should have been repaired at no cost to me. I find it hard to believe the service manager/dealership were not aware of this problem and the notice posted by gm. I feel used and abuse at this point and my vehicle is still have problems with leaking coolant/overheating even after getting the problem fixed. All I want from gm is justice for all us who work hard each day and have continue to support their company and products. I would like to be added to class action lawsuit, can anyone give me information on getting on that train. . Read more...

The intake manifold gaskets deteriorated and started leaking on my 2002 Buick Rendezvous and on my 1997 Chevrolet malibu. The same thing happened on my mother's 1997 Chevrolet malibu. All of the vehicles cited had less than a 100k miles on the odometer. The Buick being the latest victim had 67k when it was discovered. The gasket failure could result in severe engine damage and potential fire.

: the contact stated the engine intake gasket was consistently leaking. During the time of the leakage, the engine did not stall. When the engine coolant became low the engine would get hot. The vehicle was only at 50000 miles and the contact expressed that the vehicle should not be having these problems at this point. The vehicle was repaired at an independent repair shop. The manufacturer was alerted and determined there would be no reimbursements for the repairs because the repairs were performed by an independent repair shops; repairs would be eligible for reimbursement if performed by the manufacturer's dealer. Updated 7/7//2006 -.

: the contact stated after driving for 10 minutes the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealership. The dealership determined air was getting into the radiator coolant and the head gaskets need to be replaced.

The intake manifold gasket failed and resulted in coolant leaking and the engine overheated on multiple occasions. Buick refused to honor the warranty for the repair to the intake manifold gasket. As a result, I paid $950 for the repair to the vehicle.

Water pump failed and cause the engine to overheat. Buick refused to honor the warranty on this part. As a result, I paid $575 for the repair.

Intake manifold gasket causing coolant leak at 65000 miles.

At 43,000 miles my 2002 Buick rendevous lost freon. The Buick dealer quoted me $848. 00 to fix. I found a service bulletin on a 2001 pontiac aztek with similar problems. Both the rendevous and aztek share components from gm. They fixed the ac condenser and 2 seal of the condenser. Also they recharged the freon. After I asked about a sevice bulletin on the rendevous, gm paid for the fix with a $100 copay.