Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Buick Rendezvous, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling115
- Electrical system103
- Fuel system, gasoline65
- Suspension45
- Service brakes, hydraulic41
- Equipment40
- Power train40
- Fuel/propulsion system33
- Air bags24
- Visibility23
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 21 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 6 2002 Rendezvous vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 6 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Buick Rendezvous failed the safety check 4.10% of the time — 105% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 126,721 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 12.0–12.5 L/100 km (about 19–20 mpg US), CO₂ 276–288 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rendezvous · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.8 | 9.8 | 12.0 |
| Rendezvous AWD · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.3 | 10.3 | 12.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Buick Rendezvous.
| 2006199 15 Aug 2006 | Suspension On certain Aztek (AWD), Montana (AWD), Relay (AWD), RendezVous (AWD), RendezVous (FWD), Silhouette (AWD), Terraza (AWD), Terraza (FWD), Uplander (AWD) and Ventu… |
| 2003147 16 Jun 2003 | Structure On certain vehicles, a structural support at the latch attachment in the rear liftgate may be inadequate to retain the latch to the liftgate in certain severe v… |
| 2002151 13 Aug 2002 | Airbag Certain vehicles may have a driver's side airbag inflator that could fracture at a weld during a deployment. Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure veh… |
| 2001272 14 Nov 2001 | Other Certain vehicles have an improperly programmed vehicle theft deterrent system. Correction: dealers will reprogram the system. |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, VARIATIONS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR EXPOSURE TO HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES MAY LEAD TO FRACTURE OF THE FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE (ICV).
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Buick told its dealers about the 2002 Buick Rendezvous: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637216 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE JUNE EDITION OF EMERGING ISSUES FOR VARIOUS MODELS. *TT |
| 637172 | BRIEF INFORMATION REGARDING THE LOWER ACCENT COLOR THT IS USED ON THE CLADDING OF CERTAIN VEHICLES. *TT |
| 637170 | THIS MESSAGE HAS REFERENCE TO SEVERAL TORN COLUMN SHIFTER BOOT. *TT |
| 636613 | INFORMATION ON THE ELIMINATION OF THE EXTENSION TUBE FOR THE TIRE HOIST. *TT |
| 636612 | SUBJECT REGARDING A RATTLE CONDITION COMING FROM THE FRONT SEAT FOOTREST. *TT |
| 636611 | SOME OWNERS HAVE COMMENTED THAT THE CLOCK FUNCTION ON THE RADIO FAILS TO KEEP THE CORRECT TIME WHEN ITS COMPARED TO OTHER SOURCES. *TT |
| 636607 | SOME CUSOMTERS MAY REPORT A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR ROOF HEADLINDER AREA WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON A VERY ROUGH ROAD. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634833 | SERVICE MANUAL UPDATE ON REVISED VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 634242 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM REGARDING BRAKE BOOSTER POWER PISTON. *TT |
| 634236 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM BULLETIN REGARDING VEHICLES WITH BRAKE BOOSTER CONTAINING CERTAIN INTERNAL PARTS THAT ARE NOT TO SPECIFICATION. *TT |
| 631820 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE AN INOPERATIVE CIGARETTE LIGHTER. *SLC |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 628862 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED WITH HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. *TT |
| 627695 | INFORMATION REGARDING AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER REPLACEMENT OF SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE. *YH |
| 627671 | HARD START, NO START, STALL, AND/OR FUEL GAUGE INOPERATIVE OR FLUCTUATES. *YH UPDATED *EH |
| 627486 | INFORMATION REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR SHAKE/INOPERATIVE. *YH |
| 625447 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN BULLETIN #01060 - VALVE SPRINGS REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 625296 | INFORMATION ON DRIVE AXLE FLUID CHANGE WHEN TOWING A TRAILER. *SLC |
| 625083 | SUBJECT REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN VALVE SPRING REPLACEMENT. *JG |
| 625021 | SUBJECT REGARDING REPLACEMENT VALVE SPRINGS. *JG |
| 624842 | INFORMATION REGARDING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN VALVE SPRINGS . *YD. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
FUEL TANK LEAKAGE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation