The 2004 Buick Rainier has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,157,951 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 205 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE DRIVER WISHING TO SIGNAL A TURN BY MOVING THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL LEVER, (UP OR DOWN) MAY CAUSE THE FRONT MARKER/TURN LIGHTS AND REAR TURN LIGHTS TO FLASH IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO HAZARD WARNING, RATHER THAN FLASHING ON THE DESIRED SIDE ONLY.
Consequence
THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CLEARLY SIGNAL THEIR INTENTIONS TO TURN, CHANGE TRAVEL LANES, OR POTENTIALLY WARN OTHERS OF AN IMPAIRED VEHICLE OPERATING CONDITION INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SUSPECT FLASHER MODULES WITH A NEW FLASHER MODULE DESIGNED WITH SEALED RELAYS AND MORE DURABLE CONTACT MATERIAL INSIDE OF THE RELAYS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2005. ISUZU BEGAN MAILING OWNER LETTERS ON AUGUST 4, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, VIBRATION AND HEAT MAY CAUSE THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP BULB TO LOOSEN IN ITS SOCKET. IF THIS OCCURS, THE BULB MAY FLICKER AND EVENTUALLY BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Consequence
AN INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMP WILL NOT CONVEY THE DRIVER'S INTENTION OF STOPPING TO DRIVERS IN FOLLOWING VEHICLES, AND AN INOPERATIVE REAR TURN SIGNAL LAMP WILL NOT CONVEY THE DRIVER'S INTENTION TO TURN TO DRIVERS IN FOLLOWING VEHICLES. BOTH OF THESE FAILURES CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP ASSEMBLIES, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THEM. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
52
2crashes2fires3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
27
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12
2crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS
9
6crashes7injuries
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
7
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
6
POWER TRAIN
6
SUSPENSION
5
Total complaints205
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. The contact stated that the headlights turned off intermittently without warning. The contact stated that the headlights remained off for approximately six minutes. When the lights turned back on, the lighting was dim. The vehicle was taken to j.d.…”
“Headlights fail intermittently while driving. While driving last night the low beam headlights went out. The high beams still worked. This is about the sixth time this has happened. I changed out the headlight relay just before this occurred as I had seen a recall on 2006 and 2007 rainiers showing…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick rainier. After parking the vehicle, a fuel odor was noticed outside the vehicle. Once the contact entered the vehicle, the odor was stronger. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that the fuel lines were rotted and the fuel pump…”
“Low beam headlights failure both at the same time. Occurred on two separate occasions. First time a year or so ago, low beam relay replaced by best recollection”
“Low beams on lighting goes out for no apparent reason. This has happened two times in the last two weeks. Dealership says they just can't find anything wrong. Although they had another vehicle there with same problem. This seems to be a recurring problem with gm suv's. My 1994 gmc did the same…”
“Low beams on lighting goes out for no apparent reason. This has happened two times in the last two weeks. Dealership says they just can't find anything wrong. Although they had another vehicle there with same problem. This seems to be a recurring problem with gm suv's. My 1994 gmc did the same…”
“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.”
“I've been having sporadic flickering low beam issues with this car since I bought it, and have spent untold hours and time trying to figure it out including taking it to the dealer. (I work nights.) last week the low beams failed on the way home from work at midnight. Researched it, and finally…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA04021 Opened 2004-08-03 · closed 2004-11-04
BRAKE LAMP FAILURE
GM STATES THAT SOME BRAKE/TAIL LAMP BULBS CAN PREMATURELY BECOME INOPERATIVE DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING BRAKE/TAIL LAMP SOCKETS.ON MARCH 2, 2004, GM INITIATED A 6-YEAR/72,000 MILE SPECIAL POLICY FOR 989,487 SUBJECT VEHICLES TO INSPECT AND REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE/TAIL LAMP BULB SOCKET ASSEMBLIES.ON APRIL 4, 2004, THE OFFICE…
InvestigationEA07009 Opened 2007-07-10 · closed 2008-08-28
FUEL PUMP MODULE LEAKS GASOLINE
DURING THE COURSE OF THIS EA INVESTIGATION, ODI OBSERVED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE COMPLAINTS (88%) AND WARRANTY CLAIMS (94%) WERE REPORTED FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE REGISTERED FOR USE IN THE SALT BELT REGION OF THE US.THIS AREA INCLUDES 20 STATES IN THE NORTHEAST, MID ATLANTIC AND THE MIDWEST REGIONS AND THE DISTRICT OF…
InvestigationRQ17002 Opened 2017-04-24 · closed 2021-03-29
Loss of Headlights
The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Buick Rainier as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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