2002 Buick Rendezvous

Typical pattern

4.3% of complaints about the 2002 Buick Rendezvous came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.6 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (112 complaints), typically at 6.1 yr or about 65,000 miles.

Complaints: 668
Median age at failure: 5.6 yr
Median mileage: 69,800 n=538
Crash / fire / tow: 6.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine cooling

112 reports · 65,000 mi

6.1 yr

0.9%

Electrical system

107 reports · 70,000 mi

5.7 yr

5.6%

Fuel system

67 reports · 78,000 mi

5.8 yr

Suspension

43 reports · 60,000 mi

4.3 yr

4.7%

Service brakes, hydraulic

43 reports · 68,000 mi

5.5 yr

Power train

41 reports · 63,000 mi

3.8 yr

7.3%

Equipment

39 reports · 60,000 mi

4.3 yr

Fuel / propulsion

33 reports · 110,000 mi

13.8 yr

Visibility

23 reports · 59,795 mi

3.8 yr

Air bags

23 reports · 97,028 mi

7.1 yr

56.5%

Other

17 reports · 49,023 mi

5.0 yr

Structure

16 reports · 45,289 mi

3.4 yr

6.2%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07V349000 2007-08-08

Fuel system, gasoline:storage

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).

A FRACTURE MAY ALLOW FUEL VAPORS TO PASS THROUGH AND ALLOW DROPLETS OF FUEL TO ACCUMULATE ON THE SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

07E021000 2007-03-12

Fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly:pressure relief devices

CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.

FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

02V222000 2002-08-09

Air bags:frontal

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.

PIECES OF THE INFLATOR COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE DRIVER.

In owners’ own words

Fuel system mileage not reported 0 mo in service

GAS GAUGE WOULD BE SPORADIC, WOULD SHOW A CORRECT READING, BUT OPPOSITE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING, VEHICLE WOULD BE FILLED WITH FUEL, BUT GAS GAUGE WOULD SHOW EMPTY OR VICE VERSUS. VEHICLE HAS A BACK FUEL SYSTEM. *AK CONSUMER STATED DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM WHICH WAS A FAULTY SENDING UNIT.*SLC

Fuel system 21,940 mi 11 mo in service

I HAVE 35,000 MILES ON MY 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS AND I AM HAVING THE SECOND FUEL PUMP INSTALLED. THE CAR STALLED OUT WHILE TRAVELING DOWN A BUSY ROAD WITH NO BREAKDOWN LANES. THE BRAKES AND STEARING WERE MINIMAL CREATING A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Fuel system 27,396 mi 1.9 yr in service

VEHICLE STOPPED RUNNING IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. WOULD NOT START. TOWED TO DEALER. IT WAS DETERMINED THE FUEL PUMP WAS NOT WORKING. THERE WAS NO WARNING THIS WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. VEHCILE STAYED IDLE FOR 8 DAYS BEFORE A FUEL PUMP COULD BE LOCATED! THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH SEVERAL MODELS OF GM VEHICLES. DEALER CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM.*AK

Power train mileage not reported 7 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND CAR SLOWED DOWN. DEALER CONTACTED, SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY TRANSMISSION SHAFT PUMP HAVING A DEFECT. *AK

Other Rendezvous model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.