Buick Rendezvous Reliability — Best and Worst Years by the Data

Quick answer

The 2002 draws 9.74 complaints per run and the 2006 2.16, a 4.5-fold gap within the same model. Half of all complaints arrive by 5 years of age, so 73.9% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Electrical System, with 241 complaints, typically at 5.5 years.

Buick Rendezvous years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Buick Rendezvous — complaint rate by model year
Model year	Per run	Complaints	Runs	Enough history?
2007	2.83	34	12	yes
2006	2.16	67	31	yes
2005	3.17	111	35	yes
2004	4.94	163	33	yes
2003	7.53	226	30	yes
2002	9.74	370	38	yes

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Among the 6 Buick Rendezvous years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2002, 2003, 2004; the three worth hunting are 2006, 2007, 2005.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Buick Rendezvous — age at failure
Age at failure	Complaints	Running total	Warranty
0 years	83	9.1%	covered
1 year	77	17.4%	covered
2 years	79	26.1%	covered
3 years	105	37.5%	you pay
4 years	80	46.2%	you pay
5 years	76	54.5%	you pay
6 years	59	61%	you pay
7 years	56	67.1%	you pay
8 years	43	71.8%	you pay
9 years	60	78.3%	you pay
10 years	48	83.5%	you pay
11 years	48	88.8%	you pay
12 years	33	92.4%	you pay
13 years	39	96.6%	you pay
14 years	23	99.1%	you pay
15 years	8	100%	you pay

ROWS 16·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 26.1% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 73.9% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 25% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Buick Rendezvous, the early trouble is Suspension — reported at around 3.7 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it. What waits further out is Electrical System at 5.5 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Buick Rendezvous — what fails and when
System	Complaints	Typical age	Crash	Fire
Electrical System	241	5.5 yrs	4	12
Engine And Engine Cooling	156	4.3 yrs	—	2
Fuel System	138	5.3 yrs	3	—
Gasoline	123	5.3 yrs	2	—
Service Brakes	110	6.3 yrs	8	4
Fuel/propulsion System	110	11.3 yrs	—	2
Power Train	88	5 yrs	3	—
Suspension	81	3.7 yrs	5	1

ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the Rendezvous's vehicle class. Per production run, the Subaru Outback draws 3.64, the Toyota Land Cruiser 1.49 and the Subaru Forester 3.35, against 5.69 for the Rendezvous. That is the most complaints of the group.

FIG.05·Buick Rendezvous — rivals in the same class
Same class as the Rendezvous	Complaints on record	Recall campaigns	Years built
Subaru Outback	8,587	159	2005–2026
Toyota Land Cruiser	257	85	1981–2026
Subaru Forester	6,521	121	1998–2026
Chevrolet Trailblazer	8,447	57	2002–2026
Honda Element	1,308	100	2003–2011
Jeep Liberty	8,880	80	1993–2013

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

Upgrade to Pro

Good year or bad year — the VIN settles it.

Check any VIN against complaints for its exact build year and plant
Exact value for that car, adjusted for its mileage
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Alerts if a recall lands on a car in your garage
No ads, on every page
No ads, no tracking — and much more

See plans → Start free →

Free plan available — no credit card needed

Everything on the Buick Rendezvous

Recalls20 campaigns Fuel economy20 mpg best Common problems1,256 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Used prices106 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Insurance costEstimated per year Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means About this car2001–2007

Frequently asked questions

Is the Buick Rendezvous reliable?

By complaints per production run it is worse than typical: 5.69 against 3.73 for the average car, and more than each of the 3 class rivals we compared.

Which Rendezvous years should you avoid?

By complaints per production run, 2002, 2003, 2004. The cleanest years old enough to judge are 2006, 2007, 2005. Years newer than 6 are left out: complaints keep arriving for years after a car is sold.

When do Rendezvous problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 5 years of age. The most reported system is Electrical System, typically at 5.5 years, followed by Engine and Engine Cooling.

Will the warranty cover Rendezvous problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and only 26.1% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 25% of the complaints here.

Is the Rendezvous more reliable than the Subaru Outback?

No: 5.69 complaints per production run for the Rendezvous against 3.64 for the Subaru Outback.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

Found this useful?

Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.

Prefer ForCar →