Faults:

Rear wheel bearing needed to be replaced.

Passenger window had electric problems. Sometimes it would stay up and sometimes it would not go up.

A/C went out right after I purchased the car at 22,000 miles.

Brakes in front replaced.

Rear brakes replaced twice. This included rotors.

Coolant is leaking. No heat.

Car is consuming oil.

General Comments:

The car has a lot of bells and whistles. But I have had nothing, but constant problems with this car. If I trade it in, I may lose a great deal of money. I can't wait to get rid of it. I am very disappointed with GM as they know about a lot of these issues and have done nothing. The Canadian government has filed a class action lawsuit against GM due to intake manifold problems. The Rendezvous is included in this lawsuit.

Faults:

Like others out there, I have been told that my coolant is leaking into my engine, which means gasket replacement at a high cost.

As a former Honda owner, I have never been so disappointed in GM, which is not having the decency to recognize that this is a widespread problem in this vehicle.

Has GM stood by this vehicle and compensated anyone out there for this?

General Comments:

The RendezVous is a major disappointment. The leakage of coolant has been my biggest repair job to date, but I've listed other issues below:

This car is too big for its base, as a result it does not handle well, especially in high wind. Also, the 2002 version does not have enough horsepower.

I have never written a review like this before, however I want you all to know about this car.

Faults:

Spare tire cable bound beyond repair at <40,000 miles.

Center "stack" switch and steering wheel back-lighting inop at 50,000 miles.

Passenger front wheel bearings went bad at 60,000 miles.

Head Gasket leak at 75,000 miles.

Brake pedal rubber is peeling off pedal raggedly; has been doing to since 40,000 miles.

AC condenser bad at 80,000 miles.

Heater/AC blower resistor assembly (happens all the time according to dealer) inop on low fan speeds after 40,000 miles.

Fuel sender switch was inoperable at 70,000 miles. Could not tell how much gas in tank as fuel gage not working. That cost another $300+ to get repaired.

Brakes themselves are not "tight" enough. System (including rotors) replaced 3 times over 100,000 miles (pads twice more). This is a bit excessive for rotor wear.

General Comments:

See problems from above. Head Gasket IS a problem. Buick would not help at all, despite the fact I had been a GM customer buying new cars every 2 to 3 years since 1993. Best the "could" do was offer an $800 certificate for the purchase of a new car within 4 months. This would be fine if they would buy my car back for a reasonable price. They will not.

Back lighting issue with interior switches seems to be chronic as a light goes out; 10k miles later, another...; cannot see those switches at night. For the center stack switch assembly (probably $10 to make), dealer wanted >$80 just for the part.

Resistor pack for Heater/AC blower speeds - charged $100 to replace this $10 part.

This car was simply specified to build with CHEAP parts, and was poorly validated. Buick and GM should be ashamed of themselves. As this is one of the first cars I have bought with the intention to own for many years, I have a new respect for the word "quality". I will do my homework next time. I do not like to buy foreign, as I work in the automotive industry, but the Japanese are unbelievably disciplined with their design, testing, and documentation/recovery of all issues found during the development cycle of their vehicles and sub-components. I will be considering all automakers for my next vehicle purchase.