There are 14 stored owner reports matching the lighting leading-label group for the 2004 Buick Rainier in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 14 of 14 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)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. BYRIDER (5101 NEW BERN AVE, RALEIGH, NC 27610) WHERE THEY REPLACED THE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT DRIVER MODULE ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,471.
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 THIS AS THE PROBLEM. AFTER A SHORT TIME THE HIGH BEAMS ALSO WENT OUT. I PARKED AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF FOR A WHILE AND WHEN I RESTARTED THE HIGH BEAMS WERE WORKING AGAIN BUT NOT THE LOW BEAMS. I WAS DOING A COMBINATION OF STREET AND HIGHWAY DRIVING AND IT APPEARS TO BE UNRELATED TO ANY ROAD CONDITIONS AS THIS HAS HAPPENED ON BOTH HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS.
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 THING AND I HEARD REPORTS OF OTHER GMC'S DOING THE SAME THING. NOT GOOD ON INTERSTATES AT NIGHT.
AFTER HEADLIGHTS ARE ON FOR A LONG TIME THEY WILL GO OFF.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
I OWN TWO 2004 BUICK RAINIER'S AND HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE WITH BOTH, ALSO HAVE TALKED TO MANY FRIENDS THAT HAD THE SAME ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE HEADLAMP BULB CONNECTORS ARE MELTING WHERE THEY PLUG INTO THE BULB, CAUSING INTERMITTENT OR NO FUNCTION AT ALL OF THE HEADLAMP. WHEN TRYING TO FIND A NEW CONNECTOR FOR THE BULB I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO BUY THE ENTIRE HEADLAMP HOUSING ASSEMBLY, WHICH IS QUITE EXPENSIVE. I KNOW THERE ARE MORE CASES OUT THERE WITH THIS AS AN ISSUE, AS GM USES THESE TYPE OF CONNECTORS ON THE CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER, GMC ENVOY, OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA, AND THE BUICK RAINIER. I THINK THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE MATERIALS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT SOCKET MELTED CAUSING THE LIGHT TO SHAKE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEAD LAMP MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V755000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND ABOVE, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY ADVISED HER THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMING WHILE DRIVING SINCE THE BEGINNING, THE DEALERSHIP HAS SEVERAL TIMES WORKED ON THE PROBLEM, WHICH I THINK HAS CLEARED UP..SO FAR. NOW MY SPEEDOMETER HAS STARTED MESSING UP, IT SAYS I AM GOING 50 WHILE PARKED AND 120 WHILE DRIVING. I ONLY DRIVE SHORT DISTANCES AND MOSTLY INTO AND BACK FROM TOWN 6 MILE ONE WAY. I HAVE 50,969 MILES ON MY 2004 VEHICLE, I KEEP ITS CHECKUPS AND OIL CHANGES REGULARLY: DEALERSHIP HAS RECORDS. I FEEL THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD ELECTRICAL ISSUES FROM DAY ONE, I SEE TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKELIGHT ISSUES IN RECALL SO I DON'T BELIEVE I AM WRONG ABOUT THIS. THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME OVER $400 TO CHANGE THE "CLUSTER" AS THE ECONOMY GOES, I TOO CANNOT AFFORD THIS KIND OF CHARGES ON AN ITEM THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE ISSUES. ESPECIALLY WHEN I TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT AND REALLY HAS LOW MILEAGE AND WEAR AND TEAR (PERFECT CONDITION). *TR
AT NIGHT, HEADLIGHTS FLICKER BETWEEN DIM TO BRIGHT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING PROBLEMS SINCE APRIL 2004. BUICK SERVICE MANAGER ADMITS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT.*JB
HEADLIGHTS DIM WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE HEADLIGHTS SOME TIMES FLICKER BRIGHT TO DIM THEN BACK TO BRIGHT AND THE VOLTAGE GAUGE FLUCTATES. THIS HAS ESCALATED TO WHERE FOR NO REASON THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO DIM FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 10 SECONDS THEN RETURN TO NORMAL, AT THIS TIME THEY GO DIM ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN'T SEE WHEN DRIVING AND HAVE TO PULL OVER. THE SERVICE MANAGER HAS SPOKE TO GM AND BUICK REPRESENTITIVES FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD: THERE IS A PROBLEM - WE'RE AWARE OF IT - WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT.*AK
DT: HEADLIGHTS FLICKER ON/OFF, AND GM DOESN'T HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM. HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY CANNOT FIX IT. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. *AK *NM
IN OCTOBER, 2003 I PURCHASED A NEW 2004 BUICK RAINIER. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT AND THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY DIMMED AND THEN CAME BACK UP. IT HAPPENED AT LEAST TWICE THAT NIGHT. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE FIXING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS AT THE SAME TIME SO WE ASSUMED IT WAS FIXED. LAST WEEK, OCTOBER 28, 2004, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OVER A DARK MOUNTAIN PASS WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OFF. THEY STAYED OFF FOR 2 TO 3 SECONDS BEFORE COMING BACK ON. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T CRASH BECAUSE THE LIGHTS OF A NEARBY SEMI KEPT ME FROM CRASHING INTO THE FREEWAY BARRIER. I FOLLOWED THE SEMI AFTER THAT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THEY WOULD GO OFF AGAIN. A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD, IN A NARROW ON-LANE CONSTRUCTION AREA THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMED SEVERAL TIMES BUT NEVER WENT COMPLETELY OUT. HEN I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY HE WAS ABSOLUTELY WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND UNDERSTOOD COMPLETELY HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS. BUT, THE GM REPRESENTATIVES AND CORPORATE OFFICE REFUSES TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN REPLICATED IN THE SHOP SO WILL NOT AUTHORIZE OUR DEALER TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THE DEALER HAS CALLED GM SEVERAL TIME AND I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES. GM BASICALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T CARE IF I DIED AND/OR KILLED OTHER PEOPLE AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.