2006 Buick Rainier recalls and problems

The 2006 Buick Rainier has 7 safety recalls and 91 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Buick dealer.

Recalls
7
Complaints
91
Crashes / fires
1 / 5
Injuries / deaths
0 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2006 Buick Rainier vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2006 Buick Rainier recalls

Recall 15V-599: Visibility

Reported Sep 24, 2015 · 9,932 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced.

Risk: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700.

Recall 15V-519: Exterior Lighting

Reported Aug 14, 2015 · 429,170 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, 2006-2008 Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (HDM) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.

Risk: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.

Recall 14V-404: Visibility

Reported Jul 2, 2014 · 184,611 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.

Recall 13V-248: Electrical System, Visibility

Reported Jun 13, 2013 · 193,652 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: Owners will be contacted and dealers will test the driver's door module. If the module is functioning properly, a protective coating will be applied. If the module is not functioning properly, it will be replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners, Isuzu and Saab will contact their respective owners. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463, Isuzu owners at 1-800-255-6727, and Saab owners at 1-800-955-9007. GM's campaign number is 12180. This recall is an expansion of recall 12V-406.

Recall 12V-406: Visibility, Electrical System

Reported Aug 16, 2012 · 278,174 vehicles affected · General Motors LLC

Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, SAAB 9-7x, and Isuzu Ascender vehicles, originally sold or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Fluid may enter the driver's door module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.

Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.

Fix: Parts for this recall are expected to available in March 2013. GM will notify Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC owners when parts are available. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. Isuzu owners will be notified by Isuzu Motors when parts are available. Owners may contact Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727. SAAB owners will be notified by SAAB Cars North America when parts are available and for inquiries, owners may call SAAB customer service at 1-800-955-9007.

Recall 05V-552: Equipment

Reported Dec 7, 2005 · 32,068 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: Certain trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were shipped with tire and loading information labels listing an inacccurate vehicle capacity weight.

Risk: A misprinted label could lead to improper vehicle loading specifications or tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Owners will be provided with corrected labels and installation instructions. At the customer's option, a dealer can install the label for them. The recall began on march 31, 2006. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, hummer at 1-800-732-5493, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.

Recall 05V-455: Steering

Reported Oct 5, 2005 · 123,592 vehicles affected · GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

Problem: Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with a power steering hose that is not to specification. Under extreme steering maneuvers, such as turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right while braking, the hose may fracture and leak fluid.

Risk: If this were to occur, power steering assist would be lost and increased steering effort would be required. On vehicles equipped with hydro-boost power brakes, it could also result in loss of power brake assist and increased braking effort would be required. If the power steering fluid spray were to spray onto hot engine parts, an engine compartment fire could occur.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the power steering hose(S) for two suspect date codes and replace them if required. The recall will begin on october 14, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, or hummer at 1-800-732-5493.

2006 Buick Rainier problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Fuel System, Gasoline25
Electrical System17
Exterior Lighting12
Fuel System, Other8
Suspension7
Power Train7
Visibility/Wiper6
Fuel/Propulsion System4
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)4
Structure4
Steering3
Latches/Locks/Linkages3

Most reported parts

  • Fuel System, Other › Storage › Fuel Gauge System — 4
  • Structure › Body › Door — 3
  • Suspension › Front — 2
  • Power Train › Automatic Transmission — 2
  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline — 1
  • Exterior Lighting › Headlights — 1
  • Power Train › Driveline — 1
  • Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 75,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2006 Buick Rainier complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Steering · reported Dec 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Rainer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel jerked independently without warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the brake pedal while depressing the brake pedal. The contact had taken the vehicle to two independent mechanics, where the wheel bearings and ball joints were replaced; however, the failure persisted. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Electrical System · at 168,000 miles · reported Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Rainier. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in his driveway, the contact attempted to use the remote starter key fob to unlock the doors, but the doors failed to unlock. The contact stated that he manually unlocked the doors. The contact stated that he manually attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The anti-theft warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being lifted onto the tow truck, he was informed by the tow truck driver that the driver’s side wiring harness had melted. The…
Visibility/Wiper · reported Jul 26, 2022
During periods of time with ignition switch on, the wipers will loose the ability to both regulate speed and shut off. The wiper cover AC Delco/GM part number 19120931 will fail and loose control of the wipers (fail to shut off while driving). Because you cannot shut off the wipers, the driver's vision is obscured, and the noise from the wipers on the dry glass is very distracting. This will cause drivers attention to shift from focus on driving to manipulating the wiper switch. GM has not ordered a stock or replacement wiper covers from AC Delco, so trying to locate a fix for this problem is…
Electrical System · reported Mar 20, 2022
Low beam lights go off intermittently while driving and eventually come back on. This does not affect high beams or any other lights on the vehicle. But causes a serious danger to my needing to drive at night due to my job.
Fuel/Propulsion System · reported Jan 26, 2022
In driving cross country, filled up the fuel tank and resumed travel when the fuel gauge immediately went to empty (I didn’t even have time to drive up the highway ramp back onto the highway). The alerts started ringing and blinking and dash board told me there was no fuel. I went to a gravel area and inspected the engine compartment, under the car and the interior to be sure I was not missing anything, then restarted the SUV. Could not find any issues anywhere, including leaking fuel. I took off the fuel cap and reattached it to be sure there was no problem there. I had no choice but to get…

Other Buick Rainier years

Compare all Buick Rainier years · All Buick models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2006 Buick Rainier have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recalls for the 2006 Buick Rainier: 15V-599 (visibility), 15V-519 (exterior lighting), 14V-404 (visibility), 13V-248 (electrical system, visibility), 12V-406 (visibility, electrical system) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2006 Buick Rainier?

Owners report fuel system, gasoline problems most often (25 reports), followed by electrical system (17). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 75,000 miles.

Are Buick recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Buick dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.