Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2007 Buick Rainier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BUICK RAINIER. AFTER ADDING FUEL TO THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED EMPTY AND THE EMPTY FUEL TANK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000. UPDATED 11/14/12*LJ
AFTER FILLING ENGINE TO FULL, UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, FUEL SENSOR DROPPED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO EMPTY AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON. LATER, IT CAME BACK UP BUT LEVEL DOESN'T REFLECT WHAT IT SHOULD BE. I HAVE RESORTED TO RESETTING MY TRIP ODOMETER AND FILLING UP WHEN IT NEARS 300 MILES SO I KNOW I WON'T BE STRANDED WITHOUT FUEL. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. *JS
FUEL GAUGE ACTS ERRATIC. SHOWS 3/4 FULL, THEN SLOWLY DROPS TO EMPTY WITH LOW FUEL ALARM SOUNDING. I KNOW THERE IS FUEL IN THE VEHICLE. FUEL SENSING UNIT IS MALFUNCTION. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS PROVIDING INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL READINGS AND WOULD READ THAT THE TANK WAS EMPTY WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY FULL TO CAPACITY. WHEN THE TANK WAS EMPTY, THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD READ THAT THE TANK WAS FULL. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HER WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER THE COST TO REPAIR THIS PARTICULAR FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD ONLY BE WILLING TO COVER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE REPAIR COSTS. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000 AND THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
FUEL GAUGE WILL DROP TO EMPTY AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WILL COME ON, THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER WILL SOUND AN AUDIBLE ALERT AND WILL SHOW LOW FUEL INDICATOR. WHEN YOU HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS IT WILL SHOW A FULL TANK AND STAY THERE UNTIL YOU USE ABOUT 1/8TH OF A TANK AND THEN THE FUEL GAUGE START MALFUNCTIONING. SOME TIMES THE FUEL GAUGE WILL SHOW FULL AND SOME TIMES IT WILL SHOW EMPTY AND ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES WILL ACTIVATE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE AND THEY TOLD ME GM WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THAT GM WOULD PAY 1/2 OF THE REPAIR COSTS WHICH ARE ABOUT $145.00 AND THE VEHICLE OWNER WOULD PAY THE OTHER 1/2 OF THE COSTS. IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 2 HOURS TO REPAIR. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY GM. *TR
WHEN FUEL TANK IS FILLED TO FULL, FUEL GAUGE READS EMPTY AND LOW FUEL WARNING APPEARS ON DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. FUEL GAUGE STARTS TO INDICATE FUEL LEVEL WHEN FUEL TANK IS ABOUT 1/2 FULL. FUEL LEVEL INDICATION IS VERY INACCURATE WHEN FUEL LEVEL APPROACHES 1/8 TANK. VERY EASY TO RUN OUT OF GAS. *TR
FUEL GAUGE READING INACCURATE. WITH A FULL TANK WHEN STARTING AND FUEL LEVEL GAUGE SLOWING SHOWING EMPTY KNOWING I HAVE JUST FILLED THE TANK. THE LEVEL FLUCTUATES UP AND DOWN CREATING FRUSTRATION AND ANXIETY. MY WIFE IS NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BROUGHT MUCH APPREHENSION WHILE DRIVING THINKING THERE IS A LEAK IN THE SYSTEM. *TR
MY WIFE WAS STRANDED WITH NO GAS EVEN THOUGH THE GAS GAUGE SAID 1/2 FULL - TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID SENDER UNIT WAS BAD, THEY SAID IT WAS ALL TOO COMMON ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR
THE VEHICLE FUEL GAUGE IS ERRATIC AND INACCURATE! WHEN THE TANK IS FILLED IT SHOWS EMPTY AND DISPLAYS A LOW FUEL LEVEL WARNING. AS THE TANK DRAWS FUEL IT FLUCTUATES BETWEEN FULL AND EMPTY. AT ONE POINT IT WOULD STABILIZE AT A CERTAIN LEVEL BUT NOWADAYS IT EITHER SHOWS FULL OR EMPTY. I TRACK MILEAGE AND FUEL USE BUT WOULD NOT TRUST THE VEHICLE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS SINCE THERE IS NO SURE FIRE WAY TO KNOW IF/WHEN THE VEHICLE WILL RUN OUT OF FUEL! I ONLY LET THEM USE IT WHEN I KNOW IT IS FULL AND THEY ARE ONLY MAKING SHORT LOCAL TRIPS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 BUICK RAINIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING BECAUSE THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE DISPLAYED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS FULL WHEN IN FACT IT WAS EMPTY. IN ADDITION, THE GAUGE WOULD READ THAT THE TANK WAS EMPTY WHEN IT WAS FULL TO CAPACITY. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 51,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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