Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
18–19 mpgcombined; city 16–17, highway 21–25; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$17,100–$18,050U.S. average; Ohio $15,280–$16,120 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Rendezvous. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical system
21
0
1
0
Engine
14
1
0
1
Suspension
14
2
0
4
Fuel/propulsion system
13
1
0
2
Power train
11
2
1
0
Steering
10
1
0
0
Air bags
9
3
0
3
Fuel system, gasoline
6
0
0
0
Visibility
6
0
0
0
Wheels
4
2
0
4
Structure
3
0
0
3
Vehicle speed control
3
1
0
0
10 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
2
0
0
0
Parking brake
2
1
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
0
0
0
Unknown or other
2
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
1
0
0
0
Equipment
1
1
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
Service brakes
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2006 Rendezvous over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
CERTAIN VEHICLES ORIGINALLY BUILT WITH CLOTH SEATS THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC AIR BAG PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM AND LATER REUPHOLSTERED WITH AFTERMARKET LEATHER SEAT COVER KITS ARE INVOLVED. TESTING HAS INDICATED THAT THE AFTERMARKET LEATHER SEAT COVERS CAN CAUSE THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION.
Risk: IF THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, THE FRONT AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE MAY BE DISABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE ENABLED, OR ENABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE DISABLED. IN EITHER CASE, IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH THAT REQUIRES AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT, A FRONT PASSENGER'S LEVEL OF INJURY MAY BE INCREASED.
Remedy: BECAUSE A REPLACEMENT LEATHER SEAT COVER THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM IS NOT AVAILABLE, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) WILL REPURCHASE THESE VEHICLES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS STATED IN GM'S LETTER TO OWNERS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 6, 2006. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT GM AT 1-877-477-1022 TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF REPURCHASING THEIR VEHICLE.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 664 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Rendezvous, the latest on Jul 18, 2025. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (326), electrical system (135), engine and engine cooling (74), equipment adaptive/mobility (52), power train (44).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Rendezvous.
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Rendezvous Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 23 / 19
Rendezvous Front-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 25 / 19
Rendezvous 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 23 / 19
Rendezvous 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 21 / 18
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data