2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

I WA DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND WAS GOING DOWN A HILL. I WENT TO PUT ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN WITH THE REST OF TRAFFIC, NO URGENCY, NO SUDDENNESS, JUST NORMAL SLOW DOWN. WHEN I PUSHED THE PEDAL, IT DID NOT RESPOND AS USUAL. AT FIRST IT SOUNDED LIKE THE ABS WERE ENGAGING, WHICH REALLY DID NOT MAKE SENSE, BUT INSTEAD THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR. THERE WAS NO SPONGINESS OR SOFTNESS, JUST TO THE FLOOR TO THE POINT WHERE I STOOD UP. AT THIS POINT, I WAS PROBABLY GOING 40-45 MPH AND NOW ACCELERATING DOWN THE HILL. THERE WAS A A LARGE PICK-UP TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS ABLE TO CHANGE LANES AND FORTUNATELY PREVENT AN ACCIDENT. I LET GO OF THE PEDAL AS I WAS CHANGING LANES, AND I AS I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT, I TOUCHED THE BRAKES AND THEY WERE NORMAL AGAIN. THIS PROBABLY ALL TOOK PLACE IN A MATTER OF 20 SECONDS AND, NEEDLESS TO SAY, MY PASENGER WAS AS WHITE AS A GHOST. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME ABOUT 6 MILES AND CALLED SERVICE THE NEXT DAY. I DID DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER SERVICECENTER ABOUT 20 MILES AWAY. I ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM AND LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALER'S. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT HIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE. IN THIS LATEST INCIDENT, SERVICE HAS REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT FIND A CODE TO RELATE TO THE PROBLEM. I MIGHT ALSO ADD THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND SPECIFIC CODES FOR PREVIOUS INCIDENTS. WE ARE NOW AT A STANDOFF. MY HUSBAND REFUSES TO TAKE THE CAR BACK BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS/IS NOT THE PROBLEM AND TOLD THEM THEY NEED TO CALL GM TO FIGURE WHAT THE MALFUNCTION OF THIS PARTICULAR BRAVADA IS. TWICE IN MAY OF 2003, THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED WHILE ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR. IN OCTOBER OF 2003, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM THE AIRPORT AT MIDNITE BY MYSELF, THE ENGINE CUT OUT AND SERVICE BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO CAME ON. I ONCE AGAIN HAD NO KIND OF BRAKE. IT WENT TO THE FLOOR. *AK

DANGERS ON OUR HIGHWAYS REGARDING 2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. *MR GM SENT ALL OF THE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE LETTERS DECLARING THAT THESE MODELS MAY HAVE FATAL ENGINE DEFECTS. GM REFUSED TO REPAIR AND OR REPLACE THESE DEFECTIVE ENGINES. GM'S CURE WAS TO EXTEND THE WARRANTY. *SC *JB

WHEN MAKING A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT THE BRAVADA WHEN ACT AS IF YOU ARE USING THE BRAKE WHEN YOU TURN SHARP INTO A PARKING SPOT CAUSE THE TRUCK TO STOP. I THINK THAT IT IS PUTTING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE CV SHAFT THAT MAY CAUSE DAMAGE SOON. *AK ONCE WHEN THE TRUCK WAS RUNNING IN PARK IT ACT AS IF IT WAS GOING TO STALL FOR A SEC. I HAD JUST PARKED AND LEFT IT RUNNING, AND WALKED TO OTHER SIDE WHEN IT HAPPEN ON APRIL 9 2004.

INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS EMERGENCY FLASHERS COMEE ON SOMETIMES WHEN LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS ATTEMPTED.ALMOST CAUSED ACCI.DENT DURING LANE CHANGE. *AK

OLDS BRAVADA STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (50-55 MPH), LOST OF STEERING AND BRAKES. ENGINE WOULD NOT START FOR APPROX 20 MINUTES. TRIED CALLING OLDS 1 800 NUMBER FOR ASSISTANCE AND NUMBER OUT OF SERVICE THAT DAY (SUNDAY). VEHICLE WAS PARTIALLY ON ROADWAY. THIS IS ONE OF MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTO, MIRROR, HEATING, REAR WINDOW WASHER BLADE, GAUGES NOT FUNCTIONAL, ENGINE REPLACEMENT (PISTON RING PROBLEM). I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE MOST PROBLEMATIC VEHICLE THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED. *JB

ALL WHEEL DRIVE FAILED (WATER IN WIRING HARNESS CAUSED LOSS OF PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE). DEALER CONTACTED GM AND THEY DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE TO REPROGRAM THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE(TRANSFER CASE). THIS SOFTWARE WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL SOFTWARE INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SOFTWARE. EVER SINCE THIS INCIDENT THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY. VEHICLE HAS EXCESSIVE REAR WHEEL SLIPPAGE BEFORE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE WILL ENGAGE. I LIVE IN SNOW COUNTRY AND THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. WHEN YOU LOSE TRACTION THE REAR END BEGINS TO FISHTAIL BEFORE THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGES AND THEN THIS IS A HARSH NOT A SEAMLESS ENGAGEMENT THAT MAKES YOU ALMOST LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP, BACK END LOSES TRACTION BEFORE FRONT END ENGAGES THIS TOO IS A HARD ENGAGEMENT THAT REALLY DOESN'T GIVE YOU CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE WAS CONTACTED AND WERE UNABLE TO HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS FOR THIS PROBLEM . THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH GM ABOUT THIS AND GM SAYS THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORKS TO CORRECT THIS. SINCE THIS PROBLEM OCCURED I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WHEN CONDITIONS WARRANT THE USE OF ALL WHEEL DRIVE. *AK

ENGINE SHUT DOWN (LOSS OF POWER TO GAS PEDAL, POWER STEERING & BRAKES). FIRST INSTANCE OCCURRED ON 9/10/03 AT 24,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH WHEN I NOTICED THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT RESPONDING. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON SO I COASTED OFF THE ROAD AND COULD NOT START THE ENGINE SO I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED SO I CANCELLED THE TOW AND DROVE THE CAR STRAIGHT TO THE GM SERVICE DEALER. THEY RECALIBRATED THE PCM. THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WAS ON 2/15/04 AT 30,000 WHILE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE OF A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE GAS PEDAL ONCE AGAIN AND SAW THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ON. LUCKILY AGAIN I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO GET OFF THE ROAD WITH AN 18 WHEELER CLOSE BEHIND. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AGAIN AND I WAS NOT IN A SAFE LOCATION WITH VERY LITTLE MEDIAN AND I WAS TOLD IT COULD TAKE UP TO 90 MINUTES FOR A TOW TRUCK. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN SO CANCELLED THE TOW TRUCK. I WAS MANY MILES FROM HOME AND IT WAS AFTER 5PM SO I TOOK IT TO THE SAME SERVICE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE PCM AND ASSURED ME THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. IN THIS CASE I THINK THE GM SERVICE DEALER DID WHAT THEY COULD DO BUT I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AND NEXT TIME IT COULD BE FATAL. I COMPLAINED TO GM AND THEY WERE RESPONSIVE ABOUT FOLLOWING UP ON THE REPAIR BUT AS FAR AS ISSUING A RECALL THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A GM DECISION SO I AM WRITING TO YOU. I FOUND ABOUT 33 CASES OF THIS SAME PROBLEM REPORTED ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR THE 2002 BRAVADA BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR ANY ACTION IS BEING TAKEN FOR A LIFE THREATENING DEFECT. BASED ON SOME THE COMPLAINTS I SEE THE PCM WAS REPLACED TWICE WHICH TELLS ME THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME ACTION TAKEN HERE. *AK

2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. THE MIRRORS ARE ADJUSTABLE TO SUIT INDIVIDUAL DRIVERS. THIS OCCURS AUTOMATICALLY DEPENDING ON WHETHER KEY #1 IS USED OR KEY #2. THE PROBLEM IS THE MIRRORS DO NOT RETURN TO THE SET POSITIONS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN ENTERING HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC FROM AN ON RAMP. INCIDENT DATE IS DAILY. I DID NOT FILL IN THE DATE BELOW AS THERE IS NO "DAILY" CHOICE.*AK

2002 OLDS BRAVADA SUV. REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE AT 41K MILES. DEALER AND GM UNWILLING TO COVER UNDER ANY TYPE OF WARRANTY. THIS COMPONENT WILL NORMALLY OUT LAST THE VEHICAL. ADDITIONALLY THE DEALER TRIED TO SELL ME A COMPLETE DIFFERENTIAL ASSEMBLY RATHER THAN REPAIRING THE UNIT FOR A COST OF $3200.00. THE UNIT WAS REPAIRED BY A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR A COST OF $2016.00. *AK

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR RATTLED AND THE DRIVER COULD HEAR AIR WHILE DRIVING. THE DRIVER HAS TO BANG ON THE DOOR TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *NM