2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

I REPORTED TO THE DEALER A PROBLEM WITH MY '02 BRAVADA IN WHICH VEHICLE SHUDDERING OCCURRED WHILE STARTING A TURN FROM A STOP. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE (ALL WHEEL DRIVE) TRANSFER CASE AND THAT OLDSMOBILE (GM) WAS ATTEMPTING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT HAD NOT YET (AS OF 9/17). IN 12/02 ALL WHEEL DRIVE WAS INOPERATIVE AND A FAULTY TRANSFER CASE SHIFT CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED ON 12/09/02 RESTORING ALL WHEEL DRIVE. ON 12/18/02, THE TRANSFER CASE ENCODER MOTOR POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED. CALIBRATION CHANGES WERE ALSO MADE TO INCREASE TO DELAY IN WHICH FRONT WHEEL ENGAGEMENT OCCURS AND TO DISENGAGE IMMEDIATELY. PROBLEM: THE CALIBRATION CHANGES HAVE LED TO A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION WHEN DRIVING IN WET AND SNOW CONDITIONS PARTICULARLY, DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN THESE CONDITIONS IS VERY TREACHEROUS AND RISKY BECAUSE SIGNIFICANT REAR WHEEL SPIN OCCURS (DUE TO THE INCREASED DELAY) UNTIL THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGES WITH A LURCH. IN SLOW TRAFFIC SITUATIONS THIS LEADS TO A SERIES OF CONVULSIVE, SPASMODIC LURCHES, WITH REAR END FISH TAILING, AS THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE ENGAGES AND DISENGAGES UNCONTROLLABLY. AT MORE MODERATE SPEEDS, APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE FISH TAILING BECOMES EXAGGERATED AND LEADS TO A SPIN OUT (FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO OTHER TRAFFIC). I HAVE DRIVEN 4 WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES FOR 15 YEARS, ALL WHEEL DRIVE FOR 6 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS. THIS IS TRULY THE MOST DANGEROUS VEHICLE I HAVE EVER DRIVEN IN SNOW, INCLUDING 2 WHEEL DRIVE. IT CANNOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY IN EVEN THE LIGHTEST SNOW CONDITION. WHAT IS THE POINT IN OWNING AN SUV IF IT CANNOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN UNDER CONDITIONS IN WHICH YOU NEED IT. DEALER SERVICE, OLDSMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND TECH SERVICE ADVISOR ALL SAY THE SYSTEM IS PERFORMING ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS. I FIND THAT STATEMENT TO BE OUTRAGEOUS. *JB

THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE HAS FALLEN TWICE IN A YEAR. ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON THE SNOW THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE FAILED TO RESPOND WHICH IT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIX SO THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BUT CONSUMER DOES NOT FEEL SAFE ON THE VEHICLE. TS DEALER CHECKED AND RESET WHEEL ALIGNMENT TO SPECS. INSPECTED DRIVELINE AND FRONT END. CONSUMER ALSO STATED VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE STEADY IDLE. GM CURRENTLY WORKING ON IDLE CONCERN. WINDSHIELD MOULDING ON PASSENGER SIDE COMING OFF AND REPLACED. BRAKE PEDAL FADES AT STOP AND CLUCK INSIDE RIGHT REAR DOOR PANEL. NO PROBLEM FOUND. 4X4 LIGHT STAYED ON. 4WD SWITCH REPLACED. *TT

SUV FAILED TO START. SUV HAS BEEN TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AT LEAST THREE TIMES. AT FIRST. DEALER WASN'T ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. SECONDLY, DEALER FOUND A CAUSE WHICH WASN'T THE ACTUAL PROBLEM, AND THIRDLY, DIDN'T PERFORM ANY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. RETURNED SUV TO OWNER. GMC REPRESENTATIVE STATED "THEY WERE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUV WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE WOULD STALL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

FRONT PASSENGER SEATPROBLEMS. ALSO, SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT ONCE IS PULLED FORWARD. IT NEEDS TO BE UNBUCKLED, AND THEN BUCKLED AGAIN TO GO BACK TO A NORMAL POSITION. TS..*AK

GOING ABOUT 50 MPH ON INTERSTATE WHEN ENGINE LOST POWER. HAD MULTIPLE WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES, INCLUDING ABS AND SERVICE BRAKES. PULLED OFF ON EXIT RAMP AND STOPPED ON GRASS COMPLETELY OFF TRAVEL LANE. TRIED TO RESTART ENGINE SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. BEFORE I COULD TAKE OTHER ACTION, I WAS HIT IN THE LEFT REAR BY ANOTHER CAR, WHICH PUSHED MY VEHICLE ABOUT 50 FEET BACK INTO THE TRAVEL LANE. DAMAGE TO REAR QUARTER PANEL, BUMPER, AND TAILGATE. MY VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER WAS ABLE TO START ON FIRST ATTEMPT. NO PROBLEM FOUND WITH ENGINE. ONLY ABS CODE IN COMPUTER.

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AT APPROX 40 MPH MY 2002 OLDS BRAVADA COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE MOTOR QUIT AND I LOST ALL POWER AND ELECTRICAL. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE FOR APPROX 35 MINUTES. AFTER THIS 35 MIN THE ENGINE DID START AND I WAS ABLE TO GET HOME. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR THE NEXT MORNING AND WAS TOLD THE PCM HAD SHORTED OUT AND IT WAS REPLACED AND REPROGRAMMED. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT HAD I BEEN TRAVELING ON A BUSY STREET. TS

WHILE DRIVING THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE, THUS DISTRACTING THE CONSUMER. THE DEALER WAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PH THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD A HIGH WHISTLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIX, STATING THAT THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE VEHICLE REACHES 20K MILES, AND GREASED THE AXLE(S). THE LIGHT UNDERHOOD WAS INOPERATIVE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE UNDERHOOD LIGHT, LAMP ASSEMBLY, (STOP), TAIL, AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHT UNDERHOOD. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS WOULD NOT STAY IN PLACE. THE DEALER REPLACED BOTH MODULES PER BULLETIN 02-08-64-027/BOTH SIDE MIRROR ACTUATORS. SCC

CONSUMER FEELS THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE ON THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE IN SNOWY CONDITIONS. WHEN ATTEMPTING A TURN IN THE SNOW THE VEHCILES BACK END STARTS TO SPIN. ALSO WHEN ACCELERATING UP A HILL, THE REAR WHEELS SLIP. *JG *JB

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT BUMPER. ALSO STATED THAT WHILE PULLING OUT OF HER DRIVE WAY THE FRONT BUMPER FELL OFF THE VEHICLE WITH OUT THE VEHICLE IMPACTING ANY THING. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DESIGN AND BUILD ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURERS RULES AND THAT THEY DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING THEY SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT. *NLM