2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

GOODYEAR FORTERA TIRES. P245/65R17 SIDE WALL SEPARATED FROM TREAD CAUSING AIR TO RAPIDLY LEAK OUT. *TR

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN LESS THAN 40,000 MILES. IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN ONLY ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY ROADS. IT IS KEPT IN A GARAGE WHERE MY OTHER VEHICLE AND PREVIOUSLY OWN AUTOMOBILES ARE KEPT. WHILE IT WAS BEING SERVICED, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE INBOARD SIDES OF THE BRAKE ROTORS WERE SEVERELY RUSTED TO THE EXTENT THAT THE ADJACENT BRAKE PADS WERE EFFECTIVELY DESTROYED. IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE CONDITION WOULD SOON CAUSE A MAJOR BRAKE FAILURE. CONSEQUENTLY ALL FOUR ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT AROUND THE TIME THE VEHICLE WAS BUILT THE STEEL USED IN THE ROTORS WAS CHANGED. NONE OF MY OTHER VEHICLES, ALL OLDER, FORD AND GM MODELS, ALL KEPT IN THE SAME GARAGE, ONE WITH 105,000 MILES, HAS SHOWN THIS TYPE OF CONDITION. I CONSIDER THIS PREMATURE RUST BUILD-UP A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

FAILURE/RUSTING OF THE FUEL PUMP SUPPLY LINE AND RETURN LINE. THIS IS PART OF THE FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK ITSELF. UPON INSPECTION AFTER REMOVING THE TANK FROM VEHICLE, THE FUEL PUMP LINES WERE FOUND TO BE RUSTED THROUGH. THIS WAS DISCOVERED AFTER NOTICING A FUEL ODOR, AND UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, SAW FUEL GUSHING FROM THE TANK WHILE THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. FUEL WAS COMING OUT AT SUCH A RATE AS TO BE A GREAT DANGER TO ANYONE AROUND, AND THERE WAS ENOUGH THAT IF IT OCCURRED WHILE WAITING AT A LONG TRAFFIC LIGHT OR TRAFFIC JAM, COULD HAVE VERY EASILY RESULTED IN A MASSIVE FIRE AND SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE, POSSIBLY DEATHS. THE FUEL TANK IS UNDER THE VEHICLE, JUST BEHIND THE SEATING AREAS, ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE RESULTING FIRE MAY PREVENT THE DRIVER AND DRIVERS SIDE REAR PASSENGER FROM ESCAPING. I HAVE KEPT THE FUEL PUMP AND ALTHOUGH THE METAL LINES?TUBES COMING OUT THE TOP OF THE PUMP WERE DAMAGED IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE FUEL LINES THAT WERE ATTACHED, YOU CAN NEVERTHELESS SEE THAT THESE LINES WERE TOTALLY RUSTED AND ARE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEAD-LIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE AND MANIPULATING THE HEAD-LIGHT SWITCH THE HEAD-LAMPS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. A TECHNICIAN FROM THE DEALER REPLACED THE AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT RELAY AT AN EXPENSE OF $60.00 . THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103000.

OLDSMOBILE 2003 BRAVADA AWD COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 53,000 MILES. REQUIRED NEW TRANSMISSION. NO WARRANTY COVERAGE FROM GM. I SEE ION THE INTERNET THAT MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME GM VEHICLES HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. CLEARLY THIS IS A MANUFACTURES DEFECT THAT REQUIRES A RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. WHILE FILLING UP THE VEHICLE WITH FUEL, THE CONTACT BEGAN TO SMELL GAS. HE DROVE HOME AND SMELLED GAS INSIDE OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER DISCOVERED A CRACK ON TOP OF THE FUEL TANK. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 86,150 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,148. UPDATED 10/16/08 *BF UPDATED 10/20/08.*JB

I THEN NOTICED A PULSATION OF THE BRAKES. THE PAPERWORK SHOWED THAT NEW BRAKES WERE PUT ON THE CAR, BUT UPON INSPECTION THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD NEGLECTED TO TURN THE ROTORS, WHICH IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT STEP IN RESPONSIBLE BRAKE SERVICE. I WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO PAY $60 PER AXLE TO TURN THE ROTORS. THE FIRST DAY THAT I OWNED THE VEHICLE, THE SERVICE AWD LIGHT TURNED ON. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED, THAT ONE DAY INTO OWNERSHIP, I WAS ALREADY HAVING A PROBLEM. THAT WAS ON A FRIDAY EVENING, SO ON MONDAY, I BROUGHT IT INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, AND WAS ADVISED TO KEEP DRIVING IT UNTIL THE LIGHT TURNED ON AGAIN SO THEY COULD DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. OF COURSE, THIS WOULD EXPIRE THE THREE DAY RETURN POLICY, BUT I WAS ENCOURAGED THIS WAS A SMALL, RESOLVABLE PROBLEM THAT WAS SIMPLY AN INSTRUMENTATION MALFUNCTION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT LITHIA HAS MY CAR WARRANTY AND NUMEROUS VISITS ON FILE, BUT AS IT TURNED OUT, IT WAS NOT A INSTRUMENTATION MALFUNCTION BUT RATHER AN EXPENSIVE DRIVE TRAIN ISSUE, THAT LITHIA PAID FOR TO BE REPAIRED AT CHAMPION CHEVROLET ONLY AFTER COMING TO LITHIA AT LEAST THREE TIMES AND THEN BEING SENT TO A SEPARATE TRANSMISSION VENDOR WHO COULDN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THEN NOT ONE, BUT TWO VISITS TO CHAMPION TO RESOLVE. LAST MONTH, THE FAN CLUTCH FAILED TO THE TUNE OF $831, NOT INCLUDING THE $560 IN PREVENTABLE MAINTENANCE THAT WAS PERFORMED LAST YEAR INCLUDING A CLOGGED FUEL FILTER, SYNTHETIC OIL REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSAXLE SYSTEM, COOLANT SERVICE, ETC THAT ONE WOULD ASSUME WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFORMED PRIOR TO SALE. TODAY MY ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED WHILE DRIVING, AND THE SPEEDOMETER IS STUCK AT 35MPH AND THE HEATER FAN IS NOW INTERMITTENT. IF I BRING THIS CAR INTO SERVICE AGAIN, IT WILL BE 8 VISITS TO A REPAIR SHOP IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. *TR

SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER FAILURE IN MY 2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. AFTER READING SEVERAL INTERNET ARTICLES ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH A LARGE AMOUNT OF GM ODOMETER/ SPEEDOMETERS IN SUV'S I FELT IT COULD BE A SAFTEY ISSUE AND DECIDED TO REPORT MY PROBLEM.

TL* - THE CONTACT HAS A 2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA AND HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE ROTORS BECAUSE THEY HAD PITTED AND CORRODED PREMATURELY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO REPLACE THE BRAKE ROTORS SO SOON THEY SHOULD LAST APPROXIMATELY 100,000 MILES. THE CONTACT HAS DONE RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE SIMILAR VEHICLE THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME FAILURE. *AK UPDATED 2/27/2007 - THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER ABOUT BEING REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS. THE REPRESENTATIVE INDICATED THE CORROSION/WEAR WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR THEREFORE HE WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING WHILE DRIVING THE 2003 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADO. ONCE SHE PARKED THE VEHICLE SHE SAW BILLOWING SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A GARAGE ,AND THE MECHANIC POURED WATER ON THE SEAT AND UNPLUGGED THE WIRE UNDER THE SEAT. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALER, AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY COIL. THE COIL WAS REPLACED, BUT THEY REFUSED TO REPLACE THE SEAT CUSHION WHICH WAS SCORCHED. THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT WARMERS GOT EXTREMELY HOT. THE CONTACT HAS THE REPAIR ORDER.*AK