1996 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

WHILE DRIVING SPOILER ABOVE TOP REARVIEW WINDOW FLEW OFF. PROBLEM WAS NOT REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP/MANUFACTURER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LEANED INWARD DUE TO A BALL JOINT FAILURE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, FOUND REMAINING UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS SEVERLY WORN. VEHICLE HAD ONLY 77808 MILES WHEN FAILURE OCCURRED. HAD TO REPLACE FOUR BALL JOINTS AND STUD KITS AT A COST OF APPROX. $700. VEHICLE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. *AK

EA94-038/ABS BRAKING SYSTEM: ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ABS BRAKE FAILURE. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES INTERMITTENTLY PEDAL WOULD GO TO THE FLOOR. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUME RTHAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF ABS FAILURE. *AK

BRAKES PULSATE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. WHEN THIS OCCURS, IT CAUSES THE WHEELS TO LOCK-UP. VEHICLE BEEN IN DEALER'S SHOP ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. BUT PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. *AK

NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN #:98VSL50000 SHOULD APPLY TO THIS DEFECT. THE VIN DOESS NOT FALL WITHIN TTHOSE COVERED BY MFG CAMPAIGN # 98043 EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED THEREIN FITS THIS VEHICLE EXACTLY. POSSIBLY THE MANUFACTURER OVERLOOKED GROUPS OF VEHICLES SIMILARLY DEFECTIVE,AND THERE MAY BE MANY UNSAFE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. *AK

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THE BRAKES HAVE FAILED TO ENGAGE. THIS HAPPENS ON WET, SNOW-COVERED, GRAVEL, AND OTHER ROAD CONDITIONS. I SEE THAT THE NHTSA HAS INVESTIGATED THE SENSORS ON THESE VEHICLES IN THE PAST, BUT HAS NOT RECALLED THE OLDSMOBILE. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO BOTH MY LOCAL DEALER AND THE SELLING DEALER, GRAND OLDS IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI. THE LOCAL DEALER, DEMAAGD OLDSMOBILE OF BATTLE CREEK, MI, HAS ACKNOWLEDGED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR NATURE. GRAND OLDS SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE VERY DANGEROUS, AS I, AND NUMEROUS OTHER BRAVADA OWNERS HAVE TOLD ME THEY HAVE SLID INTO MANY INTERSECTIONS. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, I.E. OXYGEN SENSORS (3), ANTIFREEZE COOLANT (NECESSITATING A 4-STEP, AND COSTLY, FLUSH), AS WELL AS OTHER PROBLEMS. I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SELLING IT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE BRAKE PROBLEM. I AM VERY FRIGHTENED TO DRIVE IT THROUGH ANOTHER WINTER. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE OLDSMOBILE WAS NOT RECALLED. IT SEEMS TO BE A SENSOR PROBLEM, AS WERE THE OTHERS. ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *AK

THE BRAKES, WHEN APPLIED ON ANY UNEVEN SURFACE (GRAVEL, SMALL POTHOLE, WET SURFACE, ETC.) FAIL TO ENGAGE. IT FEELS AS THOUGH YOU HAVE NO BRAKES FOR A FEW SECONDS. THE BRAKES EVENTUALLY DO OPERATE, BUT USUALLY AFTER YOU ARE INTO THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE ASKED THE LOCAL DEALER (DEMAAGD OLDSMOBILE, IN BATTLE CREEK, MI) ABOUT THIS REPEATEDLY, AND THEY SAY THAT THEY KNOW THAT THERE IS A DEFECT, BUT THAT NO RECALL HAS BEEN DONE. THEY EVEN OFFERED TO DISCONNECT THE ABS TO MAKE IT SAFER. I AM VERY AFRAID TO BE APPROACHING THE WINTER MONTHS WITH THESE BRAKES. *AK

DEFECTIVE ABS MODULE CAUSED BRAKE PEDAL TO GO TO FLOOR WHEN APPLIED BRAKES. THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON TOO. YH

THE BRAKES HAVE WORN EXCESSIVELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CALIPERS ARE UNEVEN. DEALER HAS TO ADJUST THE CALIPERS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND APPLY BRAKES THERE WAS SQUEAKING NOISE, AND THE ABS KICKED IN AND DIDN'T STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT. *AK