2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

STRONG FUEL ODOR INSIDE VEHICLE AFTER REFULING, AND AFTER DECELERATING WHEN CLIMATE CONTROL IS ON. *AK

NO SIGNS OF LOOMING FAILURE. NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION WITH LESS THAN 70,000. GM REBUILT TRANSMISSION COMES WITH 100,000 MILE WARRANTY? CLEARLY A PROBLEM THAT GM KNOWS ABOUT BUT HAS DONE NOTHING.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE CAR WASH IN 2003 THERE WAS A WATER LEAK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE RIGHT POWER WINDOW WOULD NOT ROLLUP OR DOWN AND THIS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. TWO-THREE WEEKS AGO WHILE TRYING TO GET THE WINDOW TO ROLL DOWN, THE ENGINE DIED SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THE ENGINE DIED SUDDENLY. THE FIRST WAS WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON A DRY HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER SITTING A SHORT WHILE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CVCS BOOTS ON THE FRONT WHEELS BLEW AND WERE REPLACED TWICE. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE REPLACED THREE TIMES.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP INTERMITTENTLY. WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT, THE RIGHT WHEEL LOCKED. THE DEALERSHIP PUT AN ADDITIVE IN THE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. THEN, THEY FOUND AN ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT ACTIVATED THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE TO BE DEFECTIVE. THIS CAUSED THE STEERING TO LOCK WHEN TURNING TO LEFT OR RIGHT. THIS VEHICLE HAS A NOISE THAT THEY CAN'T LOCATE. UPDATED 06/07/2006. *AK *TS

THE OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS AIRBORNE AND THEN WAS WHEN IT LANDED IT WAS FLIPPED END OVER END FOUR TO FIVE TIMES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ALL DURING OR AFTER THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *NM

DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 75 MPH MY 2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA JUST QUIT RUNNING LIKE I SHUT IT OFF. THE TRAFFIC WAS VERY HEAVY AT THE TIME AND WAS FORCE TO PULL OVER ON THE LEFT SIDE BREAKDOWN LANE. THIS IS THE 5TH TIME MY SUV HAS STALLED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE LETTING THE TRUCK SIT FOR 10-15 MIN IT WILL THEN RESTART AND RUN FINE. THIS CYCLE HAS REPEATED AT RANDOM INTERVALS EVER SINCE I'VE OWN THE TRUCK. DEALER HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG EVEN WHEN IT'S BEEN TOWED IN THREE TIMES FOR STALLING, MOSTLY ON MY WIFE. *NM

WHEN MAKING SHARP TURNS (PARKING SPACE OR DRIVEWAY) FRONT TIRES BIND/CATCH. EXCESSIVE ACCELERATION IS NEEDED TO CONTINUE MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD OR BACK. VEHICLE COMES TO DEAD STOP WHEN MOVING SLOWLY AND TURNING. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY RECOMMENDED FLUSHING THE TRANSFER CASE, WERE GOING TO CHARGE TOO MUCH, SO HAD IT DONE ELSEWHERE. THE PROBLEM JUST CONTINUED AND SEEMED TO GET WORSE AFTER THAT WAS DONE. ALSO MAKES A LOUD MOANING SOUND WHEN TURNING. GAS MILEAGE HAS GREATLY DIMINISHED. GETTING UNDER 250 MILES/TANK NOW. VERY UNSAFE AND DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT SEEM DUMB TO WHAT'S HAPPENING. IF UNABLE TO DETERMINE PROBLEM, COULD CAUSE RAPID WEARING OF TIRES. HAVE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL PLACES NOW 4 TIMES SINCE TAKING TO ORIGINAL DEALER SERVICE CENTER. I'M NOT EVEN CONVINCED THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AWD SYSTEM. MAYBE DIFFERENTIAL? OR CV JOINTS? I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT'S WHY I TRUST SERVICE TECHNICIANS. *NM

A PROBLEM WAS NOTED WHEN MAKING TURNS. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSFER CASE AS PER TSB 020421008A. THE DEALERSHIP DID THE FIRST RECOMMENDED STEP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND CHARGED ME $417.35. THEY SAID IT WAS FIXED BUT AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE AND DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES I NOTED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE NEXT STEP WILL COST ME $547! I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL REFERENCES THAT LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT TSBS SHOULD BE COVERED FREE OF CHARGE! AFTER MORE RESEARCH I FOUND AT CARSTATS.COM THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL AND MANY OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SERIOUS PROBLEMS! HOW DOES THIS TURN INTO A RECALL?? *JB

I HAVE HAD MY 2002 BRAVADA IN THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THE LOCKING OF MY AWD. THE FLUID WAS CHANGED IN THE TRANSFER CASE (NO HELP), THE MODULE WAS REPLACED (NO HELP) AND NOW THE WHOLE TRANSFER CASE IS BEING REPLACED. THE COST IS BETWEEN 1500 AND 2000! THE VEHICLE HAS 80K MILES. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE (AND IT APPEARS THAT GM IS AWARE OF PROBLEMS-BASED ON TSB'S ONLINE) ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN CLIMATES WITH SNOW. THE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN TURNING IS LOST, AS THE PARTICULAR WHEEL LOCKS UP. I ALSO HAD MY FAN CLUTCH BREAK, SEPARATE FROM AWD PROBLEM. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS. THE BRAKES WERE MAKING NOISES DUE TO RUST AND CORRODED ROTORS. THE REPAIRS WILL BE MADE AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE.*AK