1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA Complaints

1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VOLTAGE DROPPING WHILE VEHICLE IN STOPPED CAUSING HEADLIGHTS TO DIM. *LD *JS

WHILE DRIVING MY 1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA THE CAR SHUT OFF UNEXPECTEDLY AND CONTINUED TO STALL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE CAR. I DROVE TO MY MECHANICS GARAGE AND HE REPLACED THE IGNITION HARNESS. THIS HAS HAPPED TO ME A TOTAL OF ( 4) FOUR TIMES. THE FREQUENCY HAS BEEN ABOUT EVERY 6 MONTHS TO 1 YEAR. THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS ABOUT 100,000 THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USEDWITH ABOUT 95,000 MILES. PLEASE HELP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I WOULD HEAR LIKE A MOTOR RUNNING SOUND THAT WOULD LAST APPROX 5/10 SEC. AND DURING THIS TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD RISE AND GET HARD AND I WOULD HAVE TO APPLY LOTS OF PRESSURE IN ORDER FOR VEHICLE TO STOP WHICH DOES SO WITH GRIND. I REPLACED BOTH ROTORS,CALIPERS,BRAKE PADS,MASTERCYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER.ABS LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHEN HIT BUMP AND GO OFF AFTER AWHILE .FINALLY I REMOVED FUSE FROM ABS AND PROBLEM CEASED.IN PROCESSES OF DIOGNOSING PROBLEM.DISCOVERED SUSPENSION IN FRONT FALLING APART REPLACED INNER/OUTER TIERODS,PITMAN ARM,BOTH UPPER/LOWER BALL JOINTS,PASSENGER UPPER CONTROL ARM AND WHEEL HUB.REAR WINDSHEILD WIPER NO LONGER WORKS AND WINDSHIELD WIPER FREEZES DURING RAIN WHICH HAS CAUSED WIPER MOTOR TO BE REPLACED.DRIVER SIDE DOOR HINGES REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES CAUSING DOOR NOT TO SHUT PROPERLY AND DOESNT SIT LEVEL,FUEL GAUGE DOESNT READ PROPERLY WHEN FULL IT READS 1/2 TANK AND WHEN READS EMPTY ITS UNKNOWN HOW MUCH GAS IS REALLY IN TANK HAVE TO RELY ON MILES COUNTER AND CARRY EXTRA GALLON OF GAS. *TR

1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA BECAME COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES AFTER THE DRIVER PULLED OVER AFTER SEEING SMOKE. *KB OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 10-0002-89 UPDATED LETTER 04/29/10 *BF

BRAVADA SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING. WHILE ON HIGHWAY I WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH. THEN THE TRUCK IS COMPLETELY DEAD. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND SAT FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES TRYING TO RESTART IT. IT FINALLY STARTED. (NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON) AFTER I LET IT SIT FOR A FEW MONTH I DECIDED TO REPLACE THE EGR VALVE GASKET AND CLEAN THE CARBON OUT OF THE THROTTLE BODY. A FEW MONTHS GO BY I WAS DRIVING ON A ROAD OFF OF A HIGH WAY GOING 40 MPH. SAME THING OCCURRED. I GOT IT STARTED IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AND IT WILL RUN FINE LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. AFTER READING THE OTHER COMPLAINTS I AM GOING TO REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH EVEN THOUGH THE DEALER SAID IT COULD BE NUMEROUS OF OTHER THINGS AND NOT THE IGNITION SWITCH. IN FACT THEY NEVER HEARD OF AN IGNITION SWITCH DOING THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA. HE STATED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE COLLAPSED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CONTROL ARM COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE UPPER BALL JOINTS (NHTSA CAMPAIGN #01V200000) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED AS PART OF THE RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 125,000. UPDATED 02/08/08. *LJ

WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON MY 1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA BEGAN FLASHING THEN THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. WE PULLED OVER AND I PULLED MY CHILDREN FROM THE VEHICLE. THE ENTIRE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE AND FLAMES WERE COMING OUT OF THE GAS CAP. MY HUSBAND USED TWO FULL FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ON THE FIRE AND WAS UNABLE TO PUT IT OUT. FOLLOWING THE ATTEMPT TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES THERE WERE TWO MORE EXPLOSIONS. THE SHERIFFS AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS CAME AND PUT IT OUT. EACH FILED REPORTS ON THE INCIDENT. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE FUEL PUMP (LOCATED INSIDE THE GAS TANK) SHORTED OUT CAUSING A SPARK THAT IGNITED THE GAS TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

THE THROTTLE VALVE IN THE THROTTLE BODY HAS A SHIELD RIVETED TO IT AND THE SHIELD STICKS TO THE THROTTLE BODY HOUSING. WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL IT CAUSES THE SHIELD TO BE PULL AWAY FROM THE THROTTLE VALVE,THIS CAUSES METAL FATIGUE AT THE RIVETS THE SHIELD THEN BRAKES LOOSE AND FALLS INTO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CAUSING THE ENGINE TO RUN AT ABOUT 4000 RPM AND VERY FAST DOWN THE ROAD. A NEW THROTTLE BODY FROM GM COST ABOUT$739.00 PLUS LABOR. *NM

97 OLDS BRAVADA RETRACTABLE SEAT BELTS HAVE NEVER WORKED PROPERLY, NOW DO NOT WORK ON EITHER DRIVER OR PASSENGER SIDE. SEATBELTS DO NOT "CATCH" DURING COLLISION AND JUST KEEP PULLING OUT OF HOUSING. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY NUMEROUS DEALERSHIPS THAT THIS IS A CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS, WHICH PROBABLY ALSO INCLUDE CHEVY BLAZERS AND GMC JIMMY'S. GM DID A RECALL IN '04 WHICH I WAS PROMISED WOULD RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT IN A RECENT INCIDENT, MY SEATBELT DID NOT "CATCH" AND I HIT MY CHIN ON THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS VERIFIED THAT BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE NONFUNCTIONAL. THIS PROBLEM CANNOT BE EASILY RECOGNIZED UNTIL THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. HOW MANY BRAVADA, BLAZER, AND JIMMY OWNERS ARE DRIVING AROUND WITH THEIR SEATBELTS BUCKLED, NOT KNOWING THAT THEY DO NOT WORK AND WILL NOT PROTECT THEM IN A CRASH? HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAS NHTSA GOTTEN, WRONGLY ASSUMING THOSE WERE REPAIRED BY THE RECALL? *NM

ON JULY 31, 2005 MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING HOME FROM MICHIGAN WE WERE 29 MILES FROM HOME WHEN OUR 1997 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA CAUGHT FIRE. WE HAD BEEN TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH A FIRE UNDER OUR SUV FOR SOME TIME AND WAS NOT AWARE OF IT. PARTS LITERALLY BEGAN TO FALL FROM UNDER THE TRUCK WHEN WE STOPPED THE TRUCK TO SEE WHAT HAD WENT WRONG WE NOTICED THE FIRE. EYE WITNESSES SAID THEY SAW FLAMES COMING FROM OUR VEHICLE BEFORE WE EVEN STOPPED. WHEN WE GOT OUT AND SAW THE FIRE WE BEGAN REMOVING OUR CHILDREN AS FAST AS WE COULD. WHEN THE LAST CHILD WAS REMOVED WE BEGAN TO RUN AWAY FROM THE TRUCK. BY THIS TIME THE TRUCK WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THERE WAS NO SMELL OF GAS OR ANY WARNING TELLING US THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. WE WERE BLESSED TO COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE, BUT THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE FOR OTHER FAMILIES. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT CONSUMERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF IT COULD SAVE LIVES. ITS NOT RIGHT FOR MANUFACTURES TO PUT PEOPLES LIVES AT RISK FOR THE SAKE OF A FEW DOLLARS. I CAN NOT OR WILL NOT PUT THIS OUT OF MY MIND AS IF IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC SO THAT THEY ARE AWARE. *JB