Tl* the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile bravada. While driving 30 MPH, there was an burning odor under the passenger seat. The contact noticed that the seat was melting from the bottom and was dripping onto the carpet. The contact pulled the fuse box wires from under the passenger seat to prevent the seat from burning; however, the seat was still getting hot. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. In addition, the engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.
2002 Oldsmobile Bravada engine problems
52 complaints (22% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 30,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 52
- of this car's complaints
- 22%
- typical mileage
- 30,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Engine19
- Engine: gasoline14
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor1
- Cooling system: radiator assembly1
- Cooling system: fan1
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Oldsmobile Bravada engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Stalling 32Loss of power 12Engine failure 8Check engine light 7
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Some sport utility vehicles equipped with an electronically controlled air suspension (ecas) have a condition in which the ecas may produce a brief electrical spike while the vehicle is operating. This electrical spike can disrupt the powertrain control module (PCM) causing the vehicle to stall.
- Risk
- If the spike damages the PCM, the vehicle may not restart. If this happens while the vehicle is moving, a crash could occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wiring harness. The recall will begin on august 19, 2004. Owners should contact oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 04V289000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Engine stall
Model year (my) 2002 bravada and certain my 2002 envoy vehicles with optional electronically controlled air suspension (ecas) may be subject to engine stall caused by an errant voltage spike transmitted to the powertrain control module (PCM).in addition to engine stall, if the spike damages the PCM, the vehicle may not restart.on october 31, 2001 gm introduced into production a wiring harness containing an inductor that was added to the ecas wiring to reduce the magnitude of the voltage spike.on december 6, 2001 gm introduced into production a modified PCM with protection from errant voltage spikes and also ceased use of the wiring harness with the inductor.the office of defects investigation's (odi) analysis verified that vehicles built on or before october 31, 2001, had the highest rate of engine stalling.odi is aware of 1,132 complaints and field reports on the 37,746 subject vehicles built prior to october 31, 2001 (2,999 reports/100,000 vehicles). There is one crash and one injury resulting from a stalling incident.gm reported 7,859 warranty claims with build dates before october 31, 2001 (20,820 claims/100,000 vehicles).by way of letter dated june 4, 2004, gm notified odi that it had determined that the subject vehicles built on or before october 31, 2001 contained a safety-related defect and that gm will be conducting a safety recall of those vehicles.gm will recall 18,455 my 2002 oldsmobile bravada's and 11,496 my 2002 gmc envoy's (total: 29,951).the recall is identified by the federal safety agency number 04v‑289.not included in this recall are subject vehicles built after october 31, 2001, and subject vehicles built on or before october 31, 2001 that were serviced with the jumper cable or the revised PCM.given that the vehicles outside the recall have remedied, either in production or in service,for the stalling condition, odi has concluded that further expenditure of agency resources in pursuing a safety recall of those vehicles is not warranted.this conclusion does not constitute a finding that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
EA03007
Engine stall
Of the 697 total complaints, 240 were received for theenvoy and 457 for the bravada.gm has identified about 5,000 warranty claims related to stalling in the subject vehicles.gm reports that a transient voltage spike generated in the ecas degrades the performance of the PCM resulting in engine stall.gm modified the ecas wiring bundle and the PCM for vehicles built after december 6, 2001 to address the stalling problem.
PE03001
What 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated that the service engine warning light illuminated and the reduced engine power warning light flashed. The vehicle had a drastic reduction in speed while traveling approximately 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer more than twice and they were not able to replicate the failure. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v527000 (exterior lighting) and was waiting on the part for months to receive the recall repair and was unable to confirm when the recall would be completed. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000. Ma 10/15/2015
Traveling apx 5-10 MPH down a hwy slowing down and approaching an intersection with traffic light the engine stalled/quit completely and would not restart. I had to push the vehicle with help to the side of the road. After about 15 minutes the engine restarted. This vehicle was recalled for this issue several years ago (rc 04048) and was taken to the dealer by myself on 1/21/05 as soon as I was notified of the recall. Looking at the invoice that I still have in my files today it claims a wire jumper harness and strap was installed. Seems like this fix has failed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled and all the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose or repaired. However, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the magnetic pick up sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
Engine stalls driving at highway speeds. Lost brakes, steering, no control of vehicle. Luckily was on small highway, able to coast to stop and have car towed. Mechanic unable to replicate problem after keeping and driving vehicle for 10 days. Searched issue online. Horrified to read hundreds of same complaint; same vehicle, same year. Horrible stories of resulting accidents. Now news full of "ignition switch failure" issues. Believe this is what happened to me. Gm not offering advice and claims no responsibility. Says "too many keys on key chain." 2 keys on mine. Vehicle not on gm recall list. Bought second hand in 2011. Now too scared to drive it. Still owe $5,000 on car. Cant afford to add that to new loan. Will not sell it to unsuspecting soul who may be killed.
The car shuts off suddenly and all of the gauges light up. The car must be restarted, sometimes multiple times. This presents a danger as the car may suddenly lose mobility on a highway. It seems that this may be related to multiple postings on the internet that claim this symptom is caused by a voltage spike to the computer generated by the air shocks. This car was built september 1,2001 and was supposedly included in a recall but the dealer claims that there is no recall on this car and if it was repaired under the recall, once the repair is done it is impossible to find it on the gm computers and the recall would then not be in effect for this vehicle. If it was repaired and the problem still exists, these vehicles should be removed from the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated the vehicle intermittently stalled after driving the vehicle for a short period of time at 30 MPH. The vehicle had to be turned off and on before resetting independently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted who advised that they should take the vehicle to the dealer for the repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000.
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.
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.
I have a 2002 gmc safari van. The heater core is located in the front of the passenger compartment. It is covered by an uninsulated plastic cover, which when the heater is on gets extremely hot. My wife accidently touched it with her leg and burned herself. I have been having the car serviced by a chevrolet dealership which is more convenient to me. They claimed it was working correctly. I took it, at there request to a gmc dealership, at my own expense in albany, ny and they claimed it was designed that way and they could do nothing about it. Gmc refuses to do anything about it, claiming it was working properly and that was the design. This is definitely a design flaw which is easily correctable. Gmc case # 1-343963559
Questions about the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada engine
Does the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada have engine problems?
Owners have filed 52 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada, 22% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 30,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 04V289000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Oldsmobile Bravada have bad engine?
The Oldsmobile Bravada model years with the most engine complaints are 2002 (52 complaints), 1997 (15 complaints) and 1999 (12 complaints).
Other 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada problems
Transmission 53Electrical 47Visibility 30Suspension 21Body 15Seat belts 15Steering 14Brakes 13Airbags 12Seats 12Lights 11Fuel system 7Tires 6Acceleration 5Locks 2Wheels 2Driver assistance 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history