2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Oldsmobile › Bravada › 2003
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
7 recalls name the 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada. Newest first.
On certain trucks and sport utility vehicles, the driver wishing to signal a turn by moving the directional signal lever, (up or down) may cause the front marker/turn lights and rear turn lights to flash in a manner similar to hazard warning, rather than flashing on the desired side only.
The driver may not be able to clearly signal their intentions to turn, change travel lanes, or potentially warn others of an impaired vehicle operating condition increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the suspect flasher modules with a new flasher module designed with sealed relays and more durable contact material inside of the relays free of charge. the recall began on august 4, 2005. isuzu began mailing owner letters on august 4, 2005. owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727, buick at 1-866-608-8080, and oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
On certain sport utility vehicles, vibration and heat may cause the tail lamp/stop lamp bulb to loosen in its socket. if this occurs, the bulb may flicker and eventually become inoperative.
An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the tail lamp/stop lamp assemblies, and if necessary, replace them. the recall began on november 22, 2004. owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, buick at 1-866-608-8080, or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Certain sport utility vehicles have windshield wiper systems that will not turn on, cease operation while in use, fail to turn off/on by themselves (moisture sensitive wiper system), or have continuous windshield washer pump operation because the presence of water within the wiper modules can either cause a short circuit or can lead to the corrosion of…
Depending on the occurrence and weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a crash.
Dealers will cover the windshield wiper module vent hole with a patch. also, the wiper motor, circuit board, and electrical connector will be inspected to signs of water intrusion and/or corrosion and be replaced as required. the recall began july 6, 2004. owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage system." the owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchorage system.
This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Owners will be provided with a supplement for their owner's manual. this supplement describes and shows the location symbols for the child restraint anchors that are located in the vehicle and on the child restraint or booster cushion. owner notification began august 18, 2003. owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Certain sport utility vehicles were built with a left-front brake pipe with a circumferential score at a random location along the length of the pipe as the result of the manufacturing process. if the brake pipe partially or fully fractured, brake pedal travel would immediately increase and front brake performance would be reduced.
If braking performance IS reduced, a crash could occur.
Dealers will replace the left-front brake pipe. owner notification began on may 29, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, GMC at 1-800-462-8782, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-8006.
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 114, "theft protection." these vehicles are equipped with a mechanical override that could allow the ignition key to be removed with the shift lever in a position other than park. in addition, these vehicles have an override that can allow the…
These overrides are not permitted unless the vehicle has a locking steering column.
Dealers will eliminate these conditions by disabling the overrides. owner notification began on may 29, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, GMC at 1-800-462-8782, oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537, or hummer at 1-866-486-6376.
Certain passenger, MINI vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.
Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure vehicle occupants and the air bag cushion would not inflate fully, reducing the capability of the bag to protect the driver.
Dealers will inspect, and replace, if necessary, the air bag module assembly on the driver's side. owner notification began august 15, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact buick at 1-800-521-7300, cadillac at 1-800-458-8006, chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, GMC at 1-800-462-8782, oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537, or pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.
I was involved in a crash. Doing 35 miles an hour. The air bag never deployed and I tee boned the other vehicle.
Recall was issued and a letter was sent to me, we havent driven the SUV for the past 18 months because of the gasoline smell when were sitting in it, and it was leaking gas, would have gotten it fixed but cant afford it.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph the vehicle crashed into a second vehicle causing significant damage to the front end. During the crash, the airbags did not deploy. The driver suffered an injured right knee and the front passenger suffered a head and neck injury. Both required medical attention. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed but the cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000. updated 03/16/16*lj *tr
When I turned the key to start the car, my air bags deployed. I reported this to gm. gm refused to send anyone down to inspect the bravada to see what made the air bags deployed. gm stated it would cost too much money to find out. I want to prevent anyone from getting killed. I or my passenger or both would have been killed if this had happened while I had been driving. this needs to be investigated. *tr
When I turned the key to start the bravada, both air bags deployed at the same time. driver air bag struck me on the right side of my face causing burning sensation and redness. *tr
Heading west on emerald parkway between riverside drive and dublin road in dublin, oh my bravada stalled, the gauges went wild, the power steering went out and the brakes would not work. I managed to avoid other traffic and coast the bravada onto dublin road (turning left) and get it stopped off the road under the overpass. the bravada would not restart, and the key would not release from the ignition switch. crestview cadillac could not diagnose the problem. decosky motors in mount vernon, oh (where the vehicle was purchased new) knew right away what the problem was because they had had multiple incidents of the same issue on quite a few gm vehicles already at that time (may, 2006). my vehicle IS not among the vehicles being recalled by gm. it should be, and gm knew of the issue way back in 2006!! I am wondering if my vehicle will do it again. I am upset that I had to pay crestview a diagnostic fee, pay for towing both to them and to decosky's, had to rent a car, and other expenses due to the ignition switch failure. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 oldsmobile bravada. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed to work properly intermittently. The contact mentioned that while parked, the speedometer read 120 mph. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 107,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated that the transmission would slip when shifting gears and the vehicle hesitated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who was unable to replicate the failure. The vehicle then was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the fuel filter and the catalytic converter. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
While filling gas tank, gas spills out after pump shuts off. *Tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 oldsmobile bravada. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, all of the lights on the instrument panel failed. After four minutes, several lights began to illuminate but not all. The failure recurred numerous times the in a 45 minute time span. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure and current mileage was 74,232.
The speedometer quit registering properly (sticky, showing 25mph when at standstill) and the oil pressure gauge pegged to the right. it has been doing this sporadically ever since (still to this day) with both the speedometer and oil gauge. you never know how fast (or slow) you are going and you fear the engine IS about to blow because cannot know what the actual oil pressure reading IS. as of today the actual mileage IS only 57661. *tr
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
Paint chipping in front of rear wheels. *ak
Product recall involving 2003 oldsmobile bravada. *mr the front leather seat was worn to the point that it was cracked, the windshield wipers stopped, the alignment of the wheels were off, there was a broken hinge which was repaired many times and was previously broken, the check engine light had come on, the vehicle pulled to the left when it was driven in reverse and the transmission or the steering made a loud grinding noise. *sc the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. *jb
While driving in snowy conditions the wheels spun, the vehicle slipped into 4-wheel-drive and spun out of control. The consumer drove into a snow embankment. there were no injuries. *ak *jb
While driving at approximately 30 mph vehicle constantly shifts and jerks. dealer has attempted to repair the vehicle three times, but has been unable to remedy the problem. *Ak
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy variants: 2002-2006 Envoy XL/Trailblazer EXT and 2004-2005 Envoy XUV. The original scope of this investigation was expanded to include all vehicles equipped with the subject Headlight Driver Module (HDM). The focus of the investigation was to determine whether actions performed by General Motors adequately addressed any unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in the subject vehicles concerning the headlights and the HDM that controls them.Under normal electrical load and environmental conditions, the HDM can overheat inside the Underhood Electrical Center (UEC). This can cause the module to fail and result in a simultaneous loss of both low beam headlights and both daytime running lights (DRLs), often with no warning or prior detectability to the driver. This failure can be intermittent or permanent. No other exterior lights are affected. High beams, turn signals, brake lights, and reverse lights are still operational.General Motors addressed this issue with 2 recalls (14V755 & 15V519) and a special coverage program (N172091910). In view of the recalls and special coverage program implemented by GM and the vehicle high beams continuing to operate, ODI has tentatively concluded that the actions taken by GM mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by HDM failure in the subject vehicles.Accordingly, the investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at NHTSA.gov under the identification numbers in the attached document.
During the course of this ea investigation, odi observed that the majority of the complaints (88%) and warranty claims (94%) were reported for vehicles that are registered for use in the salt belt region of the us.this area includes 20 states in the northeast, mid atlantic and the midwest regions and the district of columbia.consumers in the salt belt region reported to odi that they could smell fuel vapors in their vehicles while driving.upon further examination of their vehicles, they discovered that fuel vapors were coming out of the top of the fuel tank. This condition IS caused by corrosion of the return and sender lines of the fuel pump module.water and road salt collect on top of the fuel pump leading to small pinholes appearing on the fuel lines.fuel may leak and collect on top of the module and/or spill onto the ground.the data evaluated under this investigation reflect a relatively low frequency of occurrence that largely arises in salt belt states.gm has extended the warranty on the subject component to ten years or 120,000 miles.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted at this time; accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information select document search.
Gm states that some brake/tail lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to malfunctioning brake/tail lamp sockets.on march 2, 2004, gm initiated a 6-year/72,000 mile special policy for 989,487 subject vehicles to inspect and replace the rear brake/tail lamp bulb socket assemblies.on april 4, 2004, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-032) based on consumer complaints alleging brake lights not operating when the brake pedal IS depressed.on august 3, 2004 odi upgraded pe04-032 to an engineering analysis (ea04-021).by letter dated october 27, 2004 gm notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa # 04v527) covering subject vehicles that were not already repaired under gm's special policy.my 2004 subject vehicles built after august 8, 2003 contain improved brake lamp assemblies and are not included in the recall.gm dealers will install the improved brake lamp assembly on subject vehicles built on august 8, 2003 and earlier.the action taken by gm IS sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.
On september 17, 2003, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe03-042) to investigate alleged windshield wiper failure in certain model year (my) 2002 and 2003 chevrolet trailblazer and trailblazer ext, GMC envoy and envoy XL, and oldsmobile bravada vehicles.the investigation was upgraded to an engineering analysis on january 6, 2004, and the scope was expanded to include certain my 2003 isuzu ascender vehicles.all subject vehicles are built on general motors? Gmt360 and gmt370 platforms and were originally equipped with a windshield wiper assembly referred to as the family design module (p/n 15171306 base, p/n 15171307 for vehicles equipped with rainsense automatic moisture sensitive wipers).water enters the windshield wiper module causing the electrical components on the control circuit board to corrode and short out, thus rendering the wiper motor/module inoperative.in november 2002, gm introduced into vehicle production a redesigned windshield wiper assembly referred to as the ?global? Design module (p/n 15094704 base, p/n 15094705 for vehicles equipped with rainsense) to better control water intrusion.odi has received a total of 1,179 non-duplicative owner and field reports alleging windshield wiper failure on vehicles originally equipped with the ?family? Design module.by letter dated february 2, 2004, gm has notified odi that it will conduct a safety recall (nhtsa recall no. 04V-046).accordingly, this investigation IS closed.
This investigation was opened on the model year (my) 2003 chevrolet trailblazer.based on gm's information request (ir) response, odi added to its analysis the my 2003 GMC envoy and oldsmobile bravada vehicles.these vehicles share the same vehicle platform (gm 360/370) and fuel fill components.incident summary numbers reported above include these vehicles.epa regulates the fuel dispensing rates at filling stations and gm states that the reports of spitback for the subject vehicles are principally caused by fuel dispensing pumps exceeding the rate specified by epa.odi finds that the rate of complaints, field reports and warranty IS low compared to other vehicles that have been recalled for a spitback issue.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of the agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached report for additional information.
The subject vehicles (chevrolet trailblazer (ext), GMC envoy (XL), and oldsmobile bravada) are built on the gmt360 and gmt370 platforms and were originally equipped with a windshield wiper assembly referred to as the ?family? Design module (p/n 15171306 base, p/n 15171307 for vehicles equipped with rainsense automatic moisture sensitive wipers).the windshield wiper assembly IS located inside the plenum at the base of the windshield and IS mounted on an incline approximately equal to the rake of the windshield.gm reports that vehicles are subject to a quality assurance water test at the assembly plant.the test exposes the vehicles to an amount of water that exceeds the plenum?s capability to divert water away from the wiper module, allowing water to rise to a level that exceeds the height of the windshield wiper motor cover vent hole.water enters through the vent hole then flows down to the bottom of the module and pools causing the electrical components on the control circuit board to corrode and short out, thus rendering the wiper motor/module inoperative.on november 2, 2002 gm introduced into vehicle production a redesigned windshield wiper assembly referred to as the ?global? Design module (p/n 15094704 base, p/n 15094705 for vehicles equipped with rainsense) that uses a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane covered vent hole to control water intrusion.there are a total of 1,172 non-duplicative owner and field reports alleging windshield wiper failure, two vehicle crashes allegedly caused by windshield wiper failure, and 43,219 warranty claims for windshield wiper assembly or wiper control module replacement on vehicles originally equipped with the ?family? Design module.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea04-002) to further study the scope and safety consequences of this issue.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.