1998 Oldsmobile Bravada Engine Problems

VEHICLE HAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. IT HAPPENS NUMEROUS TIMES WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK 3RD SHIFT 55-60 MPH ON A COUNTRY ROAD... VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN. WITH NO LIGHTS, POWER STEERING, ECT... I WOULD HAVE TO TRY AND PULL OVER IN THE PITCH BLACK OF NIGHT. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES IT WOULD START BACK UP AND ON I WOULD GO, PRAYING IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AT THE CURVES. AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS OF THIS AND NOBODY HAVING ANY ANSWERS, MY HUSBAND DISCOVERED IT IS A CONNECTOR IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT GETS CORRODED AND HE HAS TO CLEAN IT. AS LONG AS WE CLEAN THE CORROSION OFF OF THE CONNECTOR ABOUT TWICE A YEAR, THE VEHICLE DOES FINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10640372

Incident

Jun 13, 2006

Mileage

86,000 mi

I PURCHASED A USED 1998 OLDS BRAVADA. IT HAS BEEN AN OK CAR EXCEPT. THE HEATER/AIR CONDITIONER DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY. MY DEALER SAYS YOU HAVE TO SWITCH IT BACK AND FORTH FROM HEAT TO COOL IN THE DASH SOMEWHERE (MY QUESTION WAS, WHAT IS THE THERMOSTAT BUTTON FOR THEN???). ALSO, THE TRANSMISSION OR MOTOR AT 3000 RPMS CUTS OUT BAD AND JUMPS AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT IF YOU ARE IN THE PASSING ZONE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. ALSO, THE DIMMER SWITCH DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO AND THE SIGNALS DO BUT NOT THE DIMMER?? *JB

NHTSA ID

10186511

Incident

Mar 9, 2007

Mileage

35 mi

TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOT WORKING, HEADLIGHTS NOT WORKING, AWD PROBLEMS, COOLING SYSTEM PROBLEMS, FUEL PUMP, CONTROL ARM & BALL JOINT PROBLEMS ARE JUST SOME OF THE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES ON 96-99 GM BLAZERS, BRAVADA'S, & JIMMYS. THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD REALLY BE LOOKED INTO AND RECALLED. MOST PROBLEMS STARTING RIGHT AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. CAN'T BELIEVE GM IS GETTING AWAY WITH THIS. TRANSMISSION WENT BAD AT 71000 MILES AND DEALER SAYS THAT THEY KNOW THERE WAS A DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS ALSO PROBLEM (CODE 1870) BUT THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. *JB

NHTSA ID

10149153

Incident

Jan 31, 2006

Mileage

71,000 mi

DEAR SIR OR MADAM, I AM THE OWNER OF A 1998 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA WITH A 4.3L VORTEC ENGINE. UPON HAVING MY VEHICLE INSPECTED, THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT MY OIL COOLER LINES WERE LEAKING, AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THEM FIXED ($433). I ASKED HIM ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH GM'S -- THE LINES MAY EVENTUALLY FAIL AND CAUSE ENGINE SEIZURE. *AK I WANTED TO DO SOME PRICE CHECKING AND FIND OUT JUST HOW WIDESPREAD THIS PROBLEM WAS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WAS SHOCKED AT THE SHEER NUMBER OF OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THESE LINES -- REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. GM PRETENDS AS THOUGH THEY'RE NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND THEY ARE NOT OFFERING ANY HELP WITH THESE FAULTY PARTS. THE COSTLY REPLACEMENTS ARE JUST AS BAD -- SOME PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILURES TWO OR THREE TIMES. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT COVERED, EVEN UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I HAD PURCHASED. IF IT IS AS BAD AS THEY SAY, AND IT SEEMS TO BE, THE VEHICLE SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE BEEN SOLD TO ME WITHOUT BEING FIXED FIRST. I HAVE A MAJOR ISSUE WITH GM WHEN THEY DENY THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM; FOR THE OIL COOLER LINES TO FAIL IN SUCH WIDESPREAD NUMBERS INDICATES THAT THERE IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD ON THE ROADWAYS. THE THREAT OF ENGINE SEIZURE, COMBINED WITH OIL SPILLAGE ON THE HIGHWAYS IS A DANGEROUS RECIPE, INDEED. I URGE YOU TO PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE OIL COOLER LINES ISSUE ON THE 1998 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA/CHEVY BLAZER/GMC JIMMY -- THE RESULTS OF SUCH AN INVESTIGATION WILL TURN UP MUCH EVIDENCE AND MAKE OUR ROADS SAFER. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR READING THIS SUBMISSION. SINCERELY, SCOTT LUHRS

NHTSA ID

10074623

Incident

Jun 1, 2004

Mileage

96,000 mi

THE ENGINE OVERHEATS, THE HEATER WILL BECOME INOPERATIVE AND BLOW COLD AIR AND IT GETS RUST IN THE COOLING SYSTEMS REQURING CONSTANT FLUSHING.

NHTSA ID

10068065

Incident

Apr 28, 2004

NO HEAT. *CB

NHTSA ID

10054392

Incident

Nov 1, 2003

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED EHICLE WILL CUT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND OTHER PARTS, BUTPROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

858020

TENSIONER PULLEY FAILED. YH

NHTSA ID

608742

Incident

Nov 24, 1998