Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Passenger seat caught on fire from seat heater while car was off and no one in it. The seat heater had not been used for days. My car was parked after going to the store about 3 pm. Found the next morning about 10;30 am .GM denied my claim. Safety issue,definitely a manufactured defect ,there should be a recall. Whole inside of the car is trashed . The fire obviously started from the seat must have been a blaze the headliner and visor also burnt. Must have extinguished itself due to lack of oxygen. I contacted GM they never sent anyone to look at it. I emailed them photos and through that they are denying that it is a defect or a safety issue. Through research I have found I am not the only person this has happened to and yet there is still not a recall for this
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.
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.
I recently had a brand new transmission installed. Truck was driving great, had no tell tale signs of any promblems and all of a sudden truck cuts off and would not start, harness replaced, car started now gas pedal not working and reduce engine light appears, never been promblematic. Truck was located on city street not moveable. The gas pedal malfunctioned suddenly.
Consumer has had multiple, reoccuring problems with new vehicle since first purchased in October 2001. Car has been returned to dealer more than 12 times in 18 months and has placed significant burden on the owner. Vehicle now has new major mechanical problems with both the engine and transmission. Although the vehicle is still under warranty, the large number of persistent problems classifies this vehicle as unreliable and, more importantly, unsafe. Owner has contacted dealer regarding a replacement vehicle (lemon law), however the dealership has directed the owner to the maker company (GM/Oldsmobile). The maker has responded by insisting that the warranty was designed for such problems and they have referred the owner back to the dealer for continual repairs. In other words, neither the maker nor their representative dealer is willing to assist the owner in resolving the situation. …
The 4wd stopped operating during inclement weather and caused the vehicle to fish-tail. The vehicle was taken to the dealer five times for this problem. The mechanic informed the consumer that there was no remedy for this problem. The vehicle had the tendency to spin wheels/fishtail and would slide uncontrollably. The dealer informed the consumer that there was a problem with the all wheel drive and that when the fix is found, there May still be a posiibility that the problem will return. The service dealer was unable to duplicate the problem with the all wheel drive light. …
Last month my Oldsmobile Bravada's gauges and instrument warning lights starting operating erratically and at times did not work at all (I.e. The gauges read zero). Searching the recalls for my Bravada I found 3013. 3013 concerns inoperative instrument panel clusters. The failure impacted my Bravada's ability to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards no. 101 and no. 208. Background. I bought my Bravada...used in January 2005 from everett Chevrolet in everett, wa. It had 25671 miles. Current mileage is 62600. Prior to my purchase, my Bravada had several recalls performed when the vehicle came off lease...in September 2004. Recall 3013 (instrument panel gauges inoperative) was performed on September 22, 2004...at 25,184 miles. I made appointment and took my vehicle in for service on 20 November 2007. …
Vehicle loses power to dash and all components controlled from dash including windshield wipers I have taken this into my dealer and he told me they couldn't find anything wrong, but they tightened some grounds. This almost caused me to have an accident during a heavy thunder storm when the windshield wipers quit for about 15 seconds at 65-70 miles an hour a vehicle can cover a lot of distance and I was blind for 15 seconds I managed to get over to the shoulder and actually was part way in the ditch when I got stopped. Then the wipers stared up again and will work again for awhile this has happened to me atleast 8 times only once did I almost wreck my vehicle though. The clock always has to be reset when this happens. Windshield wipers were on high setting when they stopped. Dash instruments backlight went dark and gauge needles all went to zero.
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.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards no. 101, "control location, identification, and illumination" and no. 208, "occupant crash protection." these vehicles have an intermittent condition during vehicle start-up in which the instrument panel cluster May not…
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster. Owner notification began 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…
Electrical complaints in other Bravada years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada, 20% of the model year's 238 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › interior/under dash (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-096 (interior/under dash, Mar 19, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.