NHTSA Complaint #10061848 — 2002 OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA

ENGINE SHUT DOWN (LOSS OF POWER TO GAS PEDAL, POWER STEERING & BRAKES). FIRST INSTANCE OCCURRED ON 9/10/03 AT 24,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH WHEN I NOTICED THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT RESPONDING. I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON SO I COASTED OFF THE ROAD AND COULD NOT START THE ENGINE SO I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES THE ENGINE STARTED SO I CANCELLED THE TOW AND DROVE THE CAR STRAIGHT TO THE GM SERVICE DEALER. THEY RECALIBRATED THE PCM. THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WAS ON 2/15/04 AT 30,000 WHILE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE OF A MAJOR INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE GAS PEDAL ONCE AGAIN AND SAW THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS ON. LUCKILY AGAIN I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO GET OFF THE ROAD WITH AN 18 WHEELER CLOSE BEHIND. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AGAIN AND I WAS NOT IN A SAFE LOCATION WITH VERY LITTLE MEDIAN AND I WAS TOLD IT COULD TAKE UP TO 90 MINUTES FOR A TOW TRUCK. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN SO CANCELLED THE TOW TRUCK. I WAS MANY MILES FROM HOME AND IT WAS AFTER 5PM SO I TOOK IT TO THE SAME SERVICE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE PCM AND ASSURED ME THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. IN THIS CASE I THINK THE GM SERVICE DEALER DID WHAT THEY COULD DO BUT I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AND NEXT TIME IT COULD BE FATAL. I COMPLAINED TO GM AND THEY WERE RESPONSIVE ABOUT FOLLOWING UP ON THE REPAIR BUT AS FAR AS ISSUING A RECALL THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A GM DECISION SO I AM WRITING TO YOU. I FOUND ABOUT 33 CASES OF THIS SAME PROBLEM REPORTED ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR THE 2002 BRAVADA BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR ANY ACTION IS BEING TAKEN FOR A LIFE THREATENING DEFECT. BASED ON SOME THE COMPLAINTS I SEE THE PCM WAS REPLACED TWICE WHICH TELLS ME THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME ACTION TAKEN HERE. *AK