1996 Oldsmobile Bravada Review
Price Estimate: $1,084 - $1,760





+3
Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
What’s new
Nice truck, but how many luxury SUVs do we really need? Only a few things about the Bravada differentiate it from the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy: the seats, front styling, trim -- and the price tag.
For sale near Eustis, FL
1 listings
- 229,584 miles
- No accidents, 3 owners, personal use only
- 15 City / 20 Hwy MPG
- Kindred Auto Sales (2,524 mi away)
- AWD/4WD
- 5000lb Towing Capaci...
Close
Located in Lynnwood, WA
Visit Kindred Auto Sales online to see more pictures of this vehicle or call us at 4**-9**-3*** today to schedule your test drive.No credit. Bad credi...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: Yes
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
16 Combined MPG (15 City/20 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: 1GHDT13WXT2710539
Stock: 2087
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 06-15-2025
Vehicle overview
After a one-year hiatus, the Oldsmobile Bravada returns for the 1996 model year, based on the same platform that serves as the basis for the Chevrolet Blazer and the GMC Jimmy. The Bravada comes loaded with every conceivable luxury option; appropriate since this is Oldsmobile's entry into the quickly expanding luxury sport-ute arena. This market niche is quickly filling to capacity, with luxury SUV's due from Acura, Lexus, Mercury, Lincoln and even corporate sibling GMC during the next two years.
Is the Bravada worth the price of admission over the Blazer and the Jimmy? Well, the front seats are exclusive to Oldsmobile, and the Smart-Trak all-wheel drive system is standard on the Olds ( it's optional on the Chevy and GMC). In fact, most of the standard equipment on the Bravada is available on the Chevy or the GMC, with an end result that is less expensive than the Oldsmobile.
Just five options are available on the new Bravada. Buyers can order a heavy-duty 5000-pound towing package, an engine block heater, a CD player that replaces the cassette deck, white-letter tires, and a gold-trim package. Olds says the Bravada has a "two-fold mission: keep the driver moving in the face of adverse weather or road conditions and deliver all occupants in comfort and style to the destination of their choice."
Styling is pretty much identical to the Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy. The Bravada gets a unique grille and headlamp treatment, bumper trim, and body cladding. Inside, the same unhappy ergonomics found in its Chevy and GMC brethren greet Bravada passengers. A 4.3-liter Vortec V6 engine that makes 190 horsepower propels the Bravada's four wheels. A strange choice when the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited and the Ford Explorer XLT can be equipped with a V8 engine. The Explorer-based 1997 Mercury Mountaineer will also have all-wheel drive, like the Bravada, along with standard V8 power.
Oldsmobile says they plan to produce 20,000 Bravadas annually, beginning in November of 1995. We think this is an optimistic figure. The old Bravada, which competed in a market with few luxury-oriented SUV's, never sold very well. We doubt this new one, introduced at a time when luxury sport utilities are all the rage, will find many takers. It's not that the 1996 Bravada is a bad truck. Oldsmobile has come up with quite an enticing package here. It's just that the luxury market is becoming saturated with very good trucks, which will inevitably push demand for any particular model down. We also think that aging, affluent Boomers are going to tire of climbing in and out of these things in time, depositing their aching legs and backs into the seats of the Cadillacs, BMWs and Acuras that they're currently trading in like baseball cards for the more rugged, outdoorsy, SUV image.
Cost to Drive
Monthly estimates based on costs in Florida
$216/mo for Bravada Base
Bravada Base
vs
$171/mo
Avg. Midsize SUV
Reliability
The 1996 Oldsmobile Bravada has 5 recalls. Below you’ll find our owner reviews.
Recalls
5 recalls foundChecking if a car has a recall is simple. Just type the car's VIN number into the NHTSA website (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls). If there's an unrepaired recall, you'll see it there.
If a recall shows up, just call your local car dealer. They'll know about the recall and will work with the car maker to fix it for free (if the recall happened within 10 years of the car being first sold).
- Recall Number:
- 96V234000
- Manufactured from:
- 1995-09-01 to 1996-07-31
- Number of vehicles affected:
- 432183
- Defect Description:
- VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 4-DOOR, 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND ALL-WHEEL DRIVE MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. DURING DEVELOPMENT TESTING, THE PROP SHAFT CONTACTED THE INBOARD SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK ALLOWING FUEL LEAKAGE. THIS LEAKAGE WAS IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT PERMITTED BY FMVSS 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY."
- Defect Consequence:
- IF AN IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT, AND THERE IS A FUEL LEAK, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
- Corrective Action:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL ADDITIONAL SHIELDING OF THE FUEL TANK. THIS WILL BE ADDED WITHOUT REMOVING OR DISASSEMBLING THE FUEL SYSTEM.
- Recall Number:
- 06E043000
- Number of vehicles affected:
- 88303
- Defect Description:
- CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.
- Defect Consequence:
- THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
- Corrective Action:
- HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
- Recall Number:
- 03V159000
- Manufacturer Recall Number:
- 03023
- Manufactured from:
- 1996-06-01 to 1996-09-30
- Number of vehicles affected:
- 1755876
- Defect Description:
- ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL.
- Defect Consequence:
- IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR DURING BAD WEATHER, DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
- Corrective Action:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 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 1-800-442-6537.
- Recall Number:
- 01V200000
- Manufacturer Recall Number:
- 01048
- Manufactured from:
- 1995-11-01 to 1996-06-30
- Number of vehicles affected:
- 48600
- Defect Description:
- ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN, AND IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. FAILURE OF AN UPPER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY COULD OCCUR DUE TO CORROSION.
- Defect Consequence:
- THIS CAN RESULT IN IMPAIRED STEERING OR STEERING LOSS, OR A PARTIAL OR COMPLETE COLLAPSE OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Corrective Action:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH UPPER BALL JOINTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 4, 2001. 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 1-800-442-6537.
- Recall Number:
- 01I018000
- Defect Description:
- THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1996-1997 4-WHEEL DRIVE CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY, AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. SOME OWNERS HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS THAT HAVE SEPARATED. GM IS PROVIDING A SPECIAL POLICY TO THESE OWNERS TO COVER UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT IF THE CUSTOMER FOLLOWED THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE CHASSIS LUBRICATION AND THE VEHICLE STILL REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE UPPER BALL JOINTS DUE TO SEPARATION.
- Defect Consequence:
- THIS COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.
- Corrective Action:
- GM HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE UPPER BALL JOINTS ON AFFECTED VEHICLES. THIS SPECIAL POLICY IS FOR A PERIOD OF 8 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST, FROM THE DATE THE VHEICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PLACED IN SERVICE, REGARDLESS OF OWNERSHIP. THE UPPER BALL JOINT REPLACEMENT, DUE TO SEPARATION, WILL BE MADE AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER DURING THIS PERIOD. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-862-4389, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537, CONCERNING THIS PROGRAM.
Oldsmobile Bravada Owner Reviews
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
155k and still going
4.88 out of 5 starsFATBOY-AZ, 04/18/2007
1996 Oldsmobile Bravada 4dr SUV AWD
I bought my 1996 Bravada in 2001 with 38000 miles on it. I've had the typical domestic car repairs, but overall this has been an incredible SUV. Plenty of power. I pull my 2k lb camper through the AZ mountains 4-5 times per year without concern. My Bravada currently has 155k miles, A/C blows ice cold, rides like glass at 75mph, and it is the most comfortable of all mid-size SUVs I've … ridden in. Overall, I believe this is one of the best built SUVs on the market for 1996. I will drive this until the wheels fall off, but at this rate that should be well over 300k.
Hello Problems
3 out of 5 starsdale, 01/24/2007
1996 Oldsmobile Bravada 4dr SUV AWD
Hello new ball joints every two years, hello blown head gasket! Hello problems with the brake system. Good bye Oldsmobile.
96' Bravada
4.25 out of 5 starsCars4me89, 12/21/2002
1996 Oldsmobile Bravada 4dr SUV AWD
This is a nice car, but when the
odometer turns around 60,000 miles you
start taking it into the shop every
7,000 miles. This just happens to do
this right after the warranty expires.
Good SUV overall
3.88 out of 5 starsandrew84003, 08/26/2013
1996 Oldsmobile Bravada 4dr SUV AWD
My family got this car back in 2002 when it had 60,000 miles on it. The biggest problem is the A/C kept breaking even after fixing it. It's good for towing things, we've towed 4-wheelers, a boat, and even a honda accord from Utah to Texas. Around 150,000 miles things started to fall apart little by little, and by 160,000 miles it became a money pit. Overall a very good car up until it … hits higher miles. Not the most fuel efficient, but it's powerful and fun to drive, especially off roading.
1996 Bravada Highlights
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 16 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $216/month |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 36.8 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | all wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver3 / 5Passenger1 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalPoor
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
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