2000 Oldsmobile Alero GLS 2.5L from North America

Summary:

I really, really love my car, but it is starting to become a financial drain I can't afford

Faults:

Both rear speakers blew out.

Rear view mirror fell off.

Occasional standing water in rear passenger floor board although door seal has been replaced twice.

Screws and broken pieces of plastic randomly appear on floor boards.

First 4 settings went out on AC fan motor.

Rear cup holder doesn't stay in place.

Both front seat backs frequently freeze when fully reclined or completely forward.

Locking seat belt locks frequently, regardless of speed, brakes or curves.

Volume of sound system randomly fades in and out, and stays out for extremely long periods of time.

Hazard button housing in dashboard dislodged resulting in the button being pushed completely into the dash and out of reach, which led to sporadic failure of the turn signals.

Rear rotors warped and had to be replaced.

Brake bads have to replaced every 10k to 15k miles.

Driver side passenger seat bottom does not stay attached.

Rear window defroster shorted out in the window and caught on fire.

Elusive problem with the fuel system causing the fuel pump to continually fail except when driven by a mechanic.

Interior electronic door lock buttons occasionally fail to unlock when pressed.

General Comments:

I like the overall handling of the car. It has amazing pick-up for a 4-cylinder.

The car feels solid and sturdy. The trunk and doors are heavier than my previous cars and don't feel quite so flimsy.

The interior is modern and there's plenty of leg room. The map lights in the bottom of the rear view mirror are very handy and don't interfere with nighttime driving.

The automatic headlamps are another great convenience, unless you want to drive in the dark without them because they cannot be manually turned off.

One really great feature is that the interior lights and trunk light will automatically go off if left on.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th November, 2004

2000 Oldsmobile Alero LS V6 from North America

Summary:

This Oldsmobile has been a great car

Faults:

In 5 years, nothing on the car has broken or needed to be repaired.

General Comments:

The car steers and handles precisely.

It accelerates well.

The anti-lock brakes help produce quick emergency stops. (I practice occasionally.)

In line with the sporty nature of the car, the driver's seat is low, a little too low now that I have hit 55.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th November, 2004

24th Mar 2005, 08:25

Just a sidenote: I'm pretty sure you can raise the driver's seat, and it gets pretty high up there, but maybe yours didn't have that feature. Other than that, I agree with what you said... I like it too.

2000 Oldsmobile Alero GL 3.4 V6 from North America

Summary:

Reliable, but uncomfortable

Faults:

Wears tires and brakes quickly.

"Wanders" over the road often.

Passenger side power window motor burnt out at 42,000 miles.

General Comments:

Seats are very uncomfortable and wear easily.

Goes through wipers like crazy.

The automatic sunroof switch no longer works automatically, it needs to be held until it is fully open.

No lights on visors, trunk, or under hood... makes it hard to work in the dark.

Is a nice looking car, but looks can be deceiving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th November, 2004

2000 Oldsmobile Alero GLS 3.4 from North America

Summary:

Can you say Lemon?

Faults:

Where do I start...

I bought the car at 39500km with a 6yr 100000km GMPP warranty.

At 42000km I had to get the rotors turned. (No warranty)

At 61000km rotors and brake pads were shot. GM was good enough to do a Good Will replacement for free as GM had an upgraded model of rotors and brake pads which were supposed to be better than the originals.

65000km power steering hose cracked and had to be replaced. (under warranty)

Signal lights only worked intermittently. Was related to a hazard light problem. They replaced the hazard lights and everything worked fine again. (under warranty)

80000km paint started peeling off front bumper (no damage in area that would have caused it). (Not under warranty)

85000km Blower motor wouldn't work on first setting. Replaced blower motor and then would only work on high setting. (under warranty)

GM checked closer and noticed that components in the fuse box were corroded and needed to replace the fuse box. (under warranty)

Was told to have my right axle checked for a leak which was found during inspection. Turned out it wasn't the axle and that the Oil pan wasn't sealed properly and had to be resealed. (under warranty)

In addition, the engine crank seal was leaking and needed to be resealed.

Ignition became very sticky and hard to turn (under warranty)

Driver's side power window wouldn't work. Power window motor was dead (under warranty)

90000km blower motor start making a loud clicking noise at higher speed levels(imagine holding a a piece of plastic up to a plastic bladed fan while running). Replaced blower motor (under warranty)

93000km my rotors need to be turned again and brake pads are paper thin requiring replacement. (discussing with GM right now)

General Comments:

I fell in love with this car because of its looks and power.

The inside of it has a feel of fighter plane cockpit starting wide at the back and narrowing at the front. It has a sleek outer design and a large trunk.

The 3.4L engine gives exceptional power when passing vehicles.

I find the steering in this car to be extremely sensitive which can make it difficult to handle.

I am very disappointed in the city gas mileage only getting about 400KM in the summer and less than 300KM in winter on a tank of Gas. I am however satisfied with the highway gas mileage of about 33MPG.

Extended warranty was the best thing I ever bought for this car. Spent $1200 on the warranty and have received approximately $6000 in repairs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th October, 2004

24th Jan 2006, 23:00

I had the exact hazard switch and fan problem that you had. I had the hazard switch replaced, but I live with the blower problem. I just put it on the 3rd speed and adjust the tempature control to adjust the temp.

18th Jan 2009, 00:04

I called an attorney and sent all my repair papers to him, GM paid me back the extended warranty went for the lemon law. GM said I waited too long to get all my money back. Had 36,000 when I bought it, didn't go for the lemon law until 77,000 miles. But had it in repair shop at dealers 54 times while under warranty.