Comments: 1-15, 16-28
This is a sharp looking car, BUT...
Within 20,000 miles, I have had brake rotors replaced, which still make noise and make the brake pedal and steering wheel "pulse".
Also have had to have shocks and struts replaced due to terrible squeaking noise.
Intake manifold went bad, had to wait over two weeks for part to be delivered.
Now, at just under 29,000 miles the head is leaking oil, and is ready to blow. Engine runs terrible like air is getting in. I am ready to end lease and worried car won't last until the new car I have ordered comes in. The 3 year warranty is expired, and I don't think its fair that I would have to have head gasket fixed!
Also, not long after purchase, the leather started to curl away from the bottoms of all 4 windows, had to have that fixed, only to have it start all over again.
Although all these bad things may have happened to his car, I would have to think that it may be caused by the driver instead of the cars manufacturing. I just bought a 1999 Olds Alero and this thing is a dream to me. I have found only one thing wrong with it, besides a few dings here and there, and that was the blinkers, for some reason unknown yet, kept going out like there was a short in the wire. My car had 54,900 miles approximately when I got it, and in 250 miles I've used 1 1/2 tanks of gas and have experienced absolutely no problems in performance, or comfort at that. Over all I would give this car a 9.95 out of ten because it has a little less head room than a 6' person needs, but still very livable since I've got my seat in the low rider position anyway. :)
I think the blinkers going out are caused by owner neglect.
First off... what a crazy statement to make when stating that rotors, leaky gaskets, or any other major mechanical defect can be caused by a driver/owner with a car under 29K. Maybe neglecting tire pressure, or not maintaining oil changes could cause long term damage, but not what this person described.
I own a 1998 Olds and have experienced the SAME rotor issues at 26K. The new ones were put on by an Olds dealer in FLA, and guess what? I am now at 60K on my car, and they are again causing a pulsation. The rear brakes had to be replaced as well, along with the brake booster pump. No problems yet with gaskets, but make sure I will be watching for it. When I just completed having a thorough exam of the vehicle in conjunction with my latest brake repair (over $ 300.00), I was also told my struts need replaced.
Ugh.
The problem that was talked about above, about the blinkers only working when they wanted to can be easily fixed. The same thing happened with my Alero. Attached to the hazard lights button (behind it) is a green box, that if bad will only work when wants to. To fix I ordered the new piece, it came with the hazard button attached to it, and I unscrewed the plastic ring around the instrument panel and the the box unclips and you put then new one on. This only cost me $30.00 and they have worked fine ever since. :)
I have had the same problems that everyone has listed besides the blinker problem...haven't ran into that one yet! I've had the intake gasket replaced due to a leak. I had the pulsation in the brakes. This is a 1999 Alero. I've had rotors, calipers, brakes replaced. I've had the front right strut mount replaced. I've heard more rattling lately and found that the two rear ones need replacing. The struts are not bad themselves. I've owned it for 1 year and I've put $2000 into it. I would not recommend this. I know two people who own Aleros of the same year and have had similar problems. I'd choose a different vehicle!
I own a 1999 Alero and bought it used in 2000 with 29,000 miles on it.
I put in $3500.00 into. I will never buy another Alero again!!!
I had front wheel bearing go out, which is suppose to be seal?? $1200.00.
Head gasket goes out with water pump with the antifreeze leaking all over the place $1000.00.
Replace front and back brakes twice $600.00.
Now I have a oil leak since they fool with the head gasket.
Dealer did not help one bit. Nothing was under warranty.
1999 Alero nice looking car, but the problems that go with it just aren't worth the hassle...
7 sets of brakes (because of bad rotors) leak in behind the drivers seat and now the head gasket at 95000 km, that's crazy. Its going to cost 2 grand to fix it and all they can say is "oops sorry".
My in-laws have a 95 windstar and less than 2 years ago the headgasket went on it destroying the motor, ford payed for the new motor because there ended up being a class action lawsuit against them in the u.s..
Maybe and hopefully that this will turn out to be the same and someone sues GM for such a faulty product. Then maybe I can take that receipt in and get my money back for work on my head gasket ($2000). When I do go in I will being in with my new Ford or Toyota or Nissan or Chrysler (well maybe not Chrysler).
Thanks and good luck
(sorry I just needed to vent)!
I have had my alero (99) for 2yrs now so far I have replaced the transmission, both power window motors have been replaced, the inner tire rod had to be replaced and I haven't had it back on the road for 2weeks and the check engine light is on again I will never purchase another Alero or any other Oldsmobile Hope others have better luck.
I bought an Alero new in 2002. I had the brakes replaced twice within 25000 miles. The steering was defective and had to be replace and now the struts are bad. I sued them and received a settlement, but I will never buy a GM car again. It is no wonder that Olds went out of business. GM is next.
Olds did not design these cars, they were a GM design and a poor one at that. Olds cannot be held liable for this one car that they were told to sell. GM put Olds down, they didn't 'go out of business'. Oldsmobile sold more cars when they were 'put down' then Buick does now.
The cause for turn signal (blinker) malfunction on 1999 and newer Alero's, is due to a faulty emergency flasher switch. This is easily replaced for under $30 dollars, or check your dealer to see if your VIN qualifies for free recall replacement. If you do it yourself all you have to do is pull out the instrument cluster and remove the red-button flasher switch from the dash and replace. 30 minute job if you are out of recall range.
I have a '01 Alero that I bought new, and it too has had a few problems. I've had the rotors replaced twice, the brakes done any number of times, and the fuse for the lighter/car charger blown twice. Considering that my car has over 150,000 miles on it, I can't really complain. It's been a good car and now I'm getting my money's worth since it's paid off and I'm just going to drive it into the ground. Yeah, each type of car has its own "thing" that goes wrong for a lot of people, but it's been a heck of a lot better than my Taurus was!
I am having the same problem with the blinkers. Where did you find the replacement part?
I am also having this problem with my blinker only working when it wants to... please give me more information if anyone has any... thank you!
I have an 03 that I have had minimal problems with since getting it used in 05 with 50,000 miles. I have had to replace the front brakes due to wear and tear, and recently had an ABS sensor go out, and since it was attached to the hub, the whole thing needed to be replaced at a cost of $353.00. The drivers switch for the rear passenger window doesn't work, and all I need to do is either clean the connection or replace the switch. The shocks and struts are original, and the ride is getting rough so I they will need to be replaced soon. I did have to replace the stereo because it would no longer read discs. I drive this car roughly 24,000 miles per year and with 84,000 miles I can say that the Alero I have is still running strong and I couldn't be happier.