2002 Oldsmobile Alero GLS from North America - Comments

I have a 2001 Alero. It's a 6 cyl and has a very loud humming noise once you accelerate up to 20 mph. My husband replaced the driver's side front wheel bearing hub, but still have the noise. Can anyone tell me if the left hub needs replacing too or is it something different? Oh, if you turn the steering wheel to the right, the sound changes and is less noisy. Thanks for any help at all.

Have your husband check the other side. I had this stuff fixed last year. My mechanic was shocked at the rate the bearings were going. I guess I know why. My latest trouble is the Pass-lock system. I have been quoted about $450 to repair the whole deal and it "will never be a problem again". I guess only time will tell. I am interested in the cutting the whole wire plan. But in the 2003, we didn't find the bundle of wires behind the radio. Any ideas?

Have your husband check the other side. I had this stuff fixed last year. My mechanic was shocked at the rate the bearings were going. I guess I know why. My latest trouble is the Pass-lock system. I have been quoted about $450 to repair the whole deal and it "will never be a problem again". I guess only time will tell. I am interested in the cutting the whole wire plan. But in the 2003, we didn't find the bundle of wires behind the radio. Any ideas?

I am writing in response to the comment about the noise. I have been getting the EXACT same noise. I also have been told that it is a wheel bearing. I have noticed that there are many a comments about the problems with the alero. Is there anyone who is up for a petition to recall the vehicle? I have not gone more than 2 months without a problem and I have had the car for almost 4 years. I am open for discussion with anyone. My email address is: heavenly_beautiful@yahoo.com. My name is Amy. Please feel free to contact me if you are having numerous problems with your Alero. Maybe we can petition this vehicle. Thank You!

I noticed that there were fewer problems with the 2000 Olds Alero. Mine was purchased brand new in January 2001. My first new car. I loved it then and I love it now. It has almost 125k miles and these are hard driving highway miles--driving is part of my job. The car has been meticulously maintained. The first major problem came at about 100k--a leak in the manifold gasket (1300.00) and front brakes just replaced last month (500.00). Until I read the above reviews I chalked today's news about the need for wheel bearing replacement up to over 7 years worth of wear and tear. I am a little concerned about the possibility that this may be the reoccuring problem that others have said. Nonetheless, I consider myself very fortunate and hope that my good experience with this car will continue.

I bought a 2002 Alero (4-dr 6cyl) from a used dealer in Dec 2006. It had 64K Miles on it at the time. It is now at 71K and I am starting to have problems.

-Fan dial broke last week - only works on high.

-Rear brake pads/rotors gone - need replacement.

-Front brake pads/rotors are on the way out soon.

-Cruise light comes on when it feels like it.

-Sunroof does not work occasionally.

-Eats gas.

Right now there is something wrong with the front left wheel. Possibly the bearing or it needs an alignment. I have a feeling this car is going to start costing me a lot of money soon. At least it is nice to drive.

I purchased a 2003 Olds Alero 2.2 back in June 2004 with 30,646 miles. It was a very good car at the beginning of ownership. In September of 2005, I had to have the fuel pump and entire brake system replaced. That cost me $675.00. Then 3 months later, the check engine light came on and gave me code PO420. Then in August of 2006, the theft-lock system tripped itself, and I couldn't start the car. I thought the fuel pump went out again, but it wasn't. However, I noticed that the pump, which WAS replaced in 2005, looked very dirty, like it wasn't replaced. I got that taken care of, along with a new fuel filter. I learned that turn the key ON for 10 minutes solves that problem. It happens from time to time now. Also, when I accelerate, I hear a grinding or a rubbing noise, which is probably the wheel bearings. However, when I turn the car to the left, it does not make the noise, only driving forward and turning right. Also, my car sucks gas real bad. I probably get 275-290 miles on a full tank. I now have 110,000 miles on the car. Anybody with help please email cmmarysz@yahoo.com.

Thank You.

Chris.

I think I am very lucky. My 2002 old Alero Gls is a great car. I had to replace a sensor two years ago. It was still under warranty so that was great. Last Fall, I had to replace the battery. That's it. It has 90,000kms. Everything works great. I love my car.

I also own a 2002 Olds Alero. My computer control module is screwed up. It thinks there is something wrong with the speed sensor, but there's not, so it shuts down my ABS and traction control.

My car makes a loud humming noise, sounds like it's related to the brakes, not sure though.

Sometimes I have NO BRAKES! My brakes are only abut 6 months old at best. I can have them to the floor, and it's like I almost can't stop!

I have replaced the ignition assembly. At one point my car was only running on 2 of 4 cylinders. A few months ago, it didn't want to start very often. It took several tries to get it started. My brother taught me a few tricks, one was to remove the gas cap and put it back on to release vapor lock, that worked for a while... then I had to turn my key to the on position three times and then start it, and that worked for a while, too.

Then my boyfriend disconnected my battery to let the computer reset, and it hasn't had much of a problem starting since. I've replaced the battery already, too

I have read that some have issues with the low pressure light; mine comes on all the time too! For no reason! When my computer messes up my service engine light, my ABS light, and my Trac off light all come on. Sometimes when I try to take off, even on dry pavement, my low trac light will come on and it's like my tires are spinning! Usually when my car makes that crazy humming noise, that's when all my lights come on.

Oh, and my CDs get wet, too... I read another person's blog about that happening to them... it's annoying! OH and my brother thinks I have a wheel bearing going out!!! ANYTHING ELSE???

My kids ride in this car! I would get rid of it in a heart beat if I had decent credit! Damn death trap if you ask me! It's not worth putting anymore money into... it's only worth what, $5000 now??? JUNK!

A few hints for all you folks...

1) Blower only working on high is a bad blower motor resistor. Part costs about $17.00 and take less than 20 minutes to put in.

2) Intermittent cruise control light. Look for a ground on the wiring harness in the driver's door (God only knows why they put the BCM in there.

3) Warped Brake Rotors. Get some GOOD non-GM ceramic pads and rotors and lube the caliper pins with a synthetic brake lubricant. I switched to Raybestos and I'm getting 32k on them as opposed to less than 17k on GM orginals. The GM originals seem to start warping the rotors when they get down to about 3/16". You can usually sucessfully turn the rotors 1 time before replacing them (costs about $9/rotor

as compared to $60/rotor for new ones).

4) Fogged CD's. Bad foam seal on the outlet right above the radio causes it. You can either go to Home Depot for some weatherstripping or put duct tape across the bottom of the duct/outlet joint.

5) and last, but not least... they used the same hazard switch in most of the N-bodies and most of the ones made before 2003 seem to have a 36,001 mile life expectancy. The part is $28 and a pain to put in on an Alero compared to a Grand Am. You have to pull the radio, instrument cluster and

AC outlet to get to the 5 - 7mm screws holding the switch in. (2 from the cluster side and 3 from the duct). Takes about an hour, and while you're at it do #4 above while you're at it and fix the fogging CD problem.

My Alero 2002 had many problems and the latest is the dash board lights, interior lights all go on and off like Christmas tree lights... what on earth is going on? I checked the reset buttons fuses, grounds, battery, computer chips... and finally I give up... and I'll take it to the garage... there you go?? It's an Alero.

Dear Alero owners...

I also bought a 2002 new Alero. As I have always tried to buy American made cars and trucks. I have had so many problems, many I have read and feel bad for all of you.

The largest problem I had was my timing change broke. In my Alero it's located in the engine. WOW! Needed a new engine.

Yes the security lock system really in a pain. It stops you from starting your car for approx. 10min. If that's a safety feature, they should have considered that; if I have my keys let me start it. In the case of a car jacking, the criminal may shoot you thinking it's something you did. And be sure to lock your doors if you feel unsafe or people at a gas station are getting mad at you.

Yes mine locks up at least once every 20 starts or so. Good luck with that.

Hubs, rotors, loud breaks often needing replaced, rust on the hood and rear passenger door. Dealer told me that it's only under warranty if it rust's right through. Well that's just silly! Fix it now before it does.

Blower stops working.

My right side spring just broke while I was driving yesterday.

And if you need to speak to someone from the GM complaint line, good luck! I'm not sure, don't quote me on this... but I think they work outside of the USA. :-)

Dear 2002 alero owners.

Yes, these cars have their problems. Like mine, the ABS, check vech. soon and the trac lights are on and they will not turn off. I changed the brakes and had my rotors turned and they still won't turn off. Oh yeah, lol, you ppl buying new rotors everytime now that's funny. Any auto shop can have them turned like new for 5 dollars per rotor. I do have a sound of grinding coming from the front, but I know now its the hub up front! I've changed the oil every 2500miles and had my Transmission Flushed at 50,000 miles. I've changed my brakes twice so far, and that's another thing ppl, if you drive around town a lot and not much on the highway, you will use up a lot of your brakes and cause faster wear on the hubs. lol, you guys are funny about this stuff. The senders on the hub is the problem with the lights on the warning panel. How you fix this, Lets see... SLOW DOWN PPL. Going too fast will knock out the calibrations on the sender and guess what happens, lights come on on the warning panel. LOL oh you ppl about the rust, you might want to mention where you live. I live in kansas and lot of ppl have have had a alero for a long time and no rust yet! Sooo, in my point of view, the Alero is the best car that GM has ever made! AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK!

I also have a piece of crap 2002 Alero. My wife traded in an Avalon for this garbage car. I found this site while looking for a rear window regulator as both sides are broken. The rear windows were not put down for awhile and I guess they got stuck, and then when I went to put the windows down, they broke the tiny plastic piece that holds the crimp in the window. What a horrible design. Both are broken.

My car also leaks. It took awhile to find the problem. The drain on the sunroof got clogged and the water would back up and then drain inside the car through the fuse box. Currently, the paint is flaking off the windows by the doors and the trunk latch auto release is not working. This car is so bad and so worthless I'm purchasing a 1999 Saab with twice as many miles, but because this car isn't worth anything with only 60,000 miles, I'll keep it till it dies. Terrible Terrible Terrible car.

I have a 2002 Alero that I have been fairly happy with, until recently. I can't tell you exactly how many miles are on it since for the last 3 months the odometer and tripmeter have been reading in KM. The nearest I can tell, it has 105,000 miles, but like I said I'm not sure. It also resets to zero every 45 kilometers. I live in Nebraska! What in the ---- do I care about kilometers!!! I replaced the ignition switch for $300, but as I read through some of the previous comments, I may have gotten screwed there. My front brake rotors are shot, but I can change those cheaply. I cannot reset my change oil light. The flashing seatbelt light will not shut off. The low fuel light comes on periodically. The turn signals do not always work, but I can fix that by beating on the hazard lights button. Several months ago, all the dash lights started blinking at random. I shut the car off and re-started it, and all was fine. The peeling paint on the radio knobs, the buckled dash pad, the rear door pad pulling loose, these were all present when I bought the car, but the rest of this crap, along with the increasingly poor gas mileage, is quickly becoming too much. My wife and I have just decided, tonight, to get rid of this car.