The blower motor went out at 50,000 miles.
The sunroof drives me crazy! I'm not sure why, but whenever I go over the slightest bump in the road, it makes an odd snapping/creaking sound.
There are tons of other little noises due to poor quality manufacturing of the interior. There is way too much plastic.
The driver's seat wobbles back and forth. It also makes a squeaking sound when it wobbles.
The paint on the radio dials seems to be chipping off, and the entire tuner knob has fallen off altogether.
While at a stoplight, the car feels like it is about to die. I'm not sure if it's a bad fuel pump or maybe fuel injectors, but it's getting progressively worse.
I have to hit the dome light a few times in order for it to turn on.
The lights behind the speedometer flicker from normal brightness to dark for no apparent reason.
Every now and again, the car sounds like it doesn't want to start. It always does, but I'm not sure if that's an indicator that something is going bad??
This car is absolutely horrible. When I first bought it (about 8 months ago) there was nothing wrong with it at all. Everything ran perfectly, there were no noises, and it was enjoyable to drive. Now here I am only 8 months later and the whole thing is falling apart. I would not recommend this car to anybody. What happened to Oldsmobile? They used to make great cars! I will never buy GM again. I wish I had gone foreign. Buyer beware!
Buying an abused and ragged-out 5-year-old Olds is hardly a reason to attack GM. My 8-year-old Grand Am (same car as the Alero) has been totally flawless, as has our 2003 GMC Envoy. Looking at the nosedive in build quality that the Japanese and European cars have taken in recent years, I'd prefer a 4-year-old GM to any NEW import.
Our experience with both GM vehicles and GM dealers has been nothing but positive and upbeat. The current crop of GM vehicles are some of the best in the world. Car and Driver and Motor Trend seem to agree. Nearly half of the "World's Ten Best" were chosen from GM cars, and the outstanding Cadillac CTS was chosen Car of the Year.
First of all, I bought the car from a 55 year old woman who bought it brand new - so I highly doubt that it was ever abused in any way. I'm glad to hear that you are having good luck with your GM vehicles, but I will never purchase one again. My very first car was a 1993 Lumina I sold with 160k miles, and I really wish I would have kept it because I still see it driving around town to this day. They used to make solid and reliable vehicles. In my opinion, GM's quality has done nothing but gone downhill. I also had a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT that was nothing but a nightmare for me, so I sold it not realizing how much more of a nightmare I would be getting myself into.
Wow, do I ever feel your pain! I bought this car with about 9,000 miles on it in 03 and I have had soooo many problems with it. I hate to think how many times I have had to replace the brake pads. I have completely lost track. It's ridiculous! Always on the driver's side... the passenger side brake pads are hanging in just fine for whatever reason but not the driver side. I've also replaced the rotors at least twice. I'm about to replace the wheel bearings again for the second time. I've put about 60,000 miles on the car and the noises are unbelievable. I had someone in my car the other day and he asked me if I had a turbo booster because of the noise my car makes. Argh! I am taking it into the shop this afternoon and am praying for good news...
The gentleman replacing brake pads on the drivers side so many times he's lost count - you can keep replacing them, but you obviously have another problem, like a caliper hanging up or worn/defective. There is nothing unique about Alero disc brakes. I suggest taking it to a shop that knows what they're doing... ask around and find out who does quality brake work in your area. Bet they'll fix it once and for all.
Again, foreign won't solve all your problems - they'll just change. Like the domestics, some are great, some are not so great!
Good luck.
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