Faults:

Transmission failed at 35,000 miles.

Intake manifold gasket leaks. This is a problem GM is aware of, but refuses to do anything about. Pricey repair.

First two blower settings failed. This is also a common Alero problem.

Belt tensioner failed.

Left rear window stuck in the "down" position.

Blinkers worked intermittently, and eventually failed. Caution lights button permanently depressed into the dashboard. These problems are related, and common to Aleros.

Juncture where passenger seat belt meets car wall vibrates and makes a buzzing sound while driving.

General Comments:

What can I say? This car is a total lemon. We have unfortunately learned our lesson the hard way, and will never buy another GM car. It's Toyota or Honda from here on out.

Faults:

Front Struts replaced at 70,000.

Sway bar bushings replaced at same time.

Brakes and Rotors replaced twice since I've owned the car.

My first 2 fan settings don't work anymore.

Low Tire Pressure light comes on when tires are fine.

Front Drivers side window won't roll down most of the time. Rolls up fine when it does go down.

Dashboard is starting to sink on drivers side.

General Comments:

This car is decent on handling in the winter.

I get decent gas mileage.

Repairs are starting to get expensive though.

Faults:

I've had no major issues with the Alero other than my front struts have went bad at 65,000 miles and cost $400 to replace.

My front passenger window clips are broke, so I just don't roll the window down.

My power mirrors have stopped working, and are very costly to repair.

Also the motor in the drivers seat has went bad leaving the seat jacked up, Oldsmobile wants to charge $375 to fix it. It can stay like that for that amount of money!

General Comments:

All in all, I love the Alero, just wish that Oldsmobile would have kept building good cars when they built the Alero.

I would buy another one. It is a very sharp looking car, and very fast car for being a 4 cylinder.

The only other thing that I don't like about the Alero, is that after a serious car wreck that left me with back problems, on long trips, this isn't the car to take. The seats are a little hard, and the back of the seat sits to low, even for myself (5'11 tall).

Faults:

1. Dome light is broke.

2. Front seats have been replaced.

3. Front wheel bearings have been replaced 5 times over the past 3 yrs.

4. One of the coil packs on the motor went out around 100,000 miles. Causing the forth cylinder to misfire thus making my gas mileage to go down too.

5. The vents don't work well the fan doesn't come on and so it doesn't defog at all.

6. Upper radiator hose inlet went bad.

7. Rotors and brakes were replaced.

General Comments:

The only thing good about this car is it's looks. I purchased the car on Sept. 11th, 2001. It's a two door and the blind spots are terrible.

Faults:

The alternator went bad at 40,000 miles.

The alternator went bad at 45,000 miles.

The engine frame holding the alternator on, snapped clean off, 50,000 miles.

The clips holding the glass in the power driver's side window have broken 3 times. This is because the clips are plastic, not metal. Because the clips aren't sold individually, the entire motor assembly ($200) has to be purchased and installed. My father fashioned some clips out of aluminum the last time, so they shouldn't break on that window again. I hope we don't have to do it on the passenger side too.

The front brake assembly had to be replaced for around $600 at about 65,000, but this is operator error.

The pulley on the power steering pump fell apart driving down the road and the steering went out.

Upon replacement of the pulley, the design of the drive belt system makes it for a very difficult replacement. A special tool must be used to get the old pulley off, then the engine block has to be dropped because a part of the frame blocks the removal of the pulley, pump removed, and then re-installed. Basically, ten times harder than it has to be. This is common on several GM models, according to what I've been told.

At 75,000 miles, the power has reduced significantly, I suspect (and hope) it's because I missed my 50,000 mile automatic transmission tune-up.

The dash lights for low tire pressure and other lights are permanently on, and won't turn off.

The headlights won't turn off without turning the car off. That's also a good thing, because the lights automatically come on when it's raining or dark, and turn themselves off too.

The doors won't lock without the car chirping, which is probably annoying to neighbors when I come home late.

The Tape Player permanently broke at 50,000.

General Comments:

I tow a small trailer and boat, but have only been doing so once a week, and only for the last six months, so this is some additional stress on the car.

The car picks up fast, handles great, and I like the leather and power sunroof.

The radio antennae picks up well, the speakers are great for being standard factory installed.

The trunk is roomy, back seats fold down, doubling or tripling trunk size. It's sort of like having a sports car and a small Sport Utility Vehicle at the same time.

The V6 power is nice.

I burn about 25 miles per gallon on the highway.

The engine runs very cool, even when sitting in traffic on a hot summer day with the air conditioner blasting on high. That means the engine should last a long time and oil doesn't break down as fast.