Faults:
Where to start...
The rear speakers cut out most of the time, so audio is almost exclusively played through the front speakers.
The ABS light came on 2 years ago, and only turns off 2 or 3 times a year.
The circuit board controlling the windshield wipers failed. Making wipers inoperable. The board had to be replaced.
The seal around the driver's window failed, causing water to leak inside and corrode all the wiring. Making the power windows and door locks inoperable. All wiring in the door had to be replaced.
The (Subway-style) hanger strap for the trunk lid came off twice. I had to screw it back on to the lid.
The odometer/gear display under the speedometer ceased working. I can't see the mileage, which makes the trip odometer useless. I have no idea how many miles are on the vehicle. Also, I have to look at the console to see what gear has been selected. That can be a problem when driving in snowy weather, because I have to take my eyes off the road. Not to mention that sometimes my coat inadvertently covers that console display.
In hot and/or humid weather, the airbag indicator lights up on the dashboard, meaning the airbags will not deploy.
The driver's side mirror no loner heats when the defroster is activated.
The rear view mirror auto dimming no longer works, and the chemical used to do that pooled into bottom of mirror, rendering one of the map light buttons unusable. Also, the wiring to the mirror needs "fiddling" for the lights on it to work.
Tire low light does come on when tire pressure is normal. However, every time it occurred when I made a quick sharp turn from a level street onto an inclined street. After the third time, I went and tested my theory at the last intersection where this happened, and the light came on as I expected.
At times the power steering makes an awful noise, but only when the "variable effort" steering doesn't seem to be working. This problem has been coming and going for a few years.
General Comments:
The incidents listed in "...gone wrong with the car" are items that are not only unexpected, but annoying. Things like the replacing the battery (which a real difficult task because of everything that has be moved including the fuse box), replacing the brakes and rotors, replacing the bushing, etc. While I'd rather not have those expenses, such things are expected, including the cracks and tears in the leather after nine years of daily use.
As for those annoying things, they really haven't cost me too much money. The only items that I had to address were the wipers and door wiring. Combined that cost me around $370 with the wiring being the vast majority of that cost. The rest I haven't bothered to address just yet. However, the failed anti-lock braking system is quite frustrating, since I bought this car because it had ABS, and I live in the Northeast with snowy winters.
Otherwise, it's been a good car and I've put less money (when adjusted for inflation) into this vehicle over 9 years than my previous five cars, combined, over 11 years prior to this purchase. The ride is comfortable, and for a 13 year-old, 200 horsepower V-6, I get still get good mileage (almost 30 MPG in highway driving).
Except for the battery being dead. It has never failed to start or broken down while I was driving it. Also my biggest surprise is that I have not have to replace the alternator. I've never before owned a GM vehicle that was more than 7 or 8 years old, and didn't need a new alternator!
