7th Jun 2003, 11:34

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.

5th Jan 2004, 18:09

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. :)

23rd Jan 2004, 17:42

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!

5th Feb 2004, 06:40

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.

12th Apr 2004, 14:29

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)!

11th Aug 2005, 07:40

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.

14th Nov 2006, 10:40

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.

8th Feb 2007, 14:49

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.

4th Apr 2007, 10:06

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!

8th May 2007, 10:06

I am having the same problem with the blinkers. Where did you find the replacement part?

19th Jun 2007, 12:26

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.

8th Aug 2007, 14:32

I have a 2000 Alero. I bought it in 2004 with 60,000 km. Within a week of buying it I had to replace a fuel pump and fix the air conditioner. Power window switch was next to go. Since then I have had to fix the front springs and strut mounts and replace the battery, starter motor and front disc breaks. Also, more recently I also had to fix the ABS/traction control. And my Alero is back in the shop once more to fix not only the back springs and strut mounts, but also the horrible squeaking sound in the steering column that it makes during left hand turns. I will never buy another Alero again!!!