19th Jan 2005, 12:04

I have a 2004 Alero. I like the car, but the brakes are a BIG problem. I have taken it to the dealership and they say it is nothing, but I know that there is something wrong. You can hear the noise with the windows up. The car has less than 3600 miles on it, so the brakes should still be good. If anyone else with a 2004 has had brake issues, please let me know. This may be a factory issue.

21st Jan 2005, 09:07

Well where do I start? I have a 2002 Alero and the problems that I have had with my lemon are...

1. Power seat broke.

2. Paint peeling off buttons.

3. Interior light doesn't work.

4. ABS and Track light stays on.

5. Rear window defrost does not work.

6. Brakes have been replaced twice.

7. Cup holder broke off.

8. And the new problem with my lemon is driving home from work my car died. No steering, brakes, nothing... "dead".

So here I was pregnant and stuck on the side of the road in a snow storm with no power. As I write this, my car is in the dealer getting a new fuel pump installed. My warranty has expired so with the cost of the tow and repairs I'm looking at almost $1,000 cdn.

Carla : (

25th Jan 2005, 11:49

I have a 2000 alero and I have had pretty good luck with it except for the front wheel bearings (which are very expensive).I replaced both sides around 60000 miles. I took it to the dealer the other day because the turn signal didn't work properly. It had a recall on it. My ABS light and trac light kept coming on, they said the bearing assembly needed to be replaced. and the car only has 105,000 on it now.

17th Feb 2005, 10:09

I have a 99 Alero and I regret the day that I ever bought the car! I have had more problems with this vehicle than I imagined. I have always taken care of my car. I have the oil changed regularly, basic maintenance, tune-ups, everything, but I still have a ton of problems with the car!!! The list of problems include:

ABS, Check Engine, Low Trac, Trac Off lights coming on whenever they want to. Low Trac will come on even in dry weather, causing the ABS to pulse.

Rust on the hood and front end of the car.

Brakes and rotors replaced more times than I can count.

Calipers several times. Along with hub assemblies.

My hazard light button fell into the dashboard, never to be seen again, so I can't even use the hazard lights!

The dome light continually falls out. I have finally rigged it so it doesn't move.

The power windows in front passenger and drivers side have been replaced twice. Now the control panel doesn't work on the driver's side, so I can't roll down the any of the windows, but my own.

The back passenger door does not open from the inside or the outside.

The power seats broke twice.

The CD/Radio broke twice.

I have had fan engine for the heater and air conditioning replaced three times.

The trunk now sticks. Sometimes it won't open. Other times, it won't close so I'm stuck in parking lots with a trunk full of groceries or shopping bags fighting to get the trunk to stay closed.

The newest problem is my wheel bearings. I can't even drive the car because of this new problem and have to have it towed to my mechanic's. The only bright spot with all of these problems is that my mechanic is a friend and has cut me enormous breaks on the prices.

In a way I'm happy that other people are having the same problems - it makes me feel like my car isn't the only lemon out there!

16th Mar 2005, 12:39

I have a 2001 Alero, and thus far have been relatively lucky. While under warranty, they replaced the A/C Compressor, had the problems with the windows getting stuck, and the magical electrical ghosts everyone seems to have. I have around 65K on my car now, and of course, the constant warning lights, and my one headlight only goes on when I hit it...I'm close to break even on this piece of garbage, so it shall be sold very soon and I will never buy another American car ever again.

4th Apr 2005, 08:29

Some of these comments are not exclusive to GM... I work as an auto mechanic, and I see many comments for "Strange front end noises" and "tire noises" There is a problem with Goodyear tires where the sidewalls flex causing a rubbing type of noise, something I have also seen on other makes, so you can't exactly blame GM for that. I wonder how many wheel bearings are replaced for this problem?

One comment I read says that the timing belt broke... only problem there is that Alero engines use chains which almost NEVER break.

The low tire light coming on... possibly caused by performing a tire rotation and not knowing that the light must be reset whenever tires are rotated, replaced, or pressures are adjusted. Can't blame GM for that.

Brake pulsation... OK I'll agree that GM has a bad front brake design here, but some of these complaints stem from overtightening of lug nuts with an air gun. Trust me, it occurs less often when using a torque wrench to tighten lug nuts.

I know several people who have Aleros, and what I have seen is that if regular maintenance is performed the cars have few problems. Ignore maintenance and the problems pile up.

16th Apr 2005, 18:27

I also have an 02 Alero GLS and have suffered the same problems listed above. Has anyone determined the cause of the ABS Tract lights staying on? Did replacing the rotors and wheel bearing include replacing or cleaning the ABS sensors? I've heard good and bad things about Aleros, but the road noise seems to be getting louder with time. I had very poor fuel mileage until a quick lube outfit did a fuel system cleaning. The mileage increased to close to 650 kilometres per tank. I agree that GM should have addresses a lot of the problems years ago, but the mechanic was right in stating the he would have gone out of business if it weren't for suggested service periods and breakdowns. Please email me if you have any suggestions on the ABS light fixes kenjisr@telusplanet.net

10th May 2005, 13:06

2003 alero with 40,000 km on it.

ABS/Trac/Service lights were on intermittantly.

I took in in and under warranty:

- 1 front bearing replaced

- 2 ABS sensors replaced

- 2 front rubber bushings were hammered to death and replaced

- air conditioning knob was busted and replaced

- seat belt pin broke and fell off - was replaced.

I am sure glad it was warranty. It drives nice, but I'm sure it will be back in the shop again at 80,000 km with the same problems and no warranty.

If your Service/ABS/Trac lights come on - don't ignore them - it might be a bearing.