16th May 2005, 12:18

Avoid Alero, avoid Oldsmobile.

My 1999 Alero that had clockwork oil changes and service just blew it's engine. Piston 1 went right through the oil pan.

It had under 80,000 miles.

23rd Feb 2007, 06:56

Common problems with the 1999 Olds Alero.

If you had the vehicle for more than one year, it is too late to think about selling it. I wanted to sell mine after one year, but the price had dropped too much.

I found this web site by looking for info about the Anti-Lock and Track Off lights and sadly read the comments about this vehicle. I have experienced the same problems and more.

The first blower resistor was gone when the car was only two years old (13578 miles) and it was replaced in warranty. The first set of breaks was gone after, meaning the rotors had to be replaced, at 17675 miles. However, the dealership replaced only the front rotors and resurfaced the rear ones. At 26210 miles the rear rotors had to be replaced. I had done the work since the warranty was over. The blower resistor was gone again, almost two years to the date when the first one was replaced. The part was $ 33.29 and I did the work. At 39220 miles the passenger side front coil-spring broke. I heard from two mechanics that GM had a problem with these springs on the Olds Alero and the Malibu. By this time the brakes were pulsating again and the rotors had to be replaced at 39222 miles. Shortly after this, the bearing on the AC clutch was gone and since it is on the same serpentine belt, it had to be repaired. The vehicle, after over seven years, still only has 41100 miles. This is when the Anti-Lock and Track Off lights started to come on, but unlike before, when the Track Off light would come on after a bump on the road, this time both, the Track Off and the Anti-Lock lights come on intermittently. Should I worry about this or is it just a connection problem?

24th Feb 2007, 16:31

Wow I am sorry to hear about all the problems you all are having, I bought my 99 Alero in 2001 with 11k miles, I now have 139k miles on it. This is the 4 cylinder.

In that time I have replaced the Injectors once, the coil and other electric pieces with that twice (once at 70k which is 20k after the recommended time and again at 115k). I have replaced the struts once.

I have replaced the brakes many, many times, they do seem to last less time than I feel they should. I have never needed to turn or replace the rotors (though I will need to this next brake change).

At about 110k miles I had to put in a new alternator, along with the second batter it has needed.

And now I need to replace the belt tensioned and the fan blower resistor. Though for almost 140k miles the car has been very reliable.

23rd Jul 2010, 13:49

I have a 99 Olds Alero, and the blower fan resistor just went.

I have had to replace the wheel bearings 3 times on the drivers side, and 2 times on the passenger side. I have also had to do the struts.

Trac and ABS lights are now on all the time. I was told by a mechanic not to worry to much about it, that it is just a sensor and that the brakes work just fine. Oh well, one thing is consistent; they all seem to break the same way.