2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO Complaints

PURCHASED 2003 ALERO IN 2004, 2ND ONE (I LOVED THE FIRST ONE), WITH 32K MILES. VINYL OVER PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS PEELING - DEALER FIXED AT NO COST - NOW IN 2010 IT PEELED OFF COMPLETELY. AT 39K HAD TO REPLACE THE IGNITION CYLINDER. ONE OF THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW BRACKET BROKE - WAITING FOR THE WINDOW TO FALL INTO THE DOOR. AT ABOUT 50K THE TURN SIGNAL CLICKING STARTING WITHOUT USING THE SIGNALS & IS STILL DO IT TODAY. I HAVE NOT TRIED TO FIX IT BECAUSE I HAVE READ SO MANY THING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT COST & THAT IT WAS RECALLED ON OLDER ALERO MODELS. IT HAS FINALLY GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT THE SIGNALS ONLY WORK PART TIME AND I HAVE TO TURN ON THE HAZARDS TO GET THE TURN SIGNAL TO WORK - ACCIDENT CAUSING I THINK SO. THE PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT THAT LIGHTS UP AT NIGHT NOW GETS HOT ENOUGH TO HURT IF TOUCHED. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT GM WON'T HELP SO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE PUT MONEY AND FAITH IN THEIR PRODUCT. I THINK GM JUST DOESN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE OLDS PRODUCTS. IF IT WAS A PROBLEM THEN AND THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS NOW THEN IT MUST STILL BE A PROBLEM. I PERSONALLY WILL NOT RECOMMEND A GM VEHICLE TO ANYONE AND WILL BE GOING BACK TO FORD. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 OLDS ALERO IN WHICH THE PASSLOCK THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM KEEPS ACTING UP, SHUTTING MY CAR DOWN COMPLETELY. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES PRIOR TO TODAY (6-19-10) HOWEVER THOSE WERE INSTANCES THAT I WAS TRYING TO START THE CAR AND AFTER DOING THE "KEY IN THE ON POSITION FOR 10 MINUTES"METHOD, THE CAR WOULD START. TODAY HOWEVER THE CAR STALLED AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY STREET. I WAS COMPLETELY STRANDED. I'VE OWNED THE CAR NOW FOR 4 YEARS, AND THE PASSLOCK HAS SPORADICALLY ENGAGED A TOTAL OF 10 TIMES, INCLUDING TODAY. HOWEVER, UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS ENABLING, MY CAR NOW SITS ON A TRAILER UNWILLING TO START AT ALL. HAVING A CAR COMPLETELY QUIT WHILE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT REMEDIED IMMEDIATELY BY THE MANUFACTURER, AS I FEEL THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

THE OLDS ALERO HAS A DEFECTIVE PASSLOCK THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM. IT SHOWS UP WHEN YOU INSERT YOUR KEY IN THE IGNITION, TURN IT, HEAR THE ENGINE CRANKING, ONLY TO FAIL TO START. THE DASHBOARD'S RED WARNING LIGHT, SECURITY, FLASHES ON AND OFF. IT BELIEVES IT IS BEING STOLEN, THUS SHUTTING OFF THE GAS TO THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY STATED 4 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT MY CAR, WHICH I PURCHASE USED FROM A DEALER, I BELIEVE IM THE 2ND OWER. THIS ISSURE HAPPENS ABOUT ONCE OR TWICE EVERY 3 WEEKS OR SO. MY DAD ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY CONTACTS BECAUSE THEY WERE LOOSE, SO HE TIGHTENED THEM UP, THEN IT TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT A MONTH. THE ANOTHER STRANGE ISSUE CAME UP, ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO, AS MY CAR SAT IN PARK FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS, JUST OUT OF THE BLUE THE HORN STARTED TO "BLOW" LIKE THE ALARM WAS SET OFF, BUT THE LIGHTS WERE NOT FLASHING SO IT WASNT THAT, ABOUT 20 MINUTES IT DID THIS TIL IT BLEW THE FUSE FOR THE HORN. AND NOW IM WITHOUT A HORN IN MY CAR, WHICH IS NOT VERY SAFE. SO I CHANGED THE FUSED, THE HORN WORKED FOR 1 DAY, THEN BLEW AGAIN, I CHANGED THE ACTUAL HORN AND ANOTHER FUSE, AND JUST 3 DAYS AGO, I HEARD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, MY HORN GOING OFF AGAIN FOR NO REASON, AND THE FUSE BLEW AGAIN, DRIVING WITH NO HORN. SO IM DRIVING MY CAR THAT HAS THIS ANTI-THEFT FEATURE AND I DONT KNOW IF ITS WORKING FROM 1 DAY TO THE NEXT, THE SECURITY LIGHTS STAYS ON MY DASHBOARD SO I KNOW SOMETHING IS APPARENTLY WRONG WITH IT, USUALLY THAT WHEN I KNOW, MY CAR WILL NOT START WHEN I SEE THAT LIGHT COME ON AND I HAVE TO DO THE TRICK WITH SITTING IN THE CAR WITH THE IGNIGTION ON FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE STARTING IT. I GOOGLED THIS PROBLEM TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND HUNDRED OF PEOPLE THT ARE, CONTACTED GM AND OLDS CORP, THEY SAY THERE IS NOT RECALL ON THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHNG WRONG WITH IT. SOMETHING HAS TO BE FOR ALL THE CUSTOMERS TO BE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AND APPARENTLY IS HAS BEEN GOIN ON FOR YEARS AND THEY WONT HELP.

PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM- ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, CAR HAS COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING, DISABLING POWER STEERING. ALSO, HORN LIKES TO GO OFF ON ITS OWN- HAD TO REMOVE FUSE TO STOP IT. *TR

PURCHASED 2003 ALERO ON OCT 8, 2009 ON OCT. 9TH CAR WOULD NOT START OR JUMP, ABS AND SECURITY LIGHT WAS ON, RADIO TURNED OFF. HAD IT TOWED BACK TO DEALER WHO LOOKED AT IT THE NEXT DAY AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO THEY DID NOT DO ANY WORK TO IT. ON OCT 15 WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ONTO THE INTERSTATE THE ABS LIGHT AND SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON AND THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED SHARPLY TO THE LEFT AND SHE COULD NOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES. THE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT WAS LIMITED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AND THE ONLY CODE THEY COULD GET TO REGISTER WAS THAT THE ABS CODE WAS ON. WAS TOLD THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC DID NOT SHOW ANYTHING ELSE BUT DIAGNOSTICS WAS LIMITED ANYWAYS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE ANYMORE. *TR

I USED MY HORN TO LET SOMEONE KNOW THAT THEY WERE IN MY LANE, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HORN WAS STUCK. THE WINDOW CLIPS ON MY CAR BROKE OFF, AS I HAVE READ OF THESE SAME COMPLAINTS OF OTHER 2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO OWNERS. I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE SERIOUS DEFECTS OF THESE TWO PARTS, AND GM WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS. DUE TO THAT FACT, I AM UNABLE TO PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE MY CAR HAS TO HAVE A WORKING HORN AND MY WINDOW MUST BE ABLE TO MOVE UP AND DOWN. ALSO A THIRD COMPLAINT, THERE IS NOW COOLANT THAT IS STARTING TO LEAK INTO MY OIL, WHICH FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND COULD CAUSE A FIRE!! *TR

MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE HORN/AIRBAG ASSEMBLY FOR THIS VEHICLE. IT STARTED ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. THE HORN, IN COLD WEATHER, HONKS. IT WOULD GO OFF AND CONTINUE IN A CONSTANT HONK (NOT A PULSING HONK) AND WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THE RELAY UNDER THE HOOD IS PULLED. IF THE RELAY IS REPLACED AND THE WEATHER IS STILL COLD IT WOULD GO OFF/HONK WHILE RIDING DOWN THE ROAD. THE WHOLE HORN/AIRBAG ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACE. I REPLACED THE ASSEMBLY 2 YEARS AGO. NOW THE NEW HORN ASSEMBLY GOES OFF EVEN IN WARM WEATHER. SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY, GOING DOWN THE ROAD, WHENEVER, CAUSING UN-NEEDED ATTENTION AND DISTRACTING OTHER DRIVERS. THE ONLY SOLUTION HAS BEEN TO TOTALLY DISABLE THE HORN/AIRBAG BY REMOVING THE RELAY UNDER THE HOOD LEAVING ME WITH NO HORN AT ALL. THE COST FOR REPLACEMENT IS OVER $900. MONEY I CAN'T AFFORD TO SPEND WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT THE THIRD UNIT WON'T DO THE SAME THING AS THE OTHER TWO. WHEN I ENTER A SEARCH ON-LINE THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER ALERO OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

OLDSMOBILE ALERO DIED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. *TR

THE HORN GOES OFF WITHOUT PRESSING AND CONTINUES TO BLOW WITHOUT ANYONE EVEN IN THE CAR. *TR

03 OLDS ALERO FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM REPLACED AND MODULATOR SPARK PLUGS FUEL FILTER CAR JUST STOPS RUNNING WHILE DRIVING OR WON'T START FLASHERS HAVE A PROBLEM TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS CONTINUES INTERMITTENT START CAR IN DRIVEWAY FOR 3 MONTHS NOW STILL MAKING CAR PAYMENTS HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT SURGES THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD CAR BUT NOT. CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED. *TR