2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO Complaints

TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT 60K MILES. DESTROYED VALVES. ALSO IGNITION SWITCH BROKE AT 45K MILES. *NM

DT: 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONSUMER STATED THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND IT WAS THE HAZARD SWITCH WHICH FAILED. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS. THE CONSUMER HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM . OLDSMOBILE WAS CONTACTED, AND THEY STATED THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THAT MODEL YEAR. *AK

FRIDAY, 7/15/05, I TOOK MY 2002 OLDS ALERO TO JEFF SCHMIDT IN FAIRBORN, OH FOR SERVICE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOW NOT WORKING. WHILE AT THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS INFORMED THAT MY INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING AND MUST BE REPLACED. THIS WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AS WELL AS THE WINDOW. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING THE LOT, THE CAR SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING. I PARK IN THE GARAGE AT HOME AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY SPILLS ON THE FLOOR AND ASSUMED IT WAS JUST OVERFLOW WHERE THE SERVICE TECH DID THE REPAIRS. THURSDAY, 7/21/05, I PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AND THE SMELL WAS REALLY BAD. I POPPED THE HOOD AND FOUND A PUDDLE OF COOLANT INSIDE THE CAR DOWN ON THE FRAME (I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT IS CALLED). I ALSO NOTICED INSIDE THE CAR THE DASH AT THE WINDSHIELD WAS RUFFLED/WRINKLED. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD HAD A FIRE OR SOMETHING REALLY GOT HOT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING AND LEARNED THAT I HAD TWO BROKEN HOSES AT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WHERE THE HOSES WERE REATTACHED AFTER THE INITIAL REPAIR. I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THESE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. FUNNY I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS UNTIL THEY TOLD ME I HAD A PROBLEM LAST WEEK. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT MY WARRANTY, I HAVE 6 YRS. 60,000 MILES, DID NOT COVER THE DASH. IT WAS CONSIDERED COSMETIC. WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. I'VE WORKED FOR GM/DELPHI FOR 28 YEARS, HAVE HAD 7 VEHICLES IN THIS TIME PERIOD, NEW ONES, AND HAVE NEVER HAD A DASH TO COME APART. ALSO, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF A INTAKE MANIFOLD GOING BAD ON A CAR WITH ONLY 38,000 MILES. GM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THE DASH WHERE THE LEATHER HAS COME APART FROM THE FRAME.

I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS IN FEB. OF THIS YEAR(2005). THE CAR WOULD NOT START. TOWED IT TO A DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE IGNITION CYLINDER. 3 DAYS LATER WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY THEN REPLACED THE HOUSING. BEGINING OF JUNE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURE AGIAN. TOWED IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. OF COURSE IT STARTED AT THE DEALER. 2 WEEKS LATER AND IT STILL WILL NOT START AGIAN. THE SECURITY LIGHT WAS COMMING ON BEFORE IT STOPED RUNNING. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. IF YOU GO TO WWW.AUTOMOTIVEHELPER.COM AND GO UNDER ALERO, YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF COMPLAINTS.

AS I WAS MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY 496 FROM WAVERLY RD IN LANSING HEADED EAST MY CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN SHAKING TERRIBLY AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW THE VEHICLE JUST SHOT TO THE RIGHT AT INCREASED SPEED CAUSING ME TO HIT A NUMBER OF TREES BEFORE FINALLY STOPPING. MY 5 YEAR OLD SON WAS IN THE BACKSEAT OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME. ONCE THE TOW TRUCK CAME HE DETERMINED THAT THE TIRE ROD BROKE ON THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE ACCIDENT. THIS IS A 2002 ALERO STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED JULY 14, 2005 FOR OIL CHANGE TIRE PRESSURE CHECK AND SO FORTH.

I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THREE NEW WHEEL BEARINGS, TWO ON THE RIGHT AND ONE ON THE LEFT IN LESS THAN 57,000 MILES.

DT: CONSUMER STATES THAT IF THE FUSE IS IN THE VEHICLE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CONSTANTLY RUN. WHEN HE FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE DEALER CLAIMED HE FIX IT. THE SIGNALS ON THE VEHICLE SEEM TO BE GOING TOO FAST, AND IT SMELLS LIKE THE WIRES ARE BURNING.*AK

I HAVE A 2002 OLDS ALERO GLS. THE 2001 OLDS ALERO HAS THIS RECALL: HAZARD WARNING SWITCHES THAT MAY EXPERIENCE SOLDER JOINT CRACKING CAUSED BY RAPID TEMPERATURE TRANSITIONS AND THE SOLDERING PROCESS. IF SOLDER JOINT CRACKING OCCURS AND RESULTS IN AN OPEN CIRCUIT, THE TURN SIGNALS/HAZARD LAMPS BECOME INTERMITTENT OR INOPERATIVE. MY CAR HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM BUT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. GM WAS THE WOST HELP EVER. THEY HUNG UP ON ME. IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS THEY HAVE QUIT WORKING MORE TIMES THAN I CAN REAMBER. I HAVE ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY GAGE CLUSTER. ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A MONTH IT DOSENT OPPERATE. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ECT OR SPEDO RPM ECT WORK THERE JUST "DEAD" UNTIL U RESTART THE CAR. THE OLDS BRAVADA HAS A RECALL FOR IT. WHAT I DONT UNDERSTAN IS HOW AN 01 ALERO HAVE RECALLS AND A 03 HAVE RECALLS BUT NOT AN 02. I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN MY TURN SIGNALS QUIT. I DONT KNOW HOW LONG THEY WERE OUT BEFORE I THEY WERENT WORKING. I DID HAVE A FRIND OF MINE LOOK AT THE CAR WHO IS A CERTIFIED GM TECH AND SAID IT WAS A LOSSE WIRE UP IN THE DASH.

ON MAY 26TH, 2005 I STARTED MY 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO AND TURNED ON MY REAR DEFROSTER. AFTER ABOUT 3 MINUTES OF DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THERE WAS AN "EXPLOSION" IN THE REAR OF MY CAR. THE REAR DEFROSTER HEATING MECHANISM THAT HOOKS UP TO THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED AND CAUGHT FIRE TO THE ENTIRE REAR OF MY CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO THE COST, MY INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED MY CAR. MY CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND NO MAJOR WORK HAS EVER BEEN PERFORMED. GM WILL NOT GET INVOLVED DUE TO THE FACT THAT LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED.

BASICALLY I OWN A OLDSMOBILE 2000 INTRIGUE AND AN 2002 ALERO. MY WIFES INTRIQUE HAZARD SWITCH CAUSED THE TURN SIGNALS TO FAIL RAMDOMLY. I TOOK IT IN DURING WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NOT "REPRODUCE" THE FAILURE. AFTER WARRANTY WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A STATE INSPECTION AND THEY TOLD US THAT THE HAZARD SWITCH IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED TO PASS INSPECTION. SO I PAID THE $18 SINCE THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE. NOW MY 2002 ALERO IS DOING EXACTLY THE SAME THING. WHEN I GO TO USE MY TURN SIGNALS THEY DONT WORK BUT IF I PUSH ON THE HAZARD SWITCH IN/OUT OR WIGGLE IT THEY START WORKING. I BELIEVE GM HAD A RECALL ON THE HAZARD SWITCH BACK AROUND 1998?? I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTY ISSUE. OBCVIOUSLY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND PREPARING TO INITIATE A TURN AND YOUR SIGNALS DONT WORK CAN EASILY CAUSE A COLLISION. I AM IN MY MID 40'S AND HAVE HAD MANY CARS, SO HAVE MY PARENTS FROM THE 1960'S AND NEVER HAVE I SEEN A HAZARD SWITCH FAIL. I HAVE SEEN BULBS FAIL THAT WILL CAUSE THE TURN SIGNALS TO NOT FLASH BUT I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT GM HAD A RECALL IN THE LATE 1990'S AND I HAVE TWO DIFFERENT CARS HAVE THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. I AM GOING TO GO AND BY ANOTHER SWITCH BUT BECAUSE IT INVOLVES A CRITICAL SAFTEY FEATURE I FELT COMPELLED TO LET YOU KNOW WHAT I HAVE SEEN. I BELIEVE YOU CAN CHECK THE FAILURE RATE BY REQUIRING GM TO PRODUCE THEIR SALES DATABASE ON SALES OF HAZARD SWITCHES FROM THE 1990'S TO 2005 SINCE THIS ITEM IS NOT USUALLY REPRODUCED OR SOLD BY 3RD PARTIES.