2000 Oldsmobile Alero Engine Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, SMOKE STARTED TO EMIT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THROUGH OUT THE VEHICLE VENTS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. THE CONTACT FILLED THE RADIATOR WITH COOLANT YET TWO DAYS LATER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A PERSONAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 219,000. UPDATED 08/07/12*LJ

APPROPRIATE HANDLING- SUBMISSION FROM RE 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO VEHICLE DEFECTS *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AT GETTING THE RECALL REPAIRS RECTIFIED FREE OF CHARGE. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED RECALL # 00V140000. *JB

I HAVE A 2000 OLDS ALERO. GL 6 CYL 3.4, 4 DOOR. I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE ABOUT 3-4 YEARS AGO AND THIS PAST SPRING THE HEAD GASKET BLEW, SO I HAD TO INVEST IN THAT. I AM VERY ADAMATE ON TAKING CARE OF MY CAR AND OIL CHANGES. ALSO, THE WHOLE DASH COVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAG COVER IS PEELING AWAY. I NOTICED THIS IS SEVERAL ALERO'S I HAVE SEEN IN A PARKING LOT. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE ENGINE THOUGH. HOW MANY TIMES AM I GOING TO HAVE TO INVEST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THE MOTOR ISSUES. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THE MOTOR ISSUE? *TR

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO ENGINE DIES. MY CAR, UP TO DATE WITH ALL RECALLS, HAS NUMEROUS ISSUES STILL WITH DRIVING AND DYING. WHEN YOU START THE CAR, SOMETIMES IT HAS A HIGH IDLE- 1500 TO 2200 RPM. WHEN YOU SHIFT IT INTO DRIVE, IT DIES. SOMETIMES YOU CAN BE DRIVING AND THE CAR JUST SHUTS OFF. I HAVE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY 3 DIFFERENT AUTO SHOPS. 1 OF THEM A GM DEALERSHIP AND 2 OF THEM LOCAL AUTO SHOPS. THEY HAVE REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER AND PLAYED AROUND WITH THE IDLER. THE PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES. A LOCAL MECHANIC DID SUGGEST THAT THE ISSUE MIGHT BE THAT THE ENGINE WOULD BE GETTING FLOODED WHEN IT SHUTS OFF AND THEN HAS WAY TOO MUCH EXCESS FUEL WHEN YOU TRY STARTING IT. HE SAID IF IT IS TRUE, HIS THOUGHTS, IT COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO AN ENGINE FIRE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 8 MONTHS NOW. I WILL REPORT THE INCIDENT AS TODAY'S DATE, AS IT HAS DONE IT ALL DAY. WHEN THE CAR DOES SHUT OFF IT IS HARD TO CONTROL AND I HAVE HAD TO USE CURBS AS MY STOPPING MECHANISM. *TR

ENGINE SHUTS OFF GOING DOWN HIGHWAY. WILL NOT RESTART FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. ABLE TO DRIVE A FEW MILES AND WILL DO IT AGAIN. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED THE SERVICE CENTER CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. HAS DONE THE SAME THING FOUR MORE TIMES. *TR

CAR DIES WITHOUT ANY WARNING. CAR CONSISTENTLY MISFIRES, HESITATES. OCCURS QUITE OFTEN. ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS ON THE HIGHWAY AND HILLS. PURCHASED THE CAR USED IN MAY. DEALER HAD IT FOR A WHILE PUTTING IN A NEW SERPENTINE BELT AND AFTER THE FIRST STALL, THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. DIDN'T EVEN HAVE IT TEN DAYS, WHEN IT FIRST STALLED AND HAD TO BE TOWED. BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER, CHANGED SPARK PLUGS. HAD IT ABOUT A WEEK, DIED ON A HILL WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR, STARTED TO ROLL BACK INTO ANOTHER CAR. MUFFLER WAS WORKED ON. DIED AGAIN ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH. CALLED DEALER, BROUGHT IT BACK TO HIS SERVICE PERSON AND HE FELT IT, BUT NO CODES SHOWED. DEALER WAS DONE WITH HELPING. WARRANTY ON ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION EXPIRED 08/01/09. BROUGHT CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, CHANGED CRANK SENSOR. CAR DIED TWO MORE TIMES. WROTE A LETTER TO GM, BROUGHT CAR TO THEIR MECHANIC. ASKED GM TO ASSIST SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUE. TO ME THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, NOT A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME COMPLAINT, SOME AT THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE NEW, SOME LIKE ME, BOUGHT IT USED. GM NEEDS TO ACCEPT THIS RESPONSIBILITY, BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR WORSE DEAD. AS A SINGLE MOM, MY CHILDREN ARE EVERYTHING TO ME. THEIR LIFE SHOULD NOT BE JEOPARDIZED BECAUSE OF A CAR'S MALFUNCTION, NOR SHOULD ANYONE ELSE'S. I CAN'T GET RID OF THIS CAR IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, KNOWING ANOTHER PERSON MAY BUY THIS VEHICLE AND COULD LOSE THEIR LIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE'S. PLEASE REVIEW THE COMPLAINTS ON LINE AND PREVIOUSLY MADE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE SADDEST PART IS GM COULD MAKE THIS RIGHT AND WON'T. PLEASE KNOW THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU. *TR

WHEN TRYING TO START CAR, IT WANT TURN OVER SUCH AS START AT ALL. COULD BE FROM BAD SPARK PLUGS OR BAD CONNECTION SOMEWHERE. THIS DOES THIS VERY SO OFTEN SOMETIME AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN SOME DISTANCE. THIS SITUATION HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET, BUT HAS PUT A NEW STARTER AND BATTERY ON THERE. DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO KEEP PUTTING INTO IT IF IT DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM THE FIRST TIME. *TR

2000 OLDS ALERO . SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. READ NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS ON THE ALERO . SAME PROBLEM. *TR

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IS FAILING, INTRODUCING COOLANT TO ENGINE OIL. THIS PROBLEM IS A RESULT OF A POOR DESIGN. GENERAL MOTORS HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR YEARS. HOWEVER, GM CURRENTLY DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES. WHILE THE PART ITSELF ISN'T COSTLY, THE LABOR TO REPAIR IT IS VERY INTENSIVE, AND HAS BEEN QUOTED AROUND $800. RECALLS SHOULD BE MANDATED IN ALL CASES OF INCOMPETENCE, NOT SOLELY WHEN IT AFFECTS PUBLIC SAFETY! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL SIMULTANEOUSLY. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

1. NOT SURE WHAT EVENTS HAVE CAUSED THE ENGINE FAILURE. 2. MY CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TRY TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON SIDE ROADS UNDER 40MPH, BUT RECENTLY HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK, SOMETIMES REPEATEDLY IN THE SAME DAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING SIGNS THAT IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I WAS VERY LUCK TO BE IN THE SLOW LANE SO I COULD PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT HAVING TO WEAVE THROUGH TRAFFIC WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. 3. WE HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR INTO TWO DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOPS AND NEITHER OF THEM WERE ABLE TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. THEY GAVE US SEVERAL "MAYBE" SOLUTIONS, BUT WERE STUMPED AS TO WHAT THE TRUE PROBLEM WAS. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS INCLUDED FUEL PUMP/LINE, IGNITION SWITCH, ETC., BUT WITHOUT A SURE FIX WE WERE UNWILLING TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR A "MAYBE" SOLUTION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING 65MPH IN THE FAST LANE ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR DIED. I HAD TO CROSS OVER THE HIGHWAY TO MAKE IT TO BREAK DOWN LANE VERY SCARY AND VERY DANGEROUS THREE MECHANICS LATER NO ONE CAN SOLVE PROBLEM . IT HAPPENED 4 TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOW IT HAPPENS ON THE MAIN STREETS. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I BOUGHT A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO, I NOTICED AT THE BEGINNING THAT THE TURN SIGNALS NOR THE HAZARD LIGHTS WORKED. WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING FROM CHANGING BULBS,CHECKING FUSES AND GROUND WIRES TO NO AVAIL. I RECENTLY STARTED HAVING ANOTHER PROBLEM WHERE THE OIL HAS BACKED UP INTO MY OIL RESERVOIR, MY CAR HAS NOT OVERHEATED AND NO OIL LEAKS. THAT IS HOW I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE HAZARD SWITCH ON THE ALERO. I CONTACTED GM AND GAVE THEM ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED. AFTER BEING ON HOLD FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOT MY MAKE OR MODEL THAT HAD BEEN RECALLED. THE DESCRIPTION ON THEIR WEBSITE PIN POINTED MY PROBLEM TO A TEE! AND THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. MY CAR HAS 91,000 MILES. VIN: [XXX]. I FEEL THAT GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS DEFECT IN MY VEHICLE, JUST BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MY MAKE OR MODEL AS THEY ARE STATING DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT COULD NOT HAPPEN. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS A DEFECT THAT THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR. *TR

DRIVING ON PARKWAY, AT 65 MPH. CAR LOST ALL POWER. NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO CHIMES. THIS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES ON ONE TRIP. EACH TIME THE CAR DIED, WAS A SHORTER DISTANCE TRAVELED THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME. *JB

I BOUGHT MY OLDS, ALERO USED IN JULY OF 2002 AND NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS, IT STALLED ON ME ON THE INTERSTATE JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. THE MECHANIC SAID HE FIXED IT ONLY TO GET IT BACK AND STALL AGAIN AND AGAIN. I SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON IT TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. THE MECHANIC DIDN'T KNOW AND DID NOT REFUND ME MY MONEY. MY LIGHTS ON THE DASH STAY ON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE TRAC AND WATER AND OIL CHANGE LIGHT. MY CIGARETTE LIGHTER DOES NOT WORK AGAIN AND THE BUTTON YOU PUSH IN TO PUT THE STICK SHIFT IN REVERSE HAS FALLEN OFF. THE DASH UPHOLSTERY IS MESSED UP. THE RADIO NEVER CAME IN RIGHT. I BOUGHT A LEMON. JUST THE OTHER DAY MY CAR STALLED AGAIN ON THE BRIDGE AND I WAS ALMOST KILLED, MY 13 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MY 13 YEAR OLD NIECE WERE WITH ME AND THEY WERE CRYING SCARED , WE WERE ALMOST REAR ENDED. I FINALLY GOT IT TO START AND MADE IT TO MY HOUSE, MY CAR WAS MISSING AND MAKING A POPPING NOISE. I STARTED MY CAR AN HOUR LATER AND IT WAS FINE. I NEED SOME HELP. WHAT CAN I DO? PLEASE EMAIL ME BACK AT SWEETKALLEN@AOL.COM OR CALL ME ON MY CELL#(225)802-0394. *JB

I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH MY ALERO, INCLUDING THE TURN SIGNAL ISSUE, WATER LEAKS IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, LOSS OF COOLANT DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE MANIFOLD INTAKE GASKET, WATER/COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE OIL, EXCESS OIL BURNING AND OIL LEAKS. I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE MANIFOLD INTAKE GASKET AS I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN WITH REGARDS TO LOSS OF COOLANT WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE SERVICE FORM STATES THAT EVAP SYSTEM WAS PERFORMING TO SPEC. I PLAN ON COMPLAINING AGAIN, BUT PROBABLY TO NO AVAIL. I AM CONSIDERING LITIGATION. *JB

LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. COOLANT AND OIL MIXING TOGETHER AND LOOSING BOTH. HAVE TO KEEP REFILLING OIL AND WATER TANK. HAD THIS PROBLEM FIXED AT A COST OF OVER $810. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUE BACK IN MARCH 2003 WHEN OLDSMOBILE WAS AWARE OF IT.*JB

AFTER EXPERIENCING LOSS OF COOLANT IN MY 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO, I WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET (IT WAS LEAKING) WHICH WOULD COST ALMOST $700 TO FIX. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, I FEEL THAT A LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD IS A PREMATURE REPAIR FOR A VEHICLE ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND ONLY 51000 MI. I HAVE DONE SOME SEARCHING AND KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY GM OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT NOT TO MENTION A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ONE. ANY LONGER AND I WOULD HAVE HAD A RUINED ENGINE THAT COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE OR STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *JB

2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. DIAGNOSED WITH A LEAKING LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT 55,000 MILES (~ $800 REPAIR). CONTACTED OLDSMOBILE FOR COST ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A CASE OF NEGLIGENCE ON MY PART. CONSIDERING DISCUSSING WITH A LAWYER DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THIS ENGINE TYPE.