There are 110 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
2002 OLDS ALERO,PRESENT MILEAGE@5/17/20-187,037. WHERE DO I START? OKAY,THE TRUNK HAS STARTED TO ARBITRARILY DECIDE TO POP OPEN...APPARENTLY DURING RAIN/THUNDERSTORMS...I WONDER IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DOOR LOCKS RECENTLY DECIDING TO NOT LOCK THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEN USING SWITCH ON DR,SIDE DOOR...AND NOW SINCE THE TRUNK'S BEEN POPPING OPEN FOR THE LAST 3WKS,THE KEY FOB WON'T OPEN THE TRUNK,AND THE BUTTON ON INTERIOR DOOR TO THE TRUNK WON'T WORK EITHER,UNLESS THE CAR IS RUNNING(AND NOT ALL THE TIME THEN,EITHER) INTERIOR DOOR LOCKS WON'T RESPOND TO THE INTERIOR SWITCH ANYMORE..WHAT A PAIN IN THE A**....I'M KEEPING A BUNGEE CORD OVER THE SPOILER TO THE BUMPER TO KEEP THE TRUNK CLOSED. FYI~I KEEP THE CAR ON A TRICKLE CHARGE TO THE BATTERY24/7 ,SINCE I AVOID DRIVING THE THING-THE PASSLOCK BS SEEMS TO CAUSE THE BATTERY TO DRAIN SINCE IT HAS TO SIT WITH THE KEY ON.ALSO CARRY A NOCO CHARGER AT ALL TIMES IN CASE I NEED A JUMP..THE RUST IS UNBELIEVABLE. REAR FENDERS ARE ALL BUT CRUMBLED OFF.HAVE TO FIX DR,SIDE WINDOW NOW~HAD TO FIX PASS. SIDE 2YRS AGO.REGULATOR AFU,PROBABLY NEED NEW SWITCH,WINDOW WENT OFF THE TRACK, GETTING GOOD AT TAPING THEM UP DISCREETLY.THE ALUMINUM RIMS CAUSE SLOW LEAKS IN TIRES,BUY YOURSELF AN INFLATOR..MASSIVE POWER STEERING LEAK NOW,BRAKE LINES REPLACED TWICE..THEY'RE UNDER THE CAR EXPOSED TO WHERE THEY GET TO RUST AWAY CONSTANTLY~I LIVE IN NORTH WEST OHIO WHERE IT SNOWS&RAINS ALOT,SO I'M HOSED. ONCE I MASTERED THE PASSLOCK 2STEP I THOUGHT THAT IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE~BUT IN READING ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS& STARTING TO HAVE WHAT MAY BE A BCM ISSUE,I'M NOT DRIVING THIS THING IF I DON'T HAVE TO! I PAID MY AAA DUES AND FULL COVERAGE INSURANCE.. OH,YEAH-HAD THAT"RECALL" A FEW YRS AGO AND ALL THEY DID WAS MONKEY AROUND WITH THE KEYS,NOT THE IGNITION! I'VE BEEN TOLD A 100 TIMES I'LL NEED A NEW IGNITION~ANYBODY OUT THERE HAVE $700??? *TR
"TAKATA RECALL" I OWN A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO AND MY BLINKERS ONLY WORK MAYBE 2 TIME A MONTH WHEN I USE MY TURNING SIGNALS IN EITHER DIRECTION I JUST HEAR A BUZZING SOUND SOMETIMES IT IS ONLY IN ONE DIRECTION AND SOMETIMES THERE IS NO SOUND AND NO BLINKER AT ALL. NOW MY GAS GAUGE SAYS EMPTY AND I JUST PUT $30 OF GAS IN IT AND ONCE I RAN OUT OF GAS AND AND WAS STUCK ON THE HWY FOR 4 HOURS BECAUSE MY GAS GAUGE SAID FULL TANK B
CAR OFTEN STALLS STARTING. EASILY CUTS OFF WHEN PORTABLE PHONE CHARGER IS IN PLACE OR IF RADIO IS ON AFTER 5 MINUTES WITH DISCONTINUING ENGINE. CUT OFF AT A STOP SIGN RECENTLY WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL SOME TIME LATER. HAS NEW BATTERY LESS THAN 8 MONTHS OLD. DID THE SAME THINGS WITH OLD BATTERY AND WAS THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE PROBLEM BUT CONTINUES WITH THE SAME ISSUES. SEEMS TO HAVE A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SOMEWHERE.
TAKATA RECALL- I BOUGHT THIS CAR LAST YEAR AND HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE IGNITION. WHEN I TRY TO TURN THE KEY I FEEL THE IGNITION MOVE. I ALSO HAVE A HARD THE KEEPING IT STARTED. WHEN I'M DRIVING WITH MY SEAT BELT ON MY NO SEAT BELT LIGHT FLASHES ON AND OFF AS IF IT WASN'T ON.
I HAVE A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO WHICH THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HAS NOT STARTED WHEN YOU PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TURN. NUMEROUS TIMES I'VE HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC ONLY TO HAVE IT START ONCE IT GETS DROPPED OFF... HENCE THEY WERE NEVER ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 AGAIN MY CAR JUST DIDN'T START. LIGHTS, BLINKERS,HORN ALL WORKED BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN ON. FINALLY HAD A MECHANIC COME TO MY HOUSE AND DO A DIAGNOSTIC WHICH READ SECURITY SYSTEM LOCKDOWN. I WENT ONLINE AND THIS APPARENTLY IS AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL. HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINT ARE LISTED WITH THE EXACT PROBLEM. OLDSMOBILE REFUSES TO DO A RECALL. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN ON A FIXED INCOME. TO FIX THIS ISSUE MY MECHANIC WANTS $650.00. I FEEL BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED REPEATEDLY WITH THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS OLDSMOBILE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO REIMBURSE ME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE HAZARD LIGHTS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN THE CAR JUST CUT OFF ON ME WITH NO WARNING. I HAD TO FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN WHILE OTHER CARS WHERE TRYING TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME FROM BEHIND . FINALLY GOT THE CAR OFF OF THE MAIN STREET AND ONTO A SIDE STREET, UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TOWED . AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED AND IT NOT BEING ABLE TO RESTART A MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM WENT OUT ON THE CAR SO NOW I AM WITHOUT A CAR AND NO WAY TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE AS I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THIS ON MOST OLDER GM MODELS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 128,000.
THESE CARS ARE NIGHTMARES. I REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET (EXTREMELY COMMON ISSUE, WELL DOCUMENTED ONLINE), THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR BROKE OFF THE ENGINE AND LEAKED ALL OF OIL OUT, REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH A CONSTANTLY DEFECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM (PASSLOCK DEFECT CAUSES A NO START, EXTREMELY COMMON AND WELL DOCUMENTED ONLINE), AND NOW THE CAR WILL CRANK BUT NOT FIRE (ALSO EXTREMELY COMMON, BUT DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM, THE ONLINE RESOURCES CAN ONLY PROVIDE ONE OF A HUNDRED DIFFERENT PLACES TO START ATTEMPTING TO DIAGNOSE). A NO START SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A MECHANIC TO THROW A FULL BATTERY OF TESTS AT THE CAR. THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEGAL TO SELL, IT IS A MONEY PIT AND A HAZARD TO ANYBODY AROUND THEM. SYSTEMS ARE CONSTANTLY FAILING, THE CAR ALLOWS WATER TO REACH THE FUSE PANELS AND CORRODE THEM, CREATING THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ELECTRICAL FIRE OR FAILURE OF CRUCIAL DRIVING/SAFETY SYSTEMS. THE CAR HAS TROUBLE STARTING IF THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS AT OR ABOVE 80 DEGREES. AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED ALL OF THIS IN ROUGHLY A YEARS TIME SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE (~70K). *TR
I WAS DRIVING ALONG, I HAD DEFROSTER ON, REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER STARTED SMOKING, MELTED THE REAR WINDOW TRIM AND REAR PASSENGER PANEL. I STOPPED THE CAR AND TURN OFF ENGINE. CALLED FIRE DEPARTMENT, TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC, FOUND THAT THE DEFROSTER MODULE WENT BAD. THE DEFROSTER MODULE AND WIRE HARNESS FOR REAR WINDOW WAS REPLACED. LOTS OF SMOKE DAMAGE TO INTERIOR OF CAR. *TR
JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE THE BRAKES WERE MAKING A BAD SCRUBBING NOISE, AND I HAD NO TURN SIGNAL AT ALL I NOTICED A CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE HAZARD WARNING LIGHT .DURING THE CLICKING SOUND THE TURN SIGNAL WOULD WORK AT TIMES AND I WOULD SMELL SOMETHING LIKE A BURNING SMELL. WHILE THE CAR WAS PARK AND NO ONE AROUND IT THE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON INSIDE AND OUT BY THEIR SELF AND THIS CAUSES MY BATTERY TO GO DEAD AND I HAVE TO BOOST IT OFF. I HAVE CONTACTED THE CAR DEALER THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM AND THEY WERE VERY RUDE AND HATEFUL AND TOLD ME IT WAS MY PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. THAT THEY SOLD IT TO ME AT A GOOD DEAL AND THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. *TR
I RECEIVED RECALL LETTER FROM GM FOR "UNINTENDED KEY ROTATION". I HAD PREVIOUSLY CONTACTED GM INDICATING ISSUES WITH IGNITION SWITCH; GM THEN ISSUED "UNINTENDED KEY ROTATION" LETTER. I HAD THE RECALL WORK PERFORMED, YET ISSUE CONTINUED. I CONTACTED GM; I WAS INFORMED MY VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR IGNITION SWITCH RECALL AS VEHICLE WAS "OUTSIDE OF PARAMETERS OF 10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES", "WHICHEVER COMES FIRST". MY VEHICLE IS A 2002 WITH APPROX. 95,675 MILES. I WAS INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP "SUSPECTED" ISSUE WAS "WORN OUT IGNITION SWITCH". DEALERSHIP DID NOT PERFORM MECHANICAL DIAGNOSTICS, ONLY VOICED "SUSPECTED". NHTSA INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO BE DONE TO DETERMINE IF THESE 2002 VEHICLES CONTAIN THE SAME GM IGNITION PART NUMBERS,IF SO, OUR VEHICLES MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE GM IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. GM DESCRIBED IN THEIR RECALL WHAT THE MECHANICAL ISSUES ARE IN THIS IGNITION SWITCH RECALL, MY CAR HAS THOSE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS; YET GM REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL LETTER FOR "IGNITION SWITCH" CITING THEY ARE NOT OBLIGATED BECAUSE NHTSA SET PARAMETERS OF "10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST." TO MEET THE CRITERIA THAT GM MUST ISSUE RECALL LETTERS FOR IGNITION SWITCH. IF THE DEFECTIVE PART IS THE SAME ON THESE MAKE MODELS AND CUSTOMERS ARE DOCUMENTING THEY HAVE THIS MECHANICAL ISSUE, THEY MUST BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL AND WE MUST NOT BE HELD AT A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP AND BE LEFT WITH DRIVING KNOWN UNSAFE VEHICLES. TO THOSE OLDS OWNERS THAT READ MY COMPLAINT, IF YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR A ISSUE, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU AS WELL FILE A COMPLAINT SO THAT THE DATABASE WILL INCLUDE OUR MAKE/MODEL YEARS AND GM AND NHTSA WILL BE REQUIRED TO EXPAND THEIR PARAMETERS TO INCLUDE OUR MADE/MODEL VEHICLES IN THIS IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. UPDATED 12/10/14.*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
TRYING TO GET LOCAL GM DEALER TO RESPOND TO RECALL NOTICE AND SAY THAT IT WILL BE DECEMBER BEFORE THEY CAN RESPOND. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
MY FIRST PROBLEM WAS WITH THE SECURITY SYSTEM .THE CAR WOULD NOT START. LEARNED THROUGH THE INTERNET HOW TO RESET SYSTEM, FOR MY USED CAR NOT HAVING AN OWNERS MANUAL. THE NEXT PROBLEM WAS MY BLINKERS NOT WORKING, BE IT INTERMITTENTLY. I'VE SEEN ALL THE POSTS ON THESE CONDITIONS AND I AM APPALLED THAT THESE CONCERNS HAVEN'T BEEN ADDRESSED. SHAME ON THESE MONEY GRABBERS. WE PAY ENOUGH FOR VEHICLES ...THE MANUFACTURER'S MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. FIX OUR VEHICLES. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 213,500.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE KEY FAILED TO TURN IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND REPAIRED. THE REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER DID NOT PROVIDE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Sep 8, 2026