2003 Oldsmobile Alero Lighting Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNALS INTERMITTENTLY FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOUR WINDOWS FAILED TO OPEN OR CLOSE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT BOTH TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. ALSO, THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A RAINY DAY IN 2011. I WAS A NEW DRIVER AT THE TIME. WHILE I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL, I PUT ON MY TURN SIGNAL TO CHANGE LANES. THERE WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD, AND I WAS GOING TO NEED SOMEONE TO LET ME INTO THE LANE. MY TURN SIGNAL, HOWEVER, MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE RESULTING LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE OTHER DRIVER VERY NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE TURN SIGNALS OCCURS MOST OFTEN DURING WET OR HUMID CONDITIONS. ONLY RECENTLY DID I DISCOVER THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. WHEN I ATTEMPT TO ACTIVATE THE TURN SIGNAL AND IT MALFUNCTIONS, IT CAN OFTENTIMES BE REMEDIED BY APPLYING A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO THE HAZARD LIGHT BUTTON. IT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO THAT I ENCOUNTERED AN EXISTING RECALL FOR EARLIER MODELS OF MY CAR. THE HAZARD LIGHT BUTTON HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THE PREVIOUS TWO MODEL YEARS (2001-2002) OF THE OLDSMOBILE ALERO. IT CAN NOT BE A COINCIDENCE THAT THE SAME PROBLEM IS OCCURRING IN MY VEHICLE. I LOOKED INTO GETTING THE BUTTON REPLACED, BUT THE LABOR COSTS MAKE REPLACEMENT AN EXPENSIVE OPTION. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A SYSTEMIC DEFECT THAT EGREGIOUSLY AFFECTS THE FUNCTIONALITY AND SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE. PLEASE CONSIDER EXTENDING THE RECALL OF THE HAZARD LIGHT BUTTON TO THE 2003 MODEL YEAR OF THE OLDSMOBILE ALERO. THANK YOU. *TR

BLINKER INDICATOR ON 2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO SPORATICALLY WORKS, CAUSING EXTREME DANGER WHEN DRIVING BECAUSE IT PREVENTS DRIVER FROM NOTIFYING OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD OF LANE CHANGES, LEFT/RIGHT HAND TURNS, OR VEHICLE PROBLEMS WHEN HAZARD LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON BUT VEHILE FAILS TO RESPOND. 2003 ALERO SPORATICALLY MAKES "CLICK" NOISES SUCH AS WHEN ONE USES THE BLINKER, EVEN THOUGH DRIVER HAS NOT INITIATED BLINKER USE AND BLINKER INDICATOR LIGHTS DO NOT DISPLAY ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE "CLICK" NOISE SPEED VARIES, SOMETIMES EVERY SECOND, OTHER TIMES IT "CLICKS" AS IF IN A FRENZY "CLICK-A-CLICK-A-CLICK-A-CLICK-A..." AND SO ON. WHEN BLICKER ACTUALLY IS PUT TO USE BY DRIVER, SOMETIMES IT OPERATES AS A BLINKER SHOULD, IE, STAYING ON UNTIL EITHER THE TURN IS MADE OR THE DRIVER MANUALLY RETURNS THE BLINKER INDICATOR BACK TO IT'S STANDARD POSITION, OTHER TIMES IT WILL TURN ITSELF OFF PREMATURELY, IE, WHILE THE DRIVER IS STILL WAITING TO TURN, BEFORE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED - AND BLINKER INDICATOR REMAINS IN THE "IN USE" POSITION...BLINKING LIGHTS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE JUST STOP WORKING AS IF THE DRIVER TURNED THE BLINKER OFF HIM/HERSELF. OTHER TIMES WHEN BLINKER IS USED, NOTHING HAPPENS. NO BLINKER INDICATOR LIGHTS APPEAR ON OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE TO INDICATE TO OTHER DRIVERS THAT A TURN/LANE CHANGE IS ATTEMPTING TO BE MADE. ACCORDING TO OLDSMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 9/1/10, THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT FOR THE 2003 ALERO, ALTHOUGH OTHER LATE MODEL ALEROS HAVE HAD A RECALL ISSUED FOR THIS SAME DEFECT. SEE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V327000. THE ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT FOR 2003 ALERO OWNERS TO PREVENT THEIR VEHICLE FROM BEING A ROAD HAZARD IS TO HAVE A DEALERSHIP FIX THE MANUFACTURER DEFECT AT A COST OF $120-$200 OUT OF POCKET, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A KNOWN AND COMMON ISSUE ON LATE MODEL ALEROS....OR WAIT AROUND FOR OLDSMOBILE TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR A VEHICLE 7+ YRS OLD AT THIS POINT AND FIX FOR FREE AS THEY SHOULD. *TR

I OWN A 2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO THAT HAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH THE TURN SIGNALS/HAZARD SWITCH. THE TURN SIGNALS WILL FAIL TO OPERATE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTIFICATION. LAST FRIDAY THIS ALMOST RESULTED IN AN REAR-END ACCIDENT AS I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM A TWO LANE HIGHWAY. WHEN I REFERRED TO ALERO PROBLEMS AND FIXES I NOTICED RECALL ID#32353. THIS IS THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED WITH THE 1999-2001 OLDS ALERO. I FOUND THAT WHEN THE SIGNALS FAIL TO OPERATE AN UPWARD PUSH ON THE HAZARD SWITCH ALLOWS THE SIGNAL TO OPERATE. THIS SITUATION NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED FURTHER AS THE PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO BE RESOLVED. I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT IF THIS FAILURE RESULTED IN INJURIES THAT CAUSED THE RECALL IN 2003 THE SAME CONSIDERATIONS NEEDS TO BE HELD FOR THE LATER MODELS IN 2002 AND 2003. THE INTERNET IS LOADED WITH THIS TURN SIGNAL ISSUE. *TR

TURN SIGNAL INTERMITTENTLY INOPERABLE. *AK

BOUGHT THIS 2003 OLDS ALERO IN 2005 WITH ORIGINAL WARRANTY STILL IN FORCE, ALSO PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS VEHICLE HAD DASH PEELED BACK AND MATERIAL OVER GLOVE BOX PEELED WHEN PURCHASED, ALSO CRACKED PLASTIC ON BACK PASSENGER SIDE. MOLDING AROUND WINDSHIELD WAS COMING OFF AND HAS SINCE BLOWN AWAY. HAD TO PURCHASE BATTERY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND 4 NEW TIRES AFTER PURCHASE. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED TO GET INTERIOR ITEMS REPAIRED AND WAS INFORMED THEY DID NOT DO WARRANTY WORK ON THIS BRAND OF VEHICLE, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CALL ANOTHER DEALER WHO SOLD THIS TYPE OF CAR. I DID AND WAS TOLD THAT NONE OF THESE REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. ALSO, RUNNING LIGHTS ONLY ONE WAS WORKING, FOUND OUT IT HAD BEEN FIXED AND THE BRACKET UNDER WHICH HELD THE LIGHT WAS BROKEN. WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS OUT OF POCKET. NOW 2008 AND ALL ITEMS STILL BROKEN SINCE I DID NOT HAVE MONEY TO REPAIR, ALSO CAR PULLS TO LEFT, AND BRAKES ARE GRINDING. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE THAT HAS THIS MANY PROBLEMS BEFORE AT LEAST 75,000 MILES. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS CAR TO ANYONE. *TR