There are 5 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2003 Oldsmobile Alero in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER WAS IN USE DURING CITY DRIVING, WHEN AN ODOR SIMILAR TO EXHAUST WAS NOTICED. DRIVER CONTINUED FOR 3 MORE BLOCKS, WINDOWS DOWN, THEN STOPPED. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PINK SMOKE WAS COMING FROM BEHIND A PANEL ON THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR PILLAR. SMOKE ENDED WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF THE CAR BEING STOPPED WITH ENGINE OFF. INSPECTION SHOWED BURNT AND MELTED DEFOGGER UNIT, DAMAGED INSULATION, AND PARTLY MELTED PLASTIC PANEL. FUSE FOR THE UNIT WAS REMOVED AND CAR INTERIOR CLEANED. NO OTHER REPAIRS. EVENT DATE IS APPROXIMATE.
DRIVERS SIDE AUTOMATIC REAR WINDOW FALLS DOWN, AND WON'T ROLL UP EXCEPT BY HAND. I'VE READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE OF THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENING, AND SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER REPAIRS WERE DONE. I'M SURPRISED THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL. I CAN'T AFFORD THE REPAIR, SO I'M STUCK WITH THE PROBLEM. IF I GO ON LONG TRIPS, I HAVE TO TAPE THE WINDOW UP AND THE WINDOW IS AN EYE-SORE BECAUSE OF IT. *JB
I OWN A 2003 OLDS ALERO. RIGHT AFTER THE WARRANTY ENDED, BOTH BACK WINDOWS FELL AND WONT' STAY UP. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY WANTED $620.00 TO REPAIR THEM. I COULD NOT AFFORD IT AND DECLINED REPAIR. I WAS THEN CHARGED $90. FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND THEY PUT TAPE ON THEM! NOW ALL THE CAR THIEVES CAN SEE THE TAPE OR THE WINDOW DOWN AND HELP THEMSELVES. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! I OWN 3 GM AUTOS AND HAVE A GM REWARDS CARD WITH REWARDS DISCOUNT TOWARDS MY NEXT PURCHASE THAT I WAS PLANNING IN THE NEAR FUTURE. BUT AFTER THE POOR QUALITY AND POOR SERVICE PRACTICES, I FEEL TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT A LOT OF OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I EXPECT GM TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS AND WILL NOT BUY ANYMORE AUTOS FROM THEM UNTIL THEY DO. *JB
THE WINDOW FELL OUT OF MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR. THE ENTIRE WINDOW ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS HAPPENED AS SOON AS MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. THE COMPANY THAT FIXED MY WINDOW HAD (3) OTHER OLDSMOBILE ALEROS AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A NEW CAR - IT COST ME $500 TO FIX-I CAN'T GO WITHOUT A WINDOW!!*JB
2003 OLDSMOBILE ALERO, I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR APPROXIMAYTELY 9 MONTHS, THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW HAS STOPPED WORKING. DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT WARRANTY IS OUT BACAUSE OF MILEAGE. I DRIVE ABOUT 700 MILES A WEEK FOR MY JOB, THAT DOESN'T MEAN I SIT AND PLAY WITH MY POWER WINDOW, WITH THE CAR BEING SO NEW, IT SHOULD STILL BE WORKING. DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE COST TO REPAIR IT WOULD BE AROUND $300, MAYBE MORE. I FIND THIS TO BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE CONSIDERING THE AGE OF THE CAR. IS THERE NOT A MANUFACTURER WARRANTY ON SUCH PARTS OR IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THE MOTORS IN THE DOORS FOR THE WINDOW?*AK
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