2004 Oldsmobile Alero problems
The 2004 Oldsmobile Alero has 175 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (34%) concerns electrical system. After that come lighting (14%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 175 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 14 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 97,000 miles 126 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 14 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 15 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 26 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 126 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 97,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 97,000 miles (43 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 14 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 14 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Oldsmobile Alero with enough data (50 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
June 2010(irving, tx) - the gear shaft button popped out which made shifting from park to reverse or drive almost impossible without sticking something hard inside, like a pen . Vehicle would become difficult to start, typically after third try it would start. . The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnosis or repaired as I could not afford it at the time, .
My son was driving down a road when the engine stopped running. He had no brakes or power steering causing him to leave the roadway and crash into a fence. The crash didn't deploy the airbag, but caused sever damage to the car, resulting in it being totaled. It was towed to a junk yard where it was sold as scrap. Fortunately my son was only slightly injured, and did not require medical attention. I contacted GM after receiving their recall notice in september, 2014.
Car would not start, security light on. Passlock sensor needed replacing per dealer. Repari was made, new keys issued, but strangly enough, old keys still worked. I've seen other notes of passlock sensor problems in other aleros. Safety? Yes-car had to be towed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 oldsmobile alero. While driving various speeds, the turn signals functioned intermittently. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000. Updated 08/02/16