What's Wrong with the 1st Generation Alero?

Front 3/4 view of a Oldsmobile Alero

The 1st generation Alero (2000—2004) has 959 owner complaints, mostly about engine problems. Overall it ranks dead last in reliability out of 18 eligible Oldsmobile generations.

Reliability rankings are based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average score for a Oldsmobile generation is 2.29, while this generation comes in at 16.34.

The Worst 2000-2004 Alero Problems

  1. Passlock Security

    One of GM's solutions for stopping thieves from driving away with a car is, coincidently, doing the same thing to the actual owner.

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  2. What Are We Missing?

    We know there's more problems than this. Let us know which one you'd like to see us cover next.

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What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

1st Generation Alero Key Numbers

  1. 5 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 959 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 18th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 18 eligible generations.

Recent 1st Generation Alero News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. combined

    population of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont (Yes, there are people -- not just cows -- in VT) and Wyoming.

  2. The number of calories my Uncle Hank ate over the holiday weekend. Seriously, that man is a bottomless pit.

    3. According to GM, this latest round of problems involves mostly ignition switch related issues that are responsible for at least 7 crashes, 8 injuries and 3 deaths. The full list and details can be found here.

    Unintended Key Rotation ∞

    The largest part of the recall involves 7.6 million vehicles that suffer from, what GM is calling, "unintended ignition key rotation." Of course, there's another name for that too -- "unintended holy %$#! my car just shut itself off on the highway." This is dangerous and affects a wide range of cars:

    • 1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu
    • 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue
    • 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero
    • 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am
    • 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala
    • 2000-2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
    • 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix

    What To Do Next ∞

    1. GM has not announced when the recall will begin
      It should be in the next couple months but it's probably hard to gauge when you have 29 million vehicles in your repair queue.
    2. Keep an eye on your mailbox for an official recall notice with more details
      Not literally, though. Putting your eye on the mailbox sounds painful and will probably worry the neighbors.
    3. GM is stressing the importance of removing all items from your key ring, leaving only the vehicle key
      At least until your ignition is fixed. Sorry bowling league keychain -- you have to go.
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