NHTSA Complaint #10021301 — 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

I BOUGHT MY OLDSMOBILE ALERO NEW IN JULY OF 2000. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE I STARTED TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER DUE TO A GRINDING NOISE THAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT SLOWER SPEEDS OR TURNING. THE DEALER COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG, BUT SUGGESTED I MAY NEED NEW BRAKES. I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS RESPONSE SINCE THE CAR WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD AND I DON'T DRIVE ANY MORE THAN THE AVERAGE DRIVER. I THEN STARTED TAKING IT TO A CLOSER DEALER (THIS ONE WAS A GM DEALER AND NOT SPECIFICALLY OLDSMOBILE). AFTER SEVERAL VISITS THEY TOLD ME MY BRAKE PADS WERE WORN DOWN AND NEEDED REPLACED. BY THIS POINT IT WAS 2002 AND MY CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES ON IT. I STILL WASN'T SURE I AGREED WITH IT, BUT I LET THEM REPLACE MY BRAKES. STILL HEARD THE NOISE. I CAN'T EVEN COUNT HOW MANY TIMES MY CAR HAS BEEN TO THE TWO DEALERSHIPS FOR THE SAME GRINDING NOISE. THE LAST TIME I HAD IT IN WAS IN MAY OF 2003. THEY FINALLY TOLD ME ABOUT A BULLETIN REGARDING TIRE SIZE AND TOLD ME THIS WAS CAUSING THE NOISE. THIS BULLETIN CAME OUT A YEAR PRIOR TO THIS SERVICE VISIT AND THEY HAD LOOKED AT MY CAR NUMEROUS TIMES. NOW I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE ROTORS AND FROM WHAT I'VE READ A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE TOO. WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES, IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS JERKING TO A STOP. I THINK OLDSMOBILE OR GM NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THE DEFECT AND REPLACE THE ROTORS FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO OWN ONE OF THEIR ALEROS. *JB