NHTSA Complaint #10060200 — 1999 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

I OWN A 1999 OLDSMOBILE ALERO WITH A 3.4L ENGINE. AT A COST OF $652.01, ON 28-OCTOBER-2003 I HAD SERVICE PERFORMED ON MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I WAS LOOSING COOLANT AT REGULAR INTERVALS AND IT WAS NOT LEAKING ONTO THE GROUND. THE SEVERE CAUSE FOR CONCERN WAS AFTER I HAD REFILLED MY COOLANT RESERVOIR, DROVE APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES, AND ALL OF THE COOLANT WAS GONE. THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE SHOT UP TO THE RED ZONE, AND I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR VEHICLES WITH THIS ENGINE. THEY REPLACED THE INTAKE GASKET AND I WAS ON MY WAY. A FEW WEEKS LATER I NOTICED THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS LOW AGAIN, AND I HAD TO ADD MORE COOLANT. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 25-NOVEMBER-2003. THEY CHECKED THE CAR AND SAID THEY COULD FIND NO LEAKS. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR. CONSISTENTLY, EVERY 2 WEEKS, I WAS REFILLING THE COOLANT RESEVOIR. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING UNTIL RECENTLY (FEBRUARY 2004). IN LATE FEBRUARY 2004 I STARTED LOSING COOLANT AT A MUCH FASTER RATE, ABOUT 3 DAY INTERVALS. ON 2-MARCH-2004 MY CAR DID NOT START THE FIRST 2 TIMES I TRIED, ON THE THIRD IT CAUGHT. I DECIDED TO INSPECT THE OIL, USING THE DIP STICK, AND FOUND THAT THE OIL WAS A THICK GOO. THIS PROMPTED ME TO CALL GM AND THE DEALERSHIP TO IDENTIFY MY OPTIONS FOR HAVING THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED. I AM FRUSTRATED, AGGREVATED, ANNOYED, AMONG OTHER THINGS, AND I FEAR THAT HAD THIS GONE UNDETECTED, THE OIL WOULD HAVE GOTTEN TO A STATE WHERE IT WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO FUNCTION, PERHAPS LEADING TO AN ACCIDENT. NOT ONLY DO I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT HAVING A SEVERE PROBLEM LIKE THIS "FIXED" ONLY TO FIND THAT IT HAPPENS AGAIN WILL ONLY LEAD TO THE SAMETHING HAPPENING YET ANOTHER TIME. HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM FIXED? IS THIS A RECURRING SAFETY CONCERN?