NHTSA Complaint #10284822 — 2001 OLDSMOBILE ALERO

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 OLDSMOBILE ALERO, EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE UNTIL I MADE A LEFT TURN AT A LIGHT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY DIES WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 25 MPH. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST TIME THE CAR HAS DIED, PERIOD. LUCKILY IT DID NOT HAPPEN DURING MY 30 MILE DRIVE TO WORK ON THE INTERSTATE. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF SITTING IN THE CAR WITH THE IGNITION OFF, THE CAR DINGS ABOUT 6 TIMES. NO LIGHTS ARE ON, NOT EVEN THE SECURITY LIGHT, (NOTHING THAT IS INDICATIVE TO A MALFUNCTION). IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A FRIEND'S SHOP, THE FUEL PUMP TESTED FINE. HE CAME UP WITH A PASSLOCK ISSUE, AND TOLD ME THAT IF THAT IS THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IT WOULD MOST LIKELY BE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. THIS CAR HAS DRIVEN QUITE WELL FOR MONTHS UP UNTIL YESTERDAY. IF YOU LET IT SIT FOR 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR IT WILL START RIGHT UP BUT THEN DIE AGAIN WITHIN 10-15 MINUTES. THERE IS NO BLINKING SECURITY LIGHT, NO DIAGNOSTICS SHOWING THAT ANYTHING IS WRONG PERIOD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A POSSIBLE PASSLOCK ISSUE. I CANNOT RISK DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I AM MISSING WORK BECAUSE OF THIS, ON TOP OF THE FACT THAT I WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF REPAIR COST, AND NOT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THE ISSUE IS, AM AFRAID I WILL BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IF I GO TO A DEALER THAT ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. WHEN I MENTION THIS TO PLACES I CALL THEY TELL ME THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE CAR WOULD JUST DIE WHILE IT'S IN MOTION, ALMOST AS THOUGH IT'S COMPLETELY UNREALISTIC FOR ANY VEHICLE TO STOP WORKING IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. I WISH IT WERE SO! I WOULDN'T BE SO AFRAID TO DRIVE IT IF THAT WERE THE CASE! AT THIS POINT SEEMS TO BE A COSTLY DEATH. *TR