2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO Engine And Engine Coolingcooling System Problems

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I BOUGHT A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO, I NOTICED AT THE BEGINNING THAT THE TURN SIGNALS NOR THE HAZARD LIGHTS WORKED. WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING FROM CHANGING BULBS,CHECKING FUSES AND GROUND WIRES TO NO AVAIL. I RECENTLY STARTED HAVING ANOTHER PROBLEM WHERE THE OIL HAS BACKED UP INTO MY OIL RESERVOIR, MY CAR HAS NOT OVERHEATED AND NO OIL LEAKS. THAT IS HOW I CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE HAZARD SWITCH ON THE ALERO. I CONTACTED GM AND GAVE THEM ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED. AFTER BEING ON HOLD FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOT MY MAKE OR MODEL THAT HAD BEEN RECALLED. THE DESCRIPTION ON THEIR WEBSITE PIN POINTED MY PROBLEM TO A TEE! AND THEY ARE TELLING ME...

I JOIN THE RANKS OF SORRY FROM GM, I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE THAT GM CAN GET AWAY WITH THE JUNK THEY NOW PRODUCE, I KNOW THEY TEST THESE VEHICLES WAY IN ADVANCE,AND SHOULD OF KNOWN OF THE FAULTY HEAD GASKET THE OLDSMOBILE ALERO IS IN MY OPINION THE JUNK. WHEN WILL GM BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE JUNK THEY PRODUCE, MY COMPLAINTS HAVE GONE UNANSWERED FOR YEARS OH WELL SHOULD OF BOUGHT A TOYOTA! SHAME ON YOU GM. *TR

I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH MY ALERO, INCLUDING THE TURN SIGNAL ISSUE, WATER LEAKS IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE, LOSS OF COOLANT DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE MANIFOLD INTAKE GASKET, WATER/COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE OIL, EXCESS OIL BURNING AND OIL LEAKS. I AM PARTICULARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE MANIFOLD INTAKE GASKET AS I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN WITH REGARDS TO LOSS OF COOLANT WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THE SERVICE FORM STATES THAT EVAP SYSTEM WAS PERFORMING TO SPEC. I PLAN ON COMPLAINING AGAIN, BUT PROBABLY TO NO AVAIL. I AM CONSIDERING LITIGATION. *JB

MY ALERO'S (2000 3.4 V6 60,000 MILES) COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE COOLANT AND ADDED WHAT WAS NEEDED. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I NOTICED A POOL OF COOLANT ON MY DRIVEWAY. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET - APARENTLY A COMMON PORBLEM AND DESIGN FLAW BY GM IN A NUMBER OF THEIR VEHICLES. I HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AS OF YET BECAUSE OF THE COST INVOLVED AND I AM NOT CURRENTLY DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNTIL I CAN GET IT FIXED. I AM UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER PROBLEMS AS A RESULT OF THE GASKET AT THIS POINT - WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT GET FIXED.

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKED COOLANT INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY. *BF

"LOW COOLANT" LIGHT CONTINUALLY "ON" FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS, DESPITE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO REFILL IT. WHEN TOOK CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR SEPARATE ISSUE, WAS INFORMED THAT THE INTAKE GASKET WAS FAULTY, RESULTING IN $700+ OF REPAIRS, AND CONCERNS OVER POSSIBLE ENGING DAMANGE DONE BY LEAKY COOLANT IN ENGINE. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE FACED BY MANY GM OWNERS, AND URGE GM TO ISSUE A PROPER RECALL FOR THIS PART.*AK

1. I STARTED TO GET LOUD POPPING NOISES WHEN TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION. . COOLANT LEAK GETTING PROGRESSSIVELY WORSE AND I AM SMELLING ETHYLENE GLYCOL IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE.*AK I HAVE LOOKED UP BOTH ITEMS AND FOUND THEM TO BE INHERENT PROBLEMS WITH MY 2000 ALERO. THE FIRST IS RELATED TO THE STEERING ARM/GEAR PROBLEMS AND THE SECOND IS TO THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET DEFECT. I AM FACING NEARLY $1600.00 IN REPAIRS. I WISH I WOULD HAVE RESEARCHED THESE ITEMS BEFORE BUYING THIS CAR USED EVEN WITH 35,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS JUST TURNED 60,000 MILES.

THE 3.4L V6 ENGINE REGULARLY LOST COOLANT, AND THE RESERVOIR HAD TO BE REFILLED ABOUT ONCE A MONTH. ALSO NOTICED THICK WHITE GOO ON THE OIL CAP (BUT NOT ON THE OIL DIPSTICK), AND HEARD A TICKING SOUND AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, WHICH WENT AWAY AFTER THE ENGINE WARMED UP. THE DEALER SAID THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING, AND THE REPAIR COST $1,100. THE ENGINE HAD 53,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE REPAIR, WHICH IS WELL BEYOND THE WARRANTY, BUT THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES AGO, BEFORE ANY SYMPTOMS WERE NOTICEABLE. IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING TO HAVE MAJOR ENGINE WORK DONE WITH SO FEW MILES (ALSO HAD TO HAVE SERPENTINE BELT REPLACED), ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ALERO'S SALES BROCHURE BRAGS ABOUT "LONG LIFE FLUIDS, INCLUDING COOLANT, THAT WILL LAST UP TO 100,000 MILES OR MORE." WHEN THE DEALER REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET, THEY SAID THAT...

I HAVE A 2000 OLDSMOBILE ALERO GLS. ON OR ABOUT 1/3/04, THE FILL COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. I REFILLED THE COOLANT LEVEL. SINCE THEN I HAVE PUT 2 AND 1/2 CONTAINERS OF COOLANT IN THE CAR. THE CAR WAS THE LOSING COOLANT QUICKLY BUT IT WAS NOT LEAKING IN THE GROUND. I HAD IT CHECKED BY TWO SEPARATE MECHANICS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE COOLANT IS RUNNING INTO MY OIL AND MY ENGINE HAS BLOWN A HEAD GASKET. THERE IS NO WARRANTY ON THE CAR. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A CAR OF 4 YEARS OLD CAN BLOW A HEAD GASKET. THE CAR IS STILL REASONABLE YOUNG. *JB