2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK ON 3/13/11 DRIVING MY 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO, AND MY CAR STARTED FILLING UP WITH BLACK SMOKE. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT OF MY CAR, I SUDDENLY SAW FLAMES INSIDE OF MY VEHICLE . I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND BY THE TIME THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE MY CAR WAS TOTALED. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START .... SOMETIMES AFTER IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN IT WILL NOT START BACK SOMETIMES IT WILL TAKE AROUND 30MINS TO START BACK OTHER TIMES LONGER, THE LENGTH OF TIME IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN WHEN IT DOES THIS VARIES SOMETIMES ITS VERY SHORT DISTANCE OTHERS IT IS A LITTLE LONGER. THE CAR TURNS OVER BUT WILL NOT START. IT DOES NOT DO THIS ALL THE TIME BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL DO THIS. WE HAVE HAD THE FUEL PUMP CHANGED RECENTLY AND THE BATTERY IS FINE. *TR

THE EVENT IS UNEXPECTED, THERE IS NOTHING DEFINITIVE THAT LEADS UP TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE IS THAT THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST NINE MONTHS. ONCE IT WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER JUST A FEW MINUTES; ANOTHER TIME I HAD TO WAIT ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO RESTART IT THEN IT SHUT DOWN AGAIN AFTER DRIVING 12 MILES DOWN THE ROAD. EACH TIME IT WAS TAKEN TO A GARAGE AND PLACED ON THE DIAGNOSTIC, IT DOESN'T SHOW A PROBLEM EXISTS, THEREFORE, TO DATE, NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS . THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY INJURY AT THIS TIME DUE TO THIS PROBLEM, BUT IF THIS CONTINUES A SERIOUS OCCURRENCE IS INEVITABLE; I.E. LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. *TR

THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET NEEDS TO BE REPLACED IN MY CAR 2002 ALERO WITH 67,500 MILES, COME TO FIND OUT GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS AND IT IS A COMMON REPLACEMENT, DESIGN FLAW WITH GM VEHICLES EVEN THE REPAIR SHOPS HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THIS. IS THERE A R-EMARKET REBATE FOR THIS PROBLEM. IT WILL VCOST ME ABOUT 700 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

I'VE ONLY HAD MY CAR SINCE NOV 07 FOR THE PAST 4MOS MY TRAC OFF, TRAC LOW, SERVICE ENGINE, AND CHANGE OIL LIGHTS COME ON AND STAYS ON I'VE TOOK CAR TO MECHANIC AND THEY CANT SEEM TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT WHEN I M DRIVING MY CAR ACT LIKE IT GOING TO CUT OFF OR IT'LL LIKE SLOW DOWN A LIL BIT AND THEN CATCH SPEED. THIS HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY ITS VERY SCARY. *TR

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO WITH A CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE OF 181,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH BEGAN DECELERATING AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER WITH NO WARNING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE WEATHER WAS SUNNY AND 75 DEGREES. SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER 30 MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PART OF RECALL 07E021000 FOR FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER: STORAGE: TANK ASSEMBLY: PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES. THE RECALLED FAILURE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE, BUT THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THE RECALL FAILURE TO DATE. SHE SPOKE WITH DELPHI, GM AND OLDSMOBILE DEALERS, AND NONE OF THE DEALERS WERE WILLING TO COMPLETE THE RECALL WORK FREE OF CHARGE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP IS ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL MONIES BESIDES THE $417.21 THAT WAS ALREADY PAID. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE IS STILL...

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. ON 4/6/07, WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH ,THE CONTACT HEARD A TICKING SOUND, AND SMELLED GASOLINE INSIDE THE VEHICLE, SO SHE TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FOX CHEVROLET IN LAUREL, MD. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO COOLANT BEING MIXED WITH OIL ,CAUSING A LOSS OF COMPRESSION IN ALL CYLINDERS. THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT COST OF $2,600. THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 60,000 MILES. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE REPAIR SHOP. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 84301. *AK UPDATED 0626/07 *TR

TIMING CHAIN BROKE AT 60K MILES. DESTROYED VALVES. ALSO IGNITION SWITCH BROKE AT 45K MILES. *NM

DT: WITHOUT WARNING CALLER HEARS A NOISE ,AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE BELL SOUNDS , AND THE DASH LIGHTS COME ON. THE LIGHTS THAT COME ON ARE THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE LIGHTS. THE TRACK OFF LIGHT, AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS THE BRAKES WILL NOT WORK. HAS HAD WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED IN THE FRONT, AND IS ABOUT TO GET IT DONE AGAIN.*AK

MY CAR HAD SOMETHING GO WRONG WITH THE INTAKE GASKETS TO WHERE THE PLASTIC MELTED TO THE ENGINE, THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN IN FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE TAKEN OUT AND CLEANED AND ALL OF THE INTAKE GASKETS WERE REPLACED. THE CAR STILL DOES NOT RUN PROPERLY, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PICK UP SPEED OR CLIMB A HILL THE CAR DOES NOT SHIFT AND AT TIMES LOOSES SPEED. THIS CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, THE DEALER STATES NOTHING IS WRONG. THE GAS NEEDLE WILL READ FULL AND THEN THE CAR WILL RUN OUT OF GAS THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY LEAVING ME STRANDED AND SEVERAL TIMES AROUND TOWN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY REPLACED THE GAS SENSORS. THE CAR STILL DOES NOT RUN PROPERLY WITH LESS THAN HALF A TANK OF GAS. THE DEFROSTER, AIR CONDITIONER AND HEAT STILL AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS...

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OFF THE ROAD. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND DEALER DETERMINED THAT VEHICLE NEEDED THE FOLLOWING REPLACEMENTS: A NEW IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER, INTAKE MANIFOLD, MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH, AND AN ENGINE OIL FLUSH. CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN SHE PUT KEY IN THE IGNITION IT WOULD NOT TURN, BUT DID NOT KNOW THAT VEHICLE WOULD NEED A NEW SWITCH. ALSO, THERE WAS TICKING NOISE WHEN SHE TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE. *AK

THE CONSUMER HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION. THE CONSUMER HAD A DIFFICULT TIME TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF. THE CONSUMER STATED THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPLACED. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE OIL. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB