1999 Oldsmobile Alero

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH BOB STALL CHEVROLET HERE IN LA MESA, CA. THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR AN HOUR AND LIED TO ME AND AFTER WAITING WITH NO RESPONSE FOR AN HOUR, I WENT TO RETRIEVE MY CAR AND WAS TOLD I HAD TO PAY $50 TO GET 3 KEYS AS MY KEYS WERE NOT THE RIGHT ONES. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR 13 YEARS AND HAVE USED THE KEYS GIVEN TO ME WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY HAVE ALWAYS WORKED AND I HAVE NEVER HAD DIFFERENT KEYS MADE. I RETRIEVED MY CAR AND KEYS AND CAME HOME. SINCE THAT TIME, I HAVE CALLED THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER TWICE----BOTH TIMES I WAS TOLD SOMEONE WOULD CALL ME BACK IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. I RECEIVED NO CALL BACKS. I THEN TRIED CALLING THE VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AND WAS TOLD BY TWO DIFFERENT AGENTS THAT SOMEONE WOULD CALL ME BACK BEFORE THE END OF BUSINESS. I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A CALL BACK. IS THERE SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME? I AM A 72 YEAR OLD WIDOW AND HATE BEING FORCED TO DRIVE A CAR WITH SAFETY CONCERNS AND SINCE I ONLY DRIVE ABOUT 50 MILES PER YEAR, I DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN A CRASH BUT THAT REMAINS A POSSIBILITY SINCE NO ONE SEEMS ABLE TO HELP ME. THANK YOU AND I HOPE TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE SOON. *TR

IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THREE OUT OF 4 WINDOWS ON MY VEHICLE ARE NOW HELD UP WITH DUCT TAPE SO THAT THEY DON'T FALL INTO THE CHANNEL AND I CAN'T GET THEM UP. LUCKILY, ONLY ONE OF THEM MANAGED TO DO THAT AND A FRIEND MANAGED TO GET IT BACK UP FOR ME. THAT OCCURRED AT THE END OF JANUARY 2006. I COULD UNDERSTAND ONE- MAYBE- BUT THREE!!! NO. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. I SUSPECT THE ONLY REASON THAT MY ONE WORKING WINDOW, THE BACK PASSENGER SIDE, IS STILL WORKING IS BECAUSE I HAVEN'T TRIED TO PUT IT DOWN- OR THE RESULT WOULD BE THE SAME. I AM SURE THAT IS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR, SO I GUESS I'LL GO WITH THE DUCT TAPE FOR A WHILE. I HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, THE GASKETS ON THAT WERE REPLACED IN JANUARY, 2006. I WAS LOSING ANTIFREEZE FROM THE OVERFLOW TANK, AND HAVING TO FILL IT EVERY DAY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY FOUND THE WATER PUMP LEAKING AND THE INTAKE GASKETS LEAKING. THEY WERE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. AND... THE INTERMITTENT TURN SIGNAL IS ALSO A PROBLEM. THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THAT, LIKE YOU DID FOR THE 2000- 2001 VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT. THE INTERIOR TRIM ON THIS VEHICLE IS SHODDY, AND THAT IS BEING KIND. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW WITH 23 MILES ON IT WHEN WE GOT IT TO OUR HOUSE IN JUNE, 1999. IN LESS THAN A YEAR A DOOR PANEL HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT HAD COME APART. THE DASHBOARD HAS BEEN PEELING FOR ABOUT 11/2 YEARS BECAUSE THEY USED CHEAP GLUE TO HOLD THE COVERING ON THE PLASTIC. I REALIZE THAT YOU CONSIDER THAT COSMETIC, BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING: I CHECK EVERY ALERO I SEE IN A PARKING LOT AND THERE ARE A LOT WITH PEELING DASHBOARDS. GM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THAT- THEY CAUSED THE PROBLEM. GM CAUSED MULTIPLE PROBLEMS ON THIS VEHICLE BY DOING IT ON THE CHEAP. IT IS VERY COSTLY TO THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THEM, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE. I DON'T MIND PAYING FOR ROUTINE REPAIRS, I EXPECT THAT, BUT THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT "ROUTINE".*NM

1. PERSISTANT SCRAPING NOISE FROM FT END SINCE 10/21/01. CAVENDAR MECHANICS EVALUTED PROBLEM 4-6 SEPARATE TIMES W/ DIFFERENT PROGNOSIS EACH TIME, LATER DETERMINED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON 3/18/02. CURRENTLY STILL HAVING SAME SCRAPING NOISE AND FLUID(REDISH) LEAKAGE FROM UNDERNEATH VEHICLE 2. 3 WINDOW MOTORS FAILED /REPAIRED 3. TWICE ALTERNATOR FAILURE/REPAIRED W/2 SEPERATE ALTS

WHEEL BEARING WORE OUT AT 52000 MILES. BATTERY TERMINAL POST BROKE OFF. BRAKE CALIPER MELTED AT 51000 MILES. TWO POWER STEERING LINES BURST AT 59000. THE COST OF THE REPAIR FOR THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM IS AN ESTIMATE I GOT FROM A MECHANIC, BUT I HAVE NOT YET REPAIRED. I'M HOPING FOR A RECALL BEFORE I TAKE ANY ACTION. MY COMPLAINTS ARE BASED ON THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO GOOD REASON FOR ANY OF THOSE THINGS TO NEED REPAIR THAT SERIOUS. AREN'T WHEEL BEARINGS AND POWER STEERING LINES SUPPOSED TO LAST FOR A WHILE?

I BOUGHT MY CAR WITH 14 MILES ON IT. IN THE FIRST YEAR, I HAD TO HAVE THE MOLDING ON THE DOORS REPLACED BECAUSE THEY LEAKED. THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW FELL INTO THE DOOR. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS MY REGULATOR THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I ALSO FOUND A BROKEN CLIP JUST SITTING INSIDE MY DOOR. YOU CAN'T BUY JUST A REGULATOR OR CLIPS SO I WILL NEED TO BUY THOSE PARTS PLUS THE MOTOR WHICH WILL COST AT LEAST $280. MY ROTORS ALSO NEEDED TO BE SHAVED DOWN BECAUSE THEY WERE WARPED AND MY BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND NOW, ONLY 5 MONTHS LATER, THEY NEED TO BE TOTALLY REPLACED BECAUSE THEY ARE WARPED AGAIN AND MY BRAKES WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. THIS IS THE WORST CAR I'VE EVER OWNED! MY FIRST AND LAST EXPERIENCE I WILL EVER HAVE WITH GM!! I REALIZE THINGS HAPPEN TO CARS, BUT I WOULD EXPECT OLDSMOBILE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THESE RE-OCCURRING PROBLEMS AND BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO FIX THEM. *NLM

THE CAR HAS HAD FIVE COMPLAINTS ISSUED TO THE DEALER IN THE PAST 11 MONTHS, REGARDING DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK, AUTOMATIC TRUNK LATCH, POWER FAILURES. THE DEALER HAS BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT ATTEMPTING REPAIRS, FINDING IN THE LAST TWO COMPLAINTS THAT WATER IS LEAKING INTO THE FUSE PANEL. THE PREVIOUS COMPLAINT RESULTED IN A NEW FUSE BOX, AND COMPUTER. THE LAST COMPLAINT RESULTED IN ANOTHER NEW FUSE BOX. WHILE I DO LIKE THE CAR, AND MY DEALER, I AM LOSING FAITH QUICKLY IN THE CAR ITSELF. I AM UNCOMFORTABLE GOING LONG DISTANCE WITH IT DUE TO ITS APPARENT REGULAR POWER FAILURES. IT IS A NUISANCE TO HAVE IT TOWED AND TO BE WITHOUT IT FOR DAYS AT A TIME. I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT SHORTS AND FIRES SINCE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS INVOLVED. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS, BUT THE CAR IS NOT RELIABLE TO ME.

WHEN IT RAINS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM GETS FOULED. IN ONE CASE MY SPEEDOMETER INDICATED 140 MPH BUT I WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT. IN ANOTHER CASE EVERTIME I TOUCHED THE BREAK THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WOULD RELOCK (EVEN IF THEY WHERE LOCKED AND I WAS TRAVELING AT 65 MPH) IN THE SAME TIME THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHT WOULD TURN ON EVERY TIME I HIT THE BREAK. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR UP AGAIN EVERYTHIGN WORKED BUT THE RADIO AND CLOCK WHERE OUT. I CHECKED ALL THE APPLICABLE FUSES BUT NONE OF THEM SEEMED TO BE BURNED OUT. ANOTHER TIME THERE WAS ALOT OF RAIN THE CAR PUT THE SPEEDOMETER AT 0 MPH WHEN I WAS TRAVELLING AT APPROXIMATLY 65 MPH AND THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT WENT ON. IF THIS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM PERSISTS SOME OF THE ELECTRICALLY ASSISTED COMPONENTS IN THE CAR COULD FAIL AND CAUSE DEATH OR INJURY.