IllustrationSAME PROBLEM AS THE 1999- 2002 MALIBU, GRAND AM, AND ALERO WITH INTERMITTENT TURN SIGNALS DUE TO THE HAZARD SWITCH. *TR
2004 Oldsmobile Alero
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Oldsmobile Alero are lower than the model-year median of 279.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Alero years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
60–25K
1125–50K
1050–75K
1575–100K
24100–150K
12150K+
78 reports with mileage · 31 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
109 reportsI HAVE A 2004 ALERO GLS WITH 43,200 MILES ON IT. AT 42,500 THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON SO I CHECKED AND THE OVERFLOW TANK WAS EMPTY. WHEN I WENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE THEY FILLED IT AND 2 DAYS LATER IT WAS EMPTY AGAIN. THERE WAS NO COOLANT ON THE GROUND OR IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ANYWHERE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER WHO FILLED I…
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I HAVE A 2004 ALERO GLS WITH 43,200 MILES ON IT. AT 42,500 THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON SO I CHECKED AND THE OVERFLOW TANK WAS EMPTY. WHEN I WENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE THEY FILLED IT AND 2 DAYS LATER IT WAS EMPTY AGAIN. THERE WAS NO COOLANT ON THE GROUND OR IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ANYWHERE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER WHO FILLED IT AGAIN AND 2 DAYS LATER IT WAS EMPTY. SINCE THIS STARTED A LOUD TAPPING SOUND STARTED WHEN THE CAR IS COLD FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND WHEN THE CAR HEATS UP IT STOPS. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. I BROUGHT IT BACK AGAIN TO THE DEALER AND AFTER THEY CHECKED IT OUT THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT WAS LEAKING AND NEEDS REPLACING. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH I FIND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. EVEN TALKING TO OTHER MECHANICS WHO WORK FOR OTHER REPAIR SHOPS TELL ME IT IS A KNOW FACT THAT THIS ENGINE HAS A PROBLEM WITH INTAKE GASKETS. THE LEAK JUST STARTED OUT OF NOWHERE AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX IT, NOR DO I FEEL IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PAY FOR IT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. WHILE DRIVING (MPH UNKNOWN) HE HEARD A CLICKING NOISE WHEN HE ACTIVATED THE TURN SIGNAL. IN ADDITION, THE HAZARD LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING: HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS: SWITCH (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #03V327000) HOWEVER, THE 2004 MODEL YEAR W…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 OLDSMOBILE ALERO. WHILE DRIVING (MPH UNKNOWN) HE HEARD A CLICKING NOISE WHEN HE ACTIVATED THE TURN SIGNAL. IN ADDITION, THE HAZARD LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING: HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS: SWITCH (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #03V327000) HOWEVER, THE 2004 MODEL YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE SWITCH INTERRUPTER WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,203 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,150.
INTERMITTANT TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS. *TR
RIGHT WINDSHIELD WIPER BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM IT'S DRIVE MECHANISM. WIPER JUST LAYED AT BASE OF WINDSHIELD. THIS HAPPENED DURING A SNOWSTORM, I'M GLAD IT WAS NOT THE DRIVERS SIDE. *TR UPDATED 12/12/07 *BF
HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BRAKES AND ROTORS 4 TIMES IN ONE YEAR, AND THE SLIDER PINS ON CALIPERS KEEP GOING BAD, PASS SIDE STRUT NEEDS REPLACED FOR THE 3RD TIME IN 2 YEARS
FRONT BEARING HUBS FAILURE. FRONT SUSPENSION FAILURE, FRONT BREAK SYSTEM FAILURE. *TR
MY OLDSMOBILE ALERO JUST HIT 60000 MILES, AND IS NOT STARTING AND IS STALLING. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS YET, BUT IT SEEMS ELECTRICAL. THE SECURITY LIGHT HAS COME ON WHEN IT STALLS SO I AM NOT SURE IF THEY ARE RELATED. *AK
ABS LIGHT CAME ON. TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS DETERMINED TO BE WHEEL HUB/BEARING/ABS SENSOR. DEALERSHIP REPLACED WHEEL HUB/BEARING.*AK
CAR WOULD NOT START, SECURITY LIGHT ON. PASSLOCK SENSOR NEEDED REPLACING PER DEALER. REPARI WAS MADE, NEW KEYS ISSUED, BUT STRANGLY ENOUGH, OLD KEYS STILL WORKED. I'VE SEEN OTHER NOTES OF PASSLOCK SENSOR PROBLEMS IN OTHER ALEROS. SAFETY? YES-CAR HAD TO BE TOWED.
Official recalls
114V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.