2001 Oldsmobile Alero Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Alero years
- More complaints than other years 3rd of 7 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 364 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. That ranks 3rd out of 7 Alero model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (130 complaints, 36%), typically at around 86,250 miles. Complaints mention 20 crashes, 5 fires, 18 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 364owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 20complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 Oldsmobile Alero problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 130 | 36% | 86,250 | “ignition switch” (15%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting problems | 68 | 19% | 63,340 | “turn signals” (56%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 47 | 13% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 46 | 13% | 64,400 | — | — |
| Visibility | 34 | 9% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 28 | 8% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 18 | 5% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 17 | 5% | 105,026 | — | — |
| Engine | 15 | 4% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 14 | 4% | 63,100 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 4% | 50,300 | — | — |
| Equipment | 13 | 4% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 13 | 4% | 68,600 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 | 4% | 40,003 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 2% | 56,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 8 | 2% | 26,821 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 2% | 79,780 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 5 | 1% | 57,701 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 1% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 1% | 24,252 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 1% | 40,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 4 | 1% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 100,253 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 178,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2001 Oldsmobile Alero recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:ignition
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Exterior lighting:hazard flashing warning lights:switch
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles have hazard warning switches that may experience solder joint cracking caused by rapid temperature transitions and the soldering process. If solder joint cracking occurs and results in an open circuit, the turn signals/hazard lamps become intermittent or inoperative.
Risk: When the turn signals are inoperative, the driver cannot use them to signal intent to turn that could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the hazard warning switch. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Problem: Certain minivans, passenger and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage system." the owner's manual does not explain the meaning of the location symbols for the child restraint lower universal anchorage system.
Risk: This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
Fix: Owners will be provided with a supplement for their owner's manual. This supplement describes and shows the location symbols for the child restraint anchors that are located in the vehicle and on the child restraint or booster cushion. Owner notification began august 18, 2003. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Power train:manual transmission
Problem: Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles equipped with manual transaxles (rpo m86) fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection." when a driver attempts to shift from 5th gear to reverse, a shift inhibitor causes the transmission to be mechanically in 4th gear even though the shift lever indicates reverse gear.
Risk: In this situation, the key can be removed from the ignition while the transmission is in a forward gear, which is not permitted by the standard.
Fix: Dealers will disable the 5th/reverse inhibitor by removing a retaining pin and replace the shifter assembly.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Turn signal failures (EA02037) — opened Dec 23, 2002, closed Sep 5, 2003, led to recall 03V327000.
- Erratic fuel gauge (EA02028) — opened Sep 30, 2002, closed Dec 30, 2003.
- Erratic fuel gauge (SQ01002) — opened Jan 26, 2001, closed Sep 30, 2002.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The car will shut off while driving/idling. There are no check engine lights. Took it to get the latest recall fixed that had to do with this and they just gave us new keys. It did not remedy the situation! Now we are paying to fix it because it is still shutting off while driving.
The contact owns a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V400000 (Electrical System) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The consumer stated the vehicle was junked 3 or 4…
While driving the vehicle the car shut off while ignition was on. No warning whatsoever
Car shut off while driving
Electrical ground wire to Alternator burnt out; caused battery to lose charged replaced twice within 2 years.
Other Oldsmobile Alero years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 Alero | 109 | 1 |
| 2003 Alero | 184 | 2 |
| 2002 Alero | 279 | 1 |
| 2001 | 364 | 4 |
| 2000 Alero | 557 | 4 |
| 1999 Alero | 462 | 3 |
| 1998 Alero | 2 | 0 |
See all Oldsmobile Alero problems by year, every Oldsmobile model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero?
Owners most often report electrical system, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 130 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Alero model years, the 2001 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.