What breaks most · 1998 to 2004 model years
Oldsmobile Alero problems by year
Owners have filed 1,957 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Oldsmobile Alero across model years 1998 to 2004. Three years stand out: 2000 for exterior lighting complaints, 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2001 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1998 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 1999, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1998, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 19571998 to 2004, all trims
- Worst year
- 2000557 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 9035 fires · 83 injuries · 4 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 21Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 462 | 14 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (111) | |
| 557 | 20 | 5 | Exterior lighting (131) | |
| 364 | 20 | 5 | Electrical system (130) | |
| 279 | 11 | 2 | Electrical system (133) | |
| 184 | 18 | 3 | Electrical system (103) | |
| 109 | 7 | 2 | Electrical system (57) |
What fails on the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 24% |
131 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 23% |
130 | 2 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
89 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
81 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 9% |
49 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
29 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2000 Oldsmobile Alero |
| Air bags | 5% |
27 | 15 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
25 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The turn signals work part time, some times they do, and other times they won't work at all, i've check for recalls on this problem with the blinkers but my VIN number is not listed on the recall list for 2000 old's alero but other are. On the street.
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Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds the ABS and low track lights on the dash board illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on two occasions where the sensors in the front hubs were replaced. After the repairs, the problem persisted.
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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.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Oldsmobile Alero years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 1999, 2001 carry the most filings on the Oldsmobile Alero. The 2000 alone has 557 complaints, led by exterior lighting.
What is the most common Oldsmobile Alero problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is exterior lighting with 131 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Oldsmobile Alero problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Oldsmobile Alero complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.