2003 olds Alero. At 35K miles, both front wheel bearings failed. Upon taking it to the dealership for work, we were told that the front rotors and brakes also needed replacing. The bearings were replaced under warranty, but we were billed $400+ for brakes and rotors. I filed a complaint with the BBB and olds (after multiple calls) reimbursed us for half of the brake work. I was later told be a mechanic at the dealership that wheel bearing, rotor and pad failures were an ongoing problem with the Alero and Grand Am. Apparently GM did not feel it was worth standing behind. Now we have added 15K miles since the repair, and the new factory replacement rotors are already warped and causing uneven braking and steering shimmy. Stay away from this vehicle.

- Warren, IN, USA

Last summer my family and I loaded into my 2003 olds Alero gl for a trip. The passenger seat would click but not lock in place. The first time I tried to stop the vehicle, the seat slid forward with my wife in it. I've been to a local dealership 3 or 4 times and this still happens. Now that my warranty is expired I don't let anyone sit in that seat or I use my wife's car when carrying passengers to avoid the repair costs. A couple of months ago the drivers side window fell off track and and broke the mounting bracket on the glass, the repair bill was almost $400. About 2 weeks ago the window has started squeaking and rattling. I have stopped using it until I can get it to the dealership that did the repairs. A week and a half back I noticed a rattling noise in my front suspension and a week ago I had to spend almost $450 to replace my brake rotors and pads and have my suspension inspected. Nothing wrong was found with the suspension, but the noise is still there. I've taken the car to a local dealership and meineke 3 times total over the last year complaining of grinding and reduced stopping power. Both told me that visibly there was nothing wrong with my brakes and I had 15-20,000 miles of wear left, that was less than 6,000 miles ago. New issue. 3 days ago my windshield washer stopped working. When I tried to operate the washer fluid shot out of the top of the resevoir and soaked the entire engine compartment.

- Fort Meade, MD, USA