Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 709 | 09/01/2005 | 10018126 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. gm tech link. *tt | 12/15/2005 | |
| 610 | 10/01/2004 | 10015768 | Engine idle flare when the clutch is depressed. also low speed engine decel stall when coming to a stop. gm tech link. *tt | 08/11/2005 | |
| 050604002 | 01/01/2005 | 10013475 | Whistle noise on light acceleration. *eh | 04/19/2005 | |
| 040604024 | 04/01/2004 | 10012634 | Powertrain control module will not properly communicate on board diagnostic freeze frame information to nontech2 service or test equipment. *eh | 03/09/2005 | |
| 030601018 | 07/01/2004 | 10012103 | New cylinder bore liner replacement procedure. this service bulletin replaces 030601018a. *eh | 02/11/2005 | |
| 3114 | 01/01/2004 | 10009973 | B1327 diagnostic missing. *sc | 11/02/2004 | |
| 030601010 | 03/01/2003 | 10001282 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt | 04/25/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 071003 | 07/10/2003 | 10003815 | This vme message is a water pump replacement due to a known cam driveline. some customers may question about whine noise coming from the front engine area. *tt | 11/03/2003 | |
| 071503 | 07/15/2003 | 10003789 | Coolant lose, evidence fluid on the garage floor, etc., or coolant warning light coming on. *tt | 10/31/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Gm: there may be noise coming from the cylinder head, because of low oil pressure which is caused by debris. *rm | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Ready | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIC-5405 | 12/01/2010 | 10037814 | Gm: the engine will not start. the engine cranks and sounds like it's going to start but then stops cranking. *rm | 06/06/2011 | |
| PIC-5405 | 12/01/2010 | 10037814 | Ready | 06/06/2011 | |
| 3859 | 3859A | 10020923 | Low oil pressure - inspect oil filter for damage. *kb updated 10/18/07. *nj | 01/30/2007 | |
| 3709 | 10019420 | Supplement to engine replacement instructions for part number 12607031. *tt | 03/14/2006 | ||
| 050604026 | 05/01/2005 | 050604026A | 10017407 | Vehicle hesitates, no start, lack of power, low fuel pressure. *tt | 11/07/2005 |
| 3433 | 3433D | 10017032 | Service engine soon (ses) light and severe engine misfire on cylinders 1 and 4 or cylinders 2 and 3. *tt updated 08-15-07. *kb | 10/20/2005 | |
| 0804 | 08/01/2004 | 10014346 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. *nm | 04/29/2005 | |
| 030601022 | 01/01/2004 | 030601022A | 10011117 | Guidelines for cylinder bore liner/piston sleeve replacement on the l4 ecotec engine. *tt | 01/03/2005 |
| 09222002 | 10/22/2002 | 10009497 | No start starter noise; no start condition. feedback from powertrain engineering. *tt | 10/01/2004 | |
| 01353 | 01/01/2004 | 01353A | 10007937 | Engine misfire due to injector fretting corrosion. *tt | 07/16/2004 |
| 00434 | 01/01/2004 | 00434A | 10007528 | Engine will crank but not start, also makes noise while cranking. 2.2 l61 engine. *tt | 06/30/2004 |
| 01995 | 01/01/2004 | 10007055 | Replacing a 02 or 03 2.2l l61 with a 04 2.2l l61 engine replacement.*mr | 05/25/2004 | |
| 03064 | 12/01/2003 | 10005744 | On-board diagnostic system software upgrade - obd system improvements. *tt | 03/12/2004 | |
| 01527 | 01/01/2004 | 10005464 | A whistle type noise coming from the engine. sit bulletin 1406534. *tt | 02/27/2004 | |
| 01556 | 01/01/2004 | 01556A | 10005396 | Engine cranks but does not run. *tt | 02/24/2004 |
| 03-06-01-010 | 04/01/2008 | 030601010C | 10004768 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt gm reminder. *tt install new lower intake manifold gasket. updated 7/18/08 *pe | 01/06/2004 |
| 071103 | 07/11/2003 | 10003816 | This vme message concerns a cylinder boreliner tool now available for the l61 2.2 liter engine. the tool is referenced in service bulletin 030601018. the purpose of the tool is to extend the total service life of the block. *tt | 11/03/2003 | |
| 052203 | 05/22/2003 | 10003658 | Complaints of intermittent vehicle shutting off while driving with no multiple codes set. the vehicle would immediately restart. the actual cause of this condition was that over bumps the mass and weight of the customer's key ring forces | 10/27/2003 | |
| 030604030 | 03/01/2007 | 030604030C | 10002166 | Multiple driveability symptoms of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 08/14/2003 |
| 030601018 | 06/01/2003 | 10002130 | New cylinder bore liner replacement procedure. *tt | 08/13/2003 | |
| 01130 | 08/31/2001 | 625447 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign bulletin #01060 - valve springs replacement. *tt | 11/28/2001 | |
| 01060 | 01/01/2001 | 625021 | Subject regarding replacement valve springs. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| 01060 | 08/22/2001 | 625083 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign valve spring replacement. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 210602 | 06/21/2002 | 637261 | Some vehicles built with the 2.2 liter or 3.4 liter engine may have a customer complaint about intermittent drivability issues, which may also include a service engine soon light and or more powertrain control moudle diagnostic trouble code | 11/22/2002 | |
| 020601014 | 04/01/2002 | 634708 | Subject regarding revised lower intake manifold installation. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 020845002 | 07/01/2005 | 020845002A | 634680 | Intermittent stall, service engine soon light illumination and loose ground g103. *tt | 10/04/2002 |
| 020604045 | 08/01/2002 | 634249 | Subject regarding revised dtc p0327 - this bulletin is being issued to revise step 3 of dtc p0327 in the engine controls. nlm | 09/28/2002 | |
| 02020 | 05/24/2002 | 634191 | Customer satisfaction program - engine cylinder bore liner. *tt | 09/28/2002 | |
| 160102 | 01/16/2002 | 629703 | Customers may comment that the engine lags power, stalls, won't start or is hard to start. *tt | 04/05/2002 | |
| 221001 | 10/22/2001 | 628020 | Some vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes such as rough running, miss fires or a no start condition. *tt | 03/01/2002 | |
| 01060A | 08/28/2001 | 624665 | Information regarding customer satisfaction campaign replacement of valve springs . *jg | 11/08/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 10/17/2005 | 1 | ||
| The car has broke down and wouldn't restart, fuel pump, ecm? modulator fuses. powering steering leaks all the time and sometimes locks up. rear defroster won't work. driver's side controls for windows, locks, stopped working. drivers side window drops down and breaks-repaired 3 times and just happened again. belt broke, lost power barely able to get it off the road. front passenger wheel thumps, pops, etc. had fixed and still has the same problems. i've maintained routinely, but it continues to keep breaking down. the handle to put in gear/park has broke. a lot of plastic parts, clips etc crumbling apart, knobs, light switches, window tracts. all out of pocket. recall for windows, rear defrost, power steering, fuel pump, belt breaking, front hubs/wheels/steering !!!!! *tr | |||
| 10/17/2005 | |||
| The car has broke down and wouldn't restart, fuel pump, ecm? modulater fuses. powering steering leaks all the time and sometimes locks up. rear defroster won't work. driver's side controls for windows, locks, stopped working. drivers side window drops down and breaks-repaired 3 times and just happened again. belt broke, lost power barely able to get it off the road. front passenger wheel thumps, pops, etc. had fixed and still has the same problems. i've maintained routinely, but it continues to keep breaking down. the handle to put in gear/park has broke. a lot of plastic parts, clips etc crumbling apart, knobs, light switches, window tracts. all out of pocket. recall for windows, rear defrost, power steering, fuel pump, belt breaking, front hubs/wheels/steering !!!!! | |||
| 01/03/2011 | |||
| I attempted to start my 2002 oldsmobile alero and it won't start. it was as if the fuel was shut-off. i had to have my car towed home. i noticed the security light was flashing. i checked on-line and people suggested, turning the key to the start position and leaving for 10 minutes, apparently this allows the computer to reset. (or you can disconnect the battery and reconnect it, this will also reset the computer.) there is a problem with the passlock system. it's a huge problem for many people. gm does not acknowledge this problem and is unwilling to correct the defect. this defect should be recalled. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Car will not start .... sometimes after it has been driven it will not start back sometimes it will take around 30mins to start back other times longer, the length of time it has been driven when it does this varies sometimes its very short distance others it is a little longer. the car turns over but will not start. it does not do this all the time but you never know when it will do this. we have had the fuel pump changed recently and the battery is fine. *tr | |||
| 04/13/2009 | 150000 | 1 | |
| The event is unexpected, there is nothing definitive that leads up to the failure. the failure is that the engine shuts down while driving. it has happened 4 times in the last nine months. once it was able to be restarted after just a few minutes; another time i had to wait about 45 minutes to restart it then it shut down again after driving 12 miles down the road. each time it was taken to a garage and placed on the diagnostic, it doesn't show a problem exists, therefore, to date, no repairs have been made since no one knows what the problem is . there hasn't been any injury at this time due to this problem, but if this continues a serious occurrence is inevitable; i.e. losing power while driving down the highway at 65mph. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 67547 | 1 | |
| The lower intake manifold gasket needs to be replaced in my car 2002 alero with 67,500 miles, come to find out gm knows about this and it is a common replacement, design flaw with gm vehicles even the repair shops have knowledge about this. is there a r-emarket rebate for this problem. it will vcost me about 700 to fix the problem. *tr | |||
| 05/11/2008 | 1 | ||
| I've only had my car since nov 07 for the past 4mos my trac off, trac low, service engine, and change oil lights come on and stays on i've took car to mechanic and they cant seem to find anything wrong but when i m driving my car act like it going to cut off or it'll like slow down a lil bit and then catch speed. this happens on the highway its very scary. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2007 | 181000 | 2 | 01/01/2002 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile alero with a current and failure mileage of 181,000 miles. while driving at 35 mph began decelerating and the vehicle lost power with no warning in the middle of the road. the weather was sunny and 75 degrees. she was able to restart the vehicle after 30 minutes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed her that the vehicle was part of recall 07e021000 for fuel system, other: storage: tank assembly: pressure relief devices. the recalled failure could result in a fire, but the contact had not experienced the recall failure to date. she spoke with delphi, gm and oldsmobile dealers, and none of the dealers were willing to complete the recall work free of charge. *ak the consumer stated the dealership is asking for additional monies besides the $417.21 that was already paid. the consumer stated the vehicle is still in the dealerships possession and she wants the vehicle returned with the problem fixed. the consumer stated that on 06/07/07 the dealership informed her to pick up the vehicle that it was ready when consumer came to pick up vehicle the manager informed her he does not feel safe returning the car to her and the dealership is requesting an additional $262.00 for an ignition switch. updated 06/25/07 *tr | |||
| 04/06/2007 | 84301 | 1 | 04/15/2002 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile alero. on 4/6/07, while driving 55 mph ,the contact heard a ticking sound, and smelled gasoline inside the vehicle, so she turned the ignition off. the vehicle was towed to fox chevrolet in laurel, md. the dealer stated that the failure was due to coolant being mixed with oil ,causing a loss of compression in all cylinders. the engine needed to be replaced at cost of $2,600. the warranty expired at 60,000 miles. there were no warning indicator lights on the dashboard. the vehicle was at the repair shop. the current and failure mileage were 84301. *ak updated 0626/07 *tr | |||
| 08/11/2005 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Timing chain broke at 60k miles. destroyed valves. also ignition switch broke at 45k miles. *nm | |||
| 07/10/2003 | 30000 | 3 | 01/17/2003 |
| Dt: without warning caller hears a noise ,and at the same time, the bell sounds , and the dash lights come on. the lights that come on are the anti lock brake lights. the track off light, and the service engine light. for only a few seconds the brakes will not work. has had wheel bearings replaced in the front, and is about to get it done again.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2002 | 3000 | ||
| My car had something go wrong with the intake gaskets to where the plastic melted to the engine, the car had to be taken in for several days and the engine had to be taken out and cleaned and all of the intake gaskets were replaced. the car still does not run properly, when attempting to pick up speed or climb a hill the car does not shift and at times looses speed. this continues to this day, the dealer states nothing is wrong. the gas needle will read full and then the car will run out of gas this has happened on the middle of the highway leaving me stranded and several times around town. the dealer stated that they replaced the gas sensors. the car still does not run properly with less than half a tank of gas. the defroster, air conditioner and heat still after several trips in do not heat up or cool down the car. one day i had started the car half an hour before leaving and on the way to work the windshield froze up, the defrost had been and still was on high. | |||
| 03/24/2004 | 2 | ||
| While driving 55 mph vehicle stalled. this caused the driver to drift to the side off the road. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership, and mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 03/26/2004 | 4 | ||
| Consumer took vehicle to dealer for regular maintenance and dealer determined that vehicle needed the following replacements: a new ignition lock cylinder, intake manifold, multi function switch, and an engine oil flush. consumer stated that when she put key in the ignition it would not turn, but did not know that vehicle would need a new switch. also, there was ticking noise when she tried to start the vehicle. *ak | |||
| 51000 | 1 | ||
| The consumer had problems with the ignition. the consumer had a difficult time turning the vehicle on and off. the consumer stated the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the intake manifold was replaced. the consumer was informed that coolant was leaking into the oil. provide further details. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 03/27/2008 | 52000 | 2 | 12/27/2001 |
| Existence of engine oil appearing in radiator system coolant. *tr | |||
| 10/17/2006 | 1 | 04/10/2003 | |
| For the past few months i have been noticing my car temperature hot when it is suppose to be cold and vice versa. i checked the anti-freeze and placed more in the car. in the past month i notice that the car started to overheat and i checked the antifreeze once again. i then learned that my manifold intake needed to be replaced and it is very common for it to have to be replaced because it is plastic. i paid over $700.00 to get it replaced and it is a common fact that it is replaced often due to the manufacturers choice to use plastic for the part. *nm | |||
| 07/22/2005 | 39275 | 2 | 08/26/2002 |
| Friday, 7/15/05, i took my 2002 olds alero to jeff schmidt in fairborn, oh for service of the passenger side power window not working. while at the dealership, i was informed that my intake manifold was leaking and must be replaced. this was covered under warranty as well as the window. immediately after leaving the lot, the car smelled like something was burning. i park in the garage at home and did not notice any spills on the floor and assumed it was just overflow where the service tech did the repairs. thursday, 7/21/05, i parked the car in the garage and the smell was really bad. i popped the hood and found a puddle of coolant inside the car down on the frame (i think that's what it is called). i also noticed inside the car the dash at the windshield was ruffled/wrinkled. i thought maybe i had had a fire or something really got hot. i took the car to the same dealership this morning and learned that i had two broken hoses at the intake manifold where the hoses were reattached after the initial repair. i had to pay to have these repaired because it was not covered under warranty. funny i didn't have any problems with this until they told me i had a problem last week. i was also told that my warranty, i have 6 yrs. 60,000 miles, did not cover the dash. it was considered cosmetic. well, needless to say, i can't believe this. i've worked for gm/delphi for 28 years, have had 7 vehicles in this time period, new ones, and have never had a dash to come apart. also, i've never heard of a intake manifold going bad on a car with only 38,000 miles. gm should be responsible for fixing the dash where the leather has come apart from the frame. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 10/02/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| Car was being driven when a loud explosion came from the engine compartment. the car then immediately cut off and had to be towed in for service. upon inspection, it was found that the timing chain had broke and that there was other internal valve and engine component damage. the engine is a 2.2l gm motor that was recalled for saturns, and other vehicles, but not the one we own which is an oldsmobile alero. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| I have had my 2002 oldsmobile alero since 2002. within six months of having this car the ignition switch went bad and was unable to start the car and it had to be repaired. this was repaired by the dealer that i purchased it from because the company that was in charge of my extended warranty went bankrupt. since then i have had to pay to replace a gasket in the engine that keeps engine coolant and engine oil from mixing together because the gasket that was manufactured with the car was not the right thickness. (since this is a known defect by mechanics why wasn't this recalled or a service bulletin initiated?) i continue to have problems with the driver door control panel that controls the windows and the side mirrors and window locks. the windows in my car can only be controlled by the driver because the window lock is stuck in the on position. i have also had problems with the windows falling down into the door and have had one window replaced in december 2007 but now in september 2008 the passenger window is experiencing the same symptoms and now will have to replace this window as well. right now the most annoying thing about this car is the turn signals. they function as they should but the clicking noise for the turn signal will not turn off when i have made a turn (it actually makes a clicking noise about 3 times as fast as the regular turn click). i have had this looked at by a mechanic and i was told that this was not part of the hazard light recall which my car falls under so it was not fixed. it is a very distracting problem and the only time i can get relief from the clicking noise is when i actually get ready to make a turn by turning on the actual turn signal. there are a number of problems that numerous owners are experiencing. i am hoping that some thing is done about the windows and the engine gasket. i don't think consumers should be responsible for poor engineering and design. gm should make things right. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2005 | 22000 | 17 | 08/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile alero. the contact stated that she was unable to restart the vehicle after it was parked. the dealer stated that the ignition and the fuel pump caused the failure and they made the replacement. approximately a year and a half later, the failure recurred. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle would shut off without warning. the dealer stated that there was a malfunction with the security system and was unable to duplicate the failure. however, the dealer replaced the electrical harness. the contact also stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle jerked and then shut off. the dealer stated that the timing chain failed and made the repair. the failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 58,000. | |||
| 05/13/2006 | 16 | 12/09/2005 | |
| I have a 2002 oldsmobile alero. the cars security device is faulty causing the car to not start and sometimes causing the engine to stop running even at over 40 miles per hour. i have read many complaints about this over the internet, it seems to be a common occurrence with gm cars around this year. biggest problem is that common mechanics are unable to find anything wrong with the car you are forced to go to the costly dealership and in a lot of cases they to are not able to fix it. *nm | |||
| 02/09/2006 | 65200 | 1 | 01/18/2003 |
| Timing chain broke on 2002 oldsmobile alero with 65,000 miles in feb. 2006. experienced a ticking noise day before and was driving at about 55 mph when chain broke and lost power. auto repair service indicated it will cost at least $1500 to replace chain and additional parts. also indicated oil pan would have to be removed as fragments were detected inside. *jb | |||
| 09/01/2003 | 27000 | 1 | 08/05/2002 |
| My service engine light, abs light and trac light stay on at all times. i have had it serviced with the result being my gas cap was not tight. i feel there is more to this than they say due to knowing 3 other alero owners with the same problems.*ak | |||
| 11/25/2003 | 52390 | 2 | 09/01/2002 |
| Leak of coolant on ground - intake and head gaskets leaking . *ak | |||
| 11/18/2003 | 1 | 09/01/2002 | |
| Water leak from intake gasket. *la | |||
| 21000 | 1 | ||
| When going up the slightest incline at 70 mph rpms revved, and engine started missing, felt like it was going to stall. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 03/12/2008 | 85200 | 1 | 06/19/2002 |
| (1) no warning -just at dealership 3 weeks before. (2) timing chain broke while on interstate causing catastrophic engine failure & had to steer car off to side of road with no power & high traffic load. have read now of numerous failures of oldsmobile aleros with 2.2 engine due to a defective timing chain tensioner that was apparently redesigned in 2005 to address this problem. no recalls on this defect. (3) i am having engine replaced as it is destroyed from the 70mph failure. engine is still available if needed for investigation if you let me know real soon. *tr | |||
| 01/16/2007 | 84000 | 1 | 11/20/2002 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2002 oldsmobile alero. while driving at 40 mph on a very nice day the timing chain sheared off which caused the engine to lose power. the timing chain failure warped all of the rods and heads. the failure mileage was 84,000, and the current mileage was 87,363. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 04/26/2004 | 2 | 03/27/2003 | |
| 2002 oldmobile alero has failing intake manifold gasket which allows coolant to leak into engine. estimates to repair are over $800 and after researching the fact that tens of thousands of others have the same problems with various gm vehicles manufactured from 1995-2003 i'm at a loss as to why this hasn't been taken care of. gm released bulletin 03-06-01-010 in which it suggests replacement of a new design intake manifold gasket which was changed to improve the sealing qualities of the gasket. if there was no problem with the original there's no need for a replacement. gm is unwilling to repair this yet it affects 3.1 and 3.4l v6 engines of some 14 different gm models not to mention a similar affliction with the 3.8l.*ak | |||
| 03/26/2004 | 4 | ||
| Consumer took vehicle to dealer for regular maintenance and dealer determined that vehicle needed the following replacements: a new ignition lock cylinder, intake manifold, multi function switch, and an engine oil flush. consumer stated that when she put key in the ignition it would not turn, but did not know that vehicle would need a new switch. also, there was ticking noise when she tried to start the vehicle. *ak | |||