Multiple issues

[TraceyD]

I have a 2002 Olds Alero (purchased new in 2002). My alero is the 3400 version with leather interior. In several areas, the leather is coming unglued (really bad on the dash). I have ripples on the dash from the leather buckling, and there appear to be air pockets. The drink holder for the back seat riders has never worked. It falls out as soon as it's opened. My spare adapter/ charger (cig. lighter) is poorly installed. When something is plugged in, the whole thing pulls out and there are exposed wires. Today, my drivers side window stopped working. It worked fine last night. There were no warnings. My breaks always sound as though something is rubbing. We even replaced the break pads and still have the same problems.

Am I alone, or have others experienced similar issues?

[misslindseysue]

Eek. I guess I avoided those problems when I got cloth. ;) Rotors are notoriously bad, but they pulse, not rub. I'm guessing you're still under warranty? Make them fix all of it, 'cause it shouldn't be like that. Before you bring it in though, make a list of everything that's wrong with it. Even keep it in the car for a week or so, so you can write down things you notice. That way you won't forget anything, and even if they won't fix it right away, you'll have a record of having the problem (with you and the dealer) while it was warrantied, so you won't have to pay for it in the future. Good luck, and sorry you got such a crappy car.

Hmm, reading again, I did have some similar problems. The drink holder was my fault, knocked it right off. Luckily, it just snapped back in. My driver's window quit on me too. It would go down but not up. The switch was messed up, and they had to order a new one.

[johny_boy32]

if its a 02 you should still have warranty...check that out.

[Naich]

I have seen the ripple dash effect, and it is not limited to cars with leather interior... they all have the same dash materials. I don't know what causes this, but do you have prolonged exposure to sunlight? You can probably get all these things fixed under warrenty.

[Oldsman]

sorry to here about the problems

[koruptid]

i have he same problem with my cig lighter

[Naich]

Originally posted by koruptid@Dec 4 2003, 01:41 PM
i have he same problem with my cig lighter
me too, and neither one of them work any more.

[TraceyD]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Believe it or not, my car just made 40K miles. I do have the extended warranty, however.

My driver's side window started working again- today. Might turn out to be an intermittent problem like my Dodge Intrepids had. Who knows?

Regarding the rippling leather, I found a website where people have posted pictures of their dashes rippling. It appears to be a problem with some vehicles. While I can understand that the sun could play a role in ungluing the material on the dash (I do live in Louisiana), that should not happen in one year. If heat were the cause, I'd expect to see many more doing the same (and not isolated to GM vehicles). My husbands 2002 Chevy Blazer is parked in the same driveway and his is fine. My Intrepid was always parked where the Alero is parked, and it was fine. I love the little car, except for the interior problems. I had someone look at the front end today (he did not dismantle anything- I'll leave that for the dealership). He mentioned that I probably have a bad bearing in the driver's side wheel. That is a known issue. See the following website: My Car Stats (http://www.mycarstats.com/console.asp?tb=r&mmmakes=OLDSMOBILE&mmmodels=ALERO&year=2003)

[GTJoe]

My dash had a "bubble" where the defrost vent was, but they fixed it even though I was past warranty. Yes, something nice to say about GM service. NO hassles, either. Good Luck with yours. B)