2002 Oldsmobile Alero

No clear pattern

1.8% of complaints about the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2002 vehicle, but with only 393 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (135 complaints), typically at 9.0 yr or about 90,000 miles.

Complaints: 393
Median age at failure: 6.0 yr
Median mileage: 73,487 n=263
Crash / fire / tow: 5.9% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

14V400000 2014-07-03

Electrical system:ignition

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 the

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.

07E021000 2007-03-12

Fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly:pressure relief devices

CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.

FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service crash / fire / tow

CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

Electrical system mileage not reported 2.1 yr in service

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY. *AK

Electrical system mileage not reported 2.5 yr in service

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

Engine cooling 27,000 mi 2.0 yr in service

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

Other Alero model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Oldsmobile Alero

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Alero model years

How to read this