1999 Oldsmobile Alero

I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND MY COIL (SPRING) SNAPPED OFF AND BROKE. IT SLICED MY TIRE AND I HAD TO REPLACE MY TIRE AS WELL AS THE COIL (SPRING). IT WAS THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT WHEEL. I AM NERVOUS THAT THE OTHER ONE MAY SNAP AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT THE TIME THAT COIL SNAPPED. I AM AWARE THAT THIS PART WAS RECALLED ON THE FORD TAURUS.*AK

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR LESS THAN ONE MILE FROM MY HOME. I MADE A LEFT TURN AT A LIGHT, AND UPON COMPLETION OF THE TURN, I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND MY RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER TIRE WAS ON IT'S RIM. THINKING THAT I HIT SOMETHING, I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. THE ROAD WAS CLEAR. WHEN I JACKED UP MY CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE THE TIRE TO PUT ON THE SPARE, I REALIZED THAT THE FRONT SUSPENSION SPRING HAD BROKEN AND THE JAGGED EDGE OF THE SPRING HAD PIERCED MY TIRE. SINCE I WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME, IN SECONDS IT SHEARED MY TIRE ALL THE WAY AROUND, CAUSING STEERING TO BE DIFFICULT. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO GENERAL MOTORS, BUT THEY REFUSED TO OFFER ASSISTANCE OR TOWING FEES. UNFORTUNATELY I WAS STUCK PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS AT A DEALERSHIP AND A TOW THAT WAS DUE TO A MECHANICAL FAILURE CAUSING A NEAR-ACCIDENT. *LA

AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING 35-45 MPH DOWN ROAD. GM PULLED DATA FROM COMPUTER AND HAS NOW SAID THAT THE CAR MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAGS, POTHOLE, BUSH, STICK OR SOMETHING. THEY HOWEVER WON'T HELP IN THE MATTER BECAUSE SOMETHING CAUSED THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY, WELL I COULD HAVE TOLD THEM THAT BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT A REASON. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE VEHICLE YET I AM STILL TRYING TO GET THIS RESOLVED. *LA

MY CAR'S COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. AT THAT TIME I REPLACED THE COOLANT THAT WAS MISSING, ONLY TO HAVE THE LIGHT COME ON AGAIN 2 DAYS LATER. I AGAIN REPLACED THE COOLANT. I COULD NOT FIND ANY VISIBLE LEAKS UNDER THE CAR. I WAS DRIVING TO THE MECHANIC WHEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CHECK COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. THE CARS TEMPATURE GAUGE WAS TOPPED OUT. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF A MAJOR FREEWAY AND CALL FOR HELP. AFTER 2 HOURS OF WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE MECHANIC TELLS ME THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS NEED REPLACED. ALSO, THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO MY ENGINE AND MIXED WITH THE OIL CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MISS. I HAD TO HAVE THE GASKETS REPLACED WITH A NEW VERSION. AND ALSO HAVE THE ENGINE FLUSHED, AN OIL CHANGE AND A COOLANT FLUSH AS WELL AS A COOLANT CHANGE. ALL OF THIS COSTING WELL OVER $700. APPARENTLY, GM HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN RELATED TO THIS ISSUE BUT HAS FAILED TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THAT PARTICULAR PART. MY SAFETY SHOULD BE OF SOME CONCERN TO THIS CAR MANUFACTUER TO SAY THE LEAST! *AK

A LEAK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THAT IS ALLOWING COOLANT AND OIL TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE. IT COSTS BETWEEN $600 - $800 TO REPAIR AND THIS IS A FAULTY PART IN A MAJORITY OF THE GM VEHICLES. THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN DATED MARCH 2003 THAT ENTAILS THE EXACT DETAILS OF THE PROBLEM, YET GM HAS NOT OFFERED ITS CUSTOMERS ANY REMEDIES TO THE PROBLEM SUCH AS PAYING FOR THE REPAIR. I HAVE MAINTAINED THIS VEHICLE WITH ALL REQUIRED SERVICE WORK. I WANT GM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.*AK

I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY WARNING TO THE EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO THE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. UPON RETURNING HOME AT 11 P.M. MAY15, 2004 FROM MY PARENTS HOME, I TURNED INTO MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED FILLING WITH SMOKE AND I SMELLED RUBBER BURNING. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE CAR AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. I CHECKED THE CAR OVER INSIDE AND OUT AND FOUND NOTHING AMISS, ONLY THE SMELL. I RETREATED TO THE CONFINES OF MY HOME AND AFTER A PERIOD OF 10 MINUTES, I HEARD WHAT APPEARED TO BE A GUN SHOT NOISE THEN A HISSING SOUND. I STEPPED OUTSIDE AND NOTICED THE HISSING SOUND WAS COMING FROM MY CARS RIGHT FRONT TIRE, WHICH HAD GONE FLAT. DECIDING I WOULD CHECK THE SITUATION THE NEXT MORNING THEN RETURNED TO THE HOUSE. THE NEXT MORNING, I LOOKED TO FIND IN FACT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS FLAT. MY FIANCE TRIED TO PLACE A SCISSOR JACK UNDER THE FRONT OF THE CAR TO JACK IT UP AND REPLACE THE TIRE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. WE PLACED THE JACK UNDER THE REAR TIRE AND JACKED THAT UP UNTIL THERE WAS SUFFICIENT ROOM TO PLACE ANOTHER JACK UNDER THE FRONT TIRE. WHEN THE CAR WAS JACKED HIGH ENOUGH TO LOOK AT THE TIRE, WE NOTICED THE COIL SPRING HAD SCHEARED IN HALF CAUSING THE JAGGED EDGE OF THE SPRING TO GOUGH INTO THE FRONT TIRE CAUSING IT TO GO FLAT. THERE IS AN INDICATION THAT THE MANUFACTURES WELD ON THE SPRING WAS POORLY DONE AS APPARENT BY A RUST SPOT AT THE BREAKING POINT. I ALSO BELIEVE THE STRUT INSIDE THE COIL SPRING IS DAMAGED ALSO. *AK