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2004 Oldsmobile Alero

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Oldsmobile Alero are lower than the model-year median of 279.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

78 reports with mileage · 31 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

4 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2024
Unknown Or OtherInjury

Friendly Chevrolet 62704 has refused the open recall on my vehicle after being on schedule for tommrow 8a.m Service Manager Sir Richard said it's a waste of time and not my issue.

NHTSA ODI #11580824

Mileage unknown · Oct 30, 2020
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

THE HAZARD AND TURN SIGNALS DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. I BOUGHT A NEW TURN SWITCH, PUT A NEW FUSE IN AND EVERYTHING AND NOTHING WORKS. WHEN I DRIVE ON THE ROAD THE TURN SIGNAL DOESNT COME ON AND SOMETIMES IT CAUSES A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ODI #11372378

136,000 miles · May 17, 2017
Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

I OWN A 2004 ALERO OLDSMOBILE I PURCHASED THE CAR USED IN 2008. IT LATER ONLY HAD ONE RECALL WHICH WAS FOR THE IGNITION ISSUES. WHILE THE CAR IS ON AND IN DRIVE THE KEY IS STILL ABLE TO BE PULLED OUT OF THE IGNITION AND THE CAR STILL REMAINS ON AND IN DRIVE. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING MY BLINKERS NOT WORKING 100% OF THE TIME, (NHTSA…

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I OWN A 2004 ALERO OLDSMOBILE I PURCHASED THE CAR USED IN 2008. IT LATER ONLY HAD ONE RECALL WHICH WAS FOR THE IGNITION ISSUES. WHILE THE CAR IS ON AND IN DRIVE THE KEY IS STILL ABLE TO BE PULLED OUT OF THE IGNITION AND THE CAR STILL REMAINS ON AND IN DRIVE. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING MY BLINKERS NOT WORKING 100% OF THE TIME, (NHTSA CAMPAIGN # FOR THIS ISSUE IS 03V327000). I CAN PRESS THE HAZARD LIGHT BUTTON QUICKLY AND FREQUENTLY WHILE PUSHING ON THE SIGNAL STICK AND THAT SOMETIMES WILL MAKE THEM WORK, OTHER TIMES THAT DOESN'T WORK AND NEITHER MY SIGNALS NOR HAZARD SIGNALS WORK AT ALL. LASTLY, AND MOST FRIGHTENING, IN THE MIDST OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED, AND WILL JUMP AS THE RPM'S BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH, (NHTSA CAMPAIGN # FOR THIS ISSUE IS 07E021000). THERE HAD BEEN SEVERAL TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED AND A FEW TIMES THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY DID SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING, I'VE HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD, AND WAIT 10-15 MINUTES BEFORE I ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN. THE CAR WAS TESTED FOR OVER 3 HOURS AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE OR BATTERY, WHICH IS WHY I AM CERTAIN IT IS THE FUEL PRESSURE RECALL. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THE KEY RECALL I BROUGHT THIS UP TO THEM AS WELL, (AS MY WINDOWS ALSO DO NOT WORK), I PURCHASED A NEW GAS CAP AS INSTRUCTED HOPING THAT WOULD FIX THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE CAR STALLING OUT, IT DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE. THERE ARE RECALLS THAT MY CAR FALLS UNDER AND THAT I AM EXPERIENCING, I ASKED WHY THESE LIFE THREATENING RECALLS WEREN'T ABLE TO BE FIXED ON MY CAR, I WAS TOLD THEY WEREN'T LISTED ON MY VIN. PLEASE HELP MY VEHICLE AND THE MILLIONS OTHERS BE UPDATED WITH THE NHTSA TO REQUEST THE MANUFACTURER TO REVIEW THIS MORE CLOSELY IN RELATION TO THE ONES ACTUALLY AFFECTED BY THESE ISSUES. THESE ISSUES ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND POSE AS A THREAT NOT ONLY TO MYSELF AND FAMILY BUT TO OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME.

NHTSA ODI #10986256

Mileage unknown · Jan 16, 2011
EquipmentFuel System, GasolineUnknown Or Other

AS I'M READING DIFFERENT WEBSITES AND NOW THIS SITE TO FIND A SOLUTION AS TO WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY CAR, I SEE I SHARE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE... I TOO HAVE A 2004 ALERO THAT WILL CRANK BUT NOT TURN OVER... THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON... WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT I WOULD TURN MY CAR OFF THEN BACK ON …

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AS I'M READING DIFFERENT WEBSITES AND NOW THIS SITE TO FIND A SOLUTION AS TO WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY CAR, I SEE I SHARE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE... I TOO HAVE A 2004 ALERO THAT WILL CRANK BUT NOT TURN OVER... THE SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON... WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT I WOULD TURN MY CAR OFF THEN BACK ON AND IT WILL GO OFF... LATELY IT WILL COME ON AND STAY ON, NOW IT WON'T START! IN THE MORNING I WILL TRY WHAT EVERYONE ELSE TRIED WITH TURNING THE KEY UNTIL THE LIGHT GOES OFF, BUT THIS IS REALLY ASHAME THAT THIS MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM! I REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP A YEAR IN A HALF AGO FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM AND IT WAS NO WAY CHEAP! TRY $1,200 AT A GM DEALERSHIP THAT ONLY USE GM PARTS ON THEIR GM CARS! I'M A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT THAT NEEDS MY VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND WORK! PLEASE JUST RECALL THESE CARS SO THEY CAN HAVE THIS PROBLEM TAKEN CARE OF... SHOULD I TAKE MY PROBLEM TO THE MEDIA TO GET SOME SORT OF RESULTS? IT SEEMS IF THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET ANYTHING DONE NOW A DAYS... *LN

NHTSA ODI #10376822

Official recalls

1

14V400000 · Electrical System:ignition

Jul 3, 2014

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 these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.