Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Oldsmobile Alero owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Was involved in a frontal collision on 3/5/03 and the air bags failed to deploy in my 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. I was traveling 40-45 MPH southbound on scottsdale rd when another car turned left in front of me. The impact bent the impact bars, moved my compressor to the other side of the vehicle, hood, bumper, fender damage, the preliminary estimate without doing a tear down is at $5000.00. I have suffered neck, shoulder and leg injuries. I contacted GM and they said a certified GM rep will go look at the car and take pictures and will contact me on the 29th. I received a call from a man who did not identify himself at the dealer ship and said he was a private investigator for GM and down loaded the info off the computer in the car and the air bag should not have gone off, and told me I need to have them start repairing the vehicle immediately. …
Backing vehicle from parking spot, when applying brakes, there was a clunk. Upon driving away and applying brakes normally, braking action was noticeably less. After a closer inspection, found the left front wheel brake pad material had corroded causing separation from its backing plate. These pads are after market pads from advanced auto, had only been on the car for about 12,000 miles, and approximately 23 months. There was considerable pad remaining, but corrosion had set in, causing the pad to separate from the backing plate. The rotors are approx 5 years old, and "corroded" beyond what I call being safe to use. There is no noticeable wear to the rotors, only severe corrosion in the cooling areas. After markets parts should be required to meet durability requirements, not just physical fit and operation.
2001 Alero (2 dr. Coupe) I have been on several sites and am finding many Alero owners having the same problems that I have encountered over the last couple of years. Fuel pump, wheel hub assemblies, intake manifold gaskets, power window failure(grinding/breaking clips/regulators), serv engine and traction control lights constantly on, electrical problems, brake problems etc. It is my belief that olds knew they weren't making this car anymore, and sent a sub-par product out into the market "hoping" to get away with as few recalls as possible. I have numerous complaints filed with olds and general motors. General motors has gone way out and offered me a $500.00 certificate towards the purchase of a new vehicle. Give me one reason I should go through another nightmare like this one. …
On Wednesday, feb 8, 2006 three lights came on in my car at the same time. They are 'service vehicle soon, trac off, & anti-lock'. These lights have continued coming on since. I have had a computer hooked up to my car to check for any codes while the lights were on. There were no codes showing for my car. Yesterday, Tuesday, feb 14, 2006, I was coming to a stop at a stop sign when the lights came on. I was pressing the brake in and I did not stop. I rolled a little bit and then came to a stop. This is not safe. If there were to be someone ahead of me I would have rear-ended this person or maybe even rolled right into oncoming traffic in the intersection. There are three other people that I work with who have had similar problems with their GM vehicles recently. Only one vehicle was covered under a recall. I was given an 800 number to check for recalls from one of these people. …
On Wednesday, feb 8, 2006 three lights came on in my car at the same time. They are 'service vehicle soon, trac off, & anti-lock'. These lights have continued coming on since. Week before these lights had came on. I had new hub bearings put on my car. Then once this was done about 3-4 days later these lights came. I have taken two 3 garages to have this looked at and they which they have put a computer hooked up to my car to check for any codes while the lights were on. There were no codes showing for my car. Yesterday, Tuesday, feb 14, 2006, I was coming to a stop at a stop sign when I heard a grinding noise which I was pressing the brake in and was able to stop with two pumps to the barkes.came to a stop. . If there were to be someone ahead of me I would have rear-ended this person or maybe even rolled right into oncoming traffic in the intersection. …
I purchased the car on 10/09/04 with a 3mon/3,000 warranty. I have brought it into the dealership numerous times for this same complaint with no luck. They have replaced the brake pads and calipers and within a 1 week of bringing it in to the dealership my ABS, trac off & service vehicle soon lights all came on. I called the dealership and made an appt and while I was driving my car at 70mph it began to vibrate out of control. I had three passangers in my car along with myself. I was able to get the car back in control but if I wasn't able to I would have hit the other cars on the highway. I was only able to drive the car at speeds of under 45mph on the highway. I brought the car to the dealership the next day was told that this would cost me almost $400 to be replaced (hub wheel assembly for my speed sensor). I was told that my 3/3 warranty would not cover this part. …
Picked up car 1/30/2001 on 4/9/car flat bedded in for brake problems, said it was rear park brake hanging up from rust proofing they replace both rear cables. 5/15 flat bedded again roto on rt. Glazed they replace and adjusted brakes and road tested. 6/19 going shopping with cousin was at a complete stopnext thing the car lunged into the rear of the car in front of us and I still had my foot on the brake. We we all shook up cause it was a sudden jar that we and the people the car hit we all sore from it . Again the car was flat bedded to the service department and they said there was nothing wrong with the brakes the computer said so ,and there was no way it could of happened the way I said it did. …
Excessive front brake wear. Front wheel bearings. I purchase (2) 2001 Oldsmobile aleros and within the first 24,000 miles there stated to be brake problems. It sounded as if the front wheels were always grinding. Cars were taken in to dealership and we were told there was nothing wrong. My wife and I drive completely different but identical problem occurred in each vehicle. We've had to replace rotors and brake pads every 12,000 - 18,000 miles. Finally when I took the vehicle into a non- dealer, to get the cruise control, traction control repaired, they replaced the front bearings and repaired the other problems. Since then, no more grinding noise and the brakes don't seem to be wearing out as rapidly. Both vehicles had the v-6 option, so I don't know if the problem was related to that or not.
The right front wheel bearing / anti- lock brake unit has gone bad twice in the past two years. The left front wheel bearing / anti- lock brake unit has gone bad once in the past two years. When the unit starts to fail the brakes do not work or pulse momentarily and then they work again. I have had several close calls of rear ending someone at a stop sign or red light when I depress the brake and there is no slow down for up to 2-3 seconds until the anti-lock system is shut off buy the cars computer. When I reported this to the Oldsmobile dealer in painted post, new york they notified me that this was a common problem on the olds Alero's. I have replaced the right front wheel bearing / anti lock brake unit twice. The left front wheel bearing / anti-lock brake unit currently needs to be replaced.
Service vehicle soon, trac off light, and ABS light took to dealer, out of warranty, private repair shop, cost-$500, grinding noise before lights turned on, dinging,lights went on, it was sensor in left front wheel bearing. Also have replaced front rotors, alternator at 65,000 miles. Key fob doesn''t lock drivers door. Hood on car replaced in 2006 under warranty because of blistering 2002-water leak onto drivers floor, 5 times to dealer, replaced side door gasket, problem had to be solved by replacing windshield gasket. I'm afraid of all these complaints about turn signal failure and hazard light failure and the car just quitting. Trading in this piece of **** as soon as paid off.
Brake complaints in other Alero years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero, 15% of the model year's 364 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Oldsmobile Alero brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Oldsmobile Alero brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.