Tl* the contact owned a 2001 oldsmobile alero. The contact stated that while in park, the front passengers side wheel well caught on fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed away from the scene to a salvage yard and was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 220,000.
Oldsmobile Alero fire or smoke problems
28 of the 1,957 owner complaints about the Oldsmobile Alero describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1999 model year.
- owner complaints
- 28
- worst model year
- 1999
- typical mileage
- 100,900
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 2Overheating 2Adaptive cruise 2Won't start 1Wipers 1Power windows 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 oldsmobile alero. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle and turning the ignition switch with the key, the ignition switch caught on fire. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system) but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.
I plugged in the cigarette lighter and about thirty seconds after I lit my cigarette the wires behind the dash(instrument panel) began to smoke and caught fire. The wire coverings was burnt off to show bare wires shorting my entire car. The fuse located under the hood in the fuse relay center that went to the cigarette lighter was melted and burnt into the relay box. No electrical in my entire car works!!!
[xxx]: after a day of light driving after being stationary for about an hour and a half in colorado springs co (cool weather) upon starting the vehicle the temp needle went from cool to almost overheated in the under 30 mins it took to go from one store parking lot to the next nearby one. The vehicle became fully overheated & sparks / 1' flames emerged from the sides of the front hood. Upon being shut off the flames receded, after approx 30mins sitting the hood was lifted & fluids checked (all were at appropriate levels). The vehicle was started again & ran idle for 20 mins & the sparks / flames reappeared again so the vehicle was shut down & a ride called. Upon being picked up the next day the vehicle ran fine again for the most part with only slight overheating - it was taken for an engine wash / under hood at an appropriate facility to remove any flammable / combustible residue. Had to be driven at speeds under 50mph to return home without further problems. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Just a couple of days after the purchase of the vehicle the brakes were making a bad scrubbing noise, and I had no turn signal at all I noticed a clicking sound coming from the hazard warning light .during the clicking sound the turn signal would work at times and I would smell something like a burning smell. While the car was park and no one around it the lights would come on inside and out by their self and this causes my battery to go dead and I have to boost it off. I have contacted the car dealer that I purchased it from and they were very rude and hateful and told me it was my problem and that there is nothing they can do about it. That they sold it to me at a good deal and they could not help me.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 oldsmobile alero. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke coming from the steering wheel followed by flames. There were no injuries. The contact also stated that there was a shortage with the blinkers, which activated intermittently. The contact extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 oldsmobile alero. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and smoke emitted from the front of the vehicle. All of the warning indicators on the instrument panel illuminated and the front end of the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries. The contact received a recall notification for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Today I started my car with my automatic starter then 7 minutes later I hear a horn non stop beeping I lookout my door and my car is smoking and in flames from hood. Investigator tells me it totaled. After they put the fire out I look in car and only one air bag came out.
Was driving slowly in heavy traffic. Weather: approximately 50 degrees and raining. I have the heat and defrost (including rear window) on. I hear a pop from the back and I think someone has just lightly rear-ended me. I look over my shoulder and the rear passenger seat, at approximately the right-hand shoulder is on fire. I pulled-over, turned-off the car, and tried to dowse the flames to no avail. All I could do was watch it burn until the fire department showed-up about 10 minutes later. Fire department agreed likely cause was rear defroster short-circuit. Rear seat and rear window destroyed. Water and smoke damage. Car is likely totaled due to age (11 years) and miles (124k).
Throttle stuck full on. I couldn't stop and almost crashed into people. Brakes were on fire.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 14V400000 · Recall details
Questions about the Oldsmobile Alero fire or smoke
Which Oldsmobile Alero years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1999 (8 complaints), 2001 (6 complaints) and 2002 (6 complaints).
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