"How reliable is the 2003 Oldsmobile Alero?"

"Based on 294 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Oldsmobile Alero has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Oldsmobile Alero?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Oldsmobile Alero is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 294 total complaints filed."

2003 Oldsmobile Alero: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 294 complaints

294

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

41,962 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

106,448 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STEERING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE CONSOLE AREA NEXT TO THE GEAR SHIFT HAD BECOME HOT WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WERE TURNED ON. *JB SCC"

"WHILE DRIVING AT 45MPH VEHICLE WAS IN A HEAD ON ACCIDENT. BOTH FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER. VEHICLE STARTED BACK UP WITH NO PROBLEM. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP MECHANIC, BUT PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED.*AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28