Rear Window Defogger problems of the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero

2001 Oldsmobile Alero, approx 105,000 miles. Around the middle of January I went outside to warm up my car before work and noticed the heater blower wasn't working. Have already had this replaced so thought I knew what the problem was. Also noticed an electrical smell in the car, as if an electrical motor was hot, so assumed the blower motor overheated and went out. Later that day checked the fuse for the blower motor- it was bad, I changed it and the heater worked. However, still noticed the electrical smell and finally associated it with the rear defogger. Around March 07 the defogger quit working. Noticed today on my car stats that a complaint was filed in February with a fail date of 01/17/08 where the rear defogger failed and the car actually caught fire. My car did not catch fire, but it is the same year and approximate mileage as the one that did. I'm sure these aren't the only two. Please be aware of this problem and if you notice an electrical smell, get it checked out.

The contact owns a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. While the vehicle was warming up, it caught fire. The rear seat was damaged and the rear window was destroyed. There was also smoke damage. A fire report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Oldsmobile Alero. The module that controls the rear window defogger, located underneath the back panel by the rear window, becomes very hot and melts. It melted the connection and the box that contains the module. As a result, the defogger does not work. The vehicle has not been to a dealer or repair shop. The contact has found several complaints for this failure and believes a recall should be issued. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 72,000 and current mileage was 80,000.

The technician informed the consumer about a recall on the vehicle, but the consumer never received a notice from the manufacturer. The vehicle would not start right away. There would be several tries but the vehicle would never "crank over. " the engine vibrated when the a/c was used,the fuel gauge was inoperative, the front windows would not roll down, the rear handles felt like they were sticking, there was a burnt oil smell, and after several times of starting the vehicle it would run rough. The master switch, a/c compressor, crank sensor, fuel pump, fuel tank, hazard switch, and the window regulator were replaced. The mechanics repositioned a wire harness from the crank sensor and replaced the pressure control solenoid. The turn signals stopped working in traffic in which there was almost an accident. The antenna was replaced because the radio signal would go out every time the rear defroster was used (this did not solve the problem). The back window had to be completely replaced to solve the antenna problem. The water pump was replaced because the seal for the coolant leaked.

Car doesn't always start when I turn the key in the ignition. Takes a few seconds to turn over. Driver side mirror shakes. The numbers on the radio buttons have rubbed off. Rear defrost doesn't always work. Rotors are always wearing out. Used to hear a clunking noise every time I turned the steering wheel - had the steering rack replaced. Interior dome light falls off.