2001 Oldsmobile Aurora Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year describe a car that is generally past its prime in the complaints: steering noise and lock-up, intermittent stalling, and brake warnings come up most often. Complaints cluster from about 40,000 miles upward and peak near 90,000-130,000 miles, with several reports filed years after the car was new. Many describe gradual symptoms (noises, warning lights, weak brakes) rather than out-of-nowhere failures, though some stalling reports came with little warning.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering clunk or grind, stiffness and lock-up

   • 24 complaints (20%)
   • median 95,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2019

   Owners describe a clunking or grinding noise in the steering column, most noticeable at low speed or when turning into a dip, and a stiff or sticking wheel that on some occasions stops responding altogether. Complaints mention the intermediate steering shaft, the rack and pinion, and tie rods as the parts replaced, sometimes more than once, with the noise returning after repair. Several owners say the dealer replaced the shaft or applied a lube kit and told them it was a known part wear item. Reported from as low as about 9,000 miles up past 190,000, with most samples in the 40,000-130,000 mile range and several owners noting cold or damp weather makes it worse.

   What to check: Turn the wheel lock to lock at parking speed and listen for a clunk or grind; ask whether the intermediate shaft, tie rods or rack have been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Clunky feel and eventually noise in steering wheel. Turned out to be the steering column intermediate shaft. Looked it up on internet, it is a problem on most GM large cars and trucks. Gm has so far failed to recognize the problem with a recall but has a replacement part available. I replaced it at the cost of $267, well worth it to have my beautiful car like new again, but GM should replace free for the pr.”

   NHTSA complaint #10213214, filed 2007-12, 53,000 miles

   “For the last 4yrs. I have been problem after with this car. Especially with the rack and pinion I have the rack and pinion replaced twice in a two and half year radius. Now today on 7-18-12 I have to get another rack and pinion. Its has to be a defect because it always break during hard left turns or bracket breaks only on passenger side. Their are a lot of electrical malfunctions such as engine light is always on for various reasons ABS light blinks on and off, check oil light, and the check stability system. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10466426, filed 2012-07, 109,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalls or cuts out, sometimes restarting only after

   • 30 complaints (25%)
   • median 51,993 mi at 8.0 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2019

   Complaints describe the engine quitting while idling, accelerating or cruising, occasionally followed by a no-start period of several minutes. Owners report crank position sensors, ignition switches, mass air flow sensors and idle air control motors being replaced, sometimes without curing the symptom. Power steering and brake assist are lost while the engine is off, so several owners say they had to coast or restart at a light. Most reports fall between about 13,000 and 130,000 miles, with many in the 25,000-60,000 range and no clear pattern of temperature or speed.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records on crank position sensors and the ignition switch, and take a test drive long enough to include idling in traffic; a scan for stored codes is worth doing even if the light is off.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving at any speed, the car would intermittently sputter or shut off, even in a curve. It finally frightened me so much that I reported it to the dealer on 2/12/2009. The dealer charged me $463 plus tax to replace the front and rear engine crankshaft sensors. This malfunction is very similar in nature to ignition failure and could easily lead to injury. My car is a 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora with the 4.0 v-8 engine. It had 48,000 miles at the time of failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10608345, filed 2014-07, 47,900 miles

   “My RPM shoots up to red and so I have to turn off car and restart. Often car won't start right away. Then awhile later it just dies on me. Quite a few times it has died on the highway and once I almost got rearended and second time I almost ran into the guard rail on the bridge because I had no power and steering locked up, now my gas gage moves to full then down to low fuel and engine light comes on. Had my car put on machine and couldn't read any codes and couldn't find anything. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10369255, filed 2010-12, 114,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Weak or fading brakes, ABS and stability lights

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe low or no brake pressure, a pedal that needs extra travel at higher speeds, and pulsation when braking from highway speed. Many mention the ABS and stability warning lights coming on together with a chime, and repairs at independent shops pointed to the hydraulic control unit or master cylinder; one owner was told the car was not covered by an earlier hydraulic recall. Mostly reported between about 75,000 and 175,000 miles, often after several years of use.

   Recall 00V114000

   What to check: Check that brake pressure feels firm at highway speed and that no ABS or stability light stays on; ask whether the hydraulic control unit has been serviced or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We purchased this vehicle on 9/2007 with 65,327 miles. The 1st year or so, it was ok, except for the emmisions system which they repaired. Over the next years, we have had to replace the brakes, rotors constantly! Then the stability control light kept coming on warning of the ABS/traction control problem. Then, my lights starting going out in the car, dash, computer system warning area, and head lights flickering. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10463989, filed 2012-07, 80,000 miles

   “I have owned 3 Oldsmobile Aurora's. 1-1999 model 2-2001 models I noticed with all three cars, there has been a problem with the rear passenger windows not properly operating. The window just falls down on it's own and won't roll back up. I have to wedge something in the window in order to keep it up and that does not always work. I found this to be a problem with all three Aurora's. I know other people who has the same years and had the same problems with this vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10215123, filed 2008-01, 127,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Rough or violent transmission shifting

   • 11 complaints (9%)
   • median 56,726 mi at 5.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2016

   Complaints describe hard jerking on shifts, ranging from a mild bump to a jolt that feels like being hit from behind, often in stop-and-go traffic. Owners report transmission repairs and solenoid replacements that did not resolve it, and in one case a quote for internal work came close to the price of a replacement unit. Some say the symptom eases temporarily after shutting the car off and restarting. Mostly logged between about 50,000 and 100,000 miles, typically in city and traffic driving.

   What to check: Drive the car through several slow upshifts and downshifts in traffic; ask whether solenoids or the transmission have been serviced and whether the check engine light has been on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Service engine light came on; auto drove rough-problem getting up to speed, and when stopped felt like it was going to stall. Steering and turning makes a noise and feels like there is no power steering. The cost to reach the part in the center of the transmission is the same as replacing the transmission. I no longer drive my car, and the cost quoted to repair it was $3,400-which I don't have. The code was po741.”

   NHTSA complaint #10235466, filed 2008-07, 56,726 miles

   “Coolant leak has been serviced about six to seven times. My Aurora is currently in the round rock, texas classic GM dealership for another try. Also, the car is being outfitted with a device which will take a picture of the engine /electronic systems to determine why the engine quits while driving. This has occurred about 5 times and I was almost involved in an accident entering a freeway when I lost all power. I have been asked to press an installed button the next time the engine stalls. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10010372, filed 2003-03, 21,856 miles
5. 5
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Window regulators fail and windows drop

   • 7 complaints (6%)
   • median 62,004 mi at 6.8 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2007–2010

   Owners report power windows, especially the rear passenger ones, stopping partway or dropping into the door and refusing to come back up, sometimes within days of each other. Complaints describe repairs on one window followed by failures on others, and note that a window stuck down is especially inconvenient in cold weather. Reported from roughly 50,000 to 130,000 miles, across daily use rather than tied to a specific season.

   What to check: Run every window fully up and down, including the rear ones, and ask which regulators or motors have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On two occasions, the window on the passenger side, rolled down and then would not roll back up again. The first incident was the front window, the second time the back window on the passenger side would no go up. If you have small children, or live in nd it can be dangerous, as the cold weather is very dangerous.”

   NHTSA complaint #10222184, filed 2008-03, 56,008 miles

   “After purchasing this vehicle from another owner, the windows are failing. The right passenger rear window failed, left rear window fell down and now right front passenger window will not work. We have repaired the first window and intend to fix the other two.”

   NHTSA complaint #10204504, filed 2007-09, 54,000 miles

Buying note. Expect to inspect steering, brakes and transmission behavior closely on a test drive rather than relying on mileage alone, and ask for service records on the intermediate steering shaft, brake hydraulics and transmission. A low asking price on this model year often reflects pending repairs in those areas.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.