Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 050308009 | 08/01/2005 | 10017367 | Proper diagnosis of front control arm rod bushing with suspected leak or clunk noise. *tt | 11/04/2005 | |
| 040308014 | 06/01/2006 | 040308014A | 10011196 | Knock noise from front suspension when driving at low speeds over bumps/uneven road surfaces. *tt updated. *kb | 01/10/2005 |
| 040310010 | 08/01/2004 | 10011199 | Refinishing gto silver painted wheels. *tt | 01/10/2005 | |
| 040310013 | 10/01/2004 | 10011058 | Driving characteristics of rear-wheel drive and available winter tires. also includes the 2004-2005 cadillac cts-v. *tt | 12/27/2004 | |
| 040309003 | 04/01/2004 | 040309003A | 10008656 | Knocking noise from rear of vehicle on aggressive launch or acceleration. *tt | 08/13/2004 |
| 00148A | 01/01/2004 | 00148B | 10007831 | Clunk noise from rear suspension on hard acceleration (wheel hop). *tt | 07/12/2004 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| PE07010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 02/16/2007 | 08/08/2007 | FRONT STRUT TO TIRE INTERFERENCE | ||
| Note: the complaint and warranty counts given in the failure report summary of this resume include all records related to tire wear and wheel alignment and are not limited to tire-strut contact.general motors (gm) identified two contributors to premature front tire wear in the subject vehicles.one of the contributors causing the premature tire wear was out of specification negative camber.gm stated that excessive negative camber could be caused by improper camber settings from the factory or bending of the front strut assemblies due to sharp road impact (i.e., severe pot holes).to improve camber settings from the factory, gm stated that from february of 2005 through may of 2006 several modifications were made to the camber setting fixture.gm also noted that excessive negative camber could result in front tire to strut contact, which could also be caused by use of non-original equipment (oe) tires and/or wheels.gm stated that contact of the front tire and front strut assembly can cause a polishing on the tire sidewall and/or strut assembly; however, this does not cause a sudden loss of air. general motors provided odi with the final factory front camber settings where available for complaint and warranty claim vehicles.approximately 90 percent of these vehicles had right wheel camber settings that were out of design specification.four percent of the vehicles had left wheel camber settings that were out of specification.in a review of consumer complaints, most noted excessive tire wear to varying degrees to both front tires.for complaints indicating excessive wear to a single front tire, 90 percent involved the right side. although in some cases there are indications of tire contact with front strut assemblies in the subject vehicles, analysis of tire wear patterns in photographs shows the greatest wear occurring on the inboard tread surface from road wear and not on the area of the tire on the upper shoulder that contacts the strut.this is consistent with the known tire wear patterns associated with excessive negative camber, with or without strut contact.this is most apparent in some pictures, which show minor tire-strut contact while exhibiting significant wear of the inner tread surface of the tires.based on data reviewed during the investigation, while excessive negative camber is an apparent issue, the premature tire wear appears to be primarily caused by tire to road surface contact as opposed to contact of the front tires to the front strut assemblies.odi reviewed approximately 1,400 total complaints and warranty claims potentially related to the alleged defect.virtually all of the reports relate to uneven/excessive tire wear or some awareness of the tire-strut contact issue.odi was able to identify 9 tire air loss incidents alleged to be caused by tire-strut contact, with5 of these describing a slow air loss.while there was evidence of tire-strut contact in some of these vehicles, odi's analysis did not find that this contact was the cause of the air loss but rather a secondary symptom of the excessive negative camber condition that results in rapid road wear on the inboard tread surface. odi is aware of one crash alleged to be caused by contact of the front strut to front tire.however, analysis of the information provided by the consumer, gm and a third party investigator does not indicate that tire-strut contact was a factor in the crash.odi is unaware of any injuries or fatalities attributed to the alleged defect. odi has not identified a safety related defect trend in the subject vehicles.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||
| PE07010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 02/16/2007 | 08/08/2007 | FRONT STRUT TO TIRE INTERFERENCE | ||
| Note: the complaint and warranty counts given in the failure report summary of this resume include all records related to tire wear and wheel alignment and are not limited to tire-strut contact.general motors (gm) identified two contributors to premature front tire wear in the subject vehicles.one of the contributors causing the premature tire wear was out of specification negative camber.gm stated that excessive negative camber could be caused by improper camber settings from the factory or bending of the front strut assemblies due to sharp road impact (i.e., severe pot holes).to improve camber settings from the factory, gm stated that from february of 2005 through may of 2006 several modifications were made to the camber setting fixture.gm also noted that excessive negative camber could result in front tire to strut contact, which could also be caused by use of non-original equipment (oe) tires and/or wheels.gm stated that contact of the front tire and front strut assembly can cause a polishing on the tire sidewall and/or strut assembly; however, this does not cause a sudden loss of air. general motors provided odi with the final factory front camber settings where available for complaint and warranty claim vehicles.approximately 90 percent of these vehicles had right wheel camber settings that were out of design specification.four percent of the vehicles had left wheel camber settings that were out of specification.in a review of consumer complaints, most noted excessive tire wear to varying degrees to both front tires.for complaints indicating excessive wear to a single front tire, 90 percent involved the right side. although in some cases there are indications of tire contact with front strut assemblies in the subject vehicles, analysis of tire wear patterns in photographs shows the greatest wear occurring on the inboard tread surface from road wear and not on the area of the tire on the upper shoulder that contacts the strut.this is consistent with the known tire wear patterns associated with excessive negative camber, with or without strut contact.this is most apparent in some pictures, which show minor tire-strut contact while exhibiting significant wear of the inner tread surface of the tires.based on data reviewed during the investigation, while excessive negative camber is an apparent issue, the premature tire wear appears to be primarily caused by tire to road surface contact as opposed to contact of the front tires to the front strut assemblies.odi reviewed approximately 1,400 total complaints and warranty claims potentially related to the alleged defect.virtually all of the reports relate to uneven/excessive tire wear or some awareness of the tire-strut contact issue.odi was able to identify 9 tire air loss incidents alleged to be caused by tire-strut contact, with5 of these describing a slow air loss.while there was evidence of tire-strut contact in some of these vehicles, odi's analysis did not find that this contact was the cause of the air loss but rather a secondary symptom of the excessive negative camber condition that results in rapid road wear on the inboard tread surface. odi is aware of one crash alleged to be caused by contact of the front strut to front tire.however, analysis of the information provided by the consumer, gm and a third party investigator does not indicate that tire-strut contact was a factor in the crash.odi is unaware of any injuries or fatalities attributed to the alleged defect. odi has not identified a safety related defect trend in the subject vehicles.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | ||||||
| PE07010 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 02/16/2007 | 08/08/2007 | FRONT STRUT TO TIRE INTERFERENCE | ||
| Note: the complaint and warranty counts given in the failure report summary of this resume include all records related to tire wear and wheel alignment and are not limited to tire-strut contact.general motors (gm) identified two contributors to premature front tire wear in the subject vehicles.one of the contributors causing the premature tire wear was out of specification negative camber.gm stated that excessive negative camber could be caused by improper camber settings from the factory or bending of the front strut assemblies due to sharp road impact (i.e., severe pot holes).to improve camber settings from the factory, gm stated that from february of 2005 through may of 2006 several modifications were made to the camber setting fixture.gm also noted that excessive negative camber could result in front tire to strut contact, which could also be caused by use of non-original equipment (oe) tires and/or wheels.gm stated that contact of the front tire and front strut assembly can cause a polishing on the tire sidewall and/or strut assembly; however, this does not cause a sudden loss of air. general motors provided odi with the final factory front camber settings where available for complaint and warranty claim vehicles.approximately 90 percent of these vehicles had right wheel camber settings that were out of design specification.four percent of the vehicles had left wheel camber settings that were out of specification.in a review of consumer complaints, most noted excessive tire wear to varying degrees to both front tires.for complaints indicating excessive wear to a single front tire, 90 percent involved the right side. although in some cases there are indications of tire contact with front strut assemblies in the subject vehicles, analysis of tire wear patterns in photographs shows the greatest wear occurring on the inboard tread surface from road wear and not on the area of the tire on the upper shoulder that contacts the strut.this is consistent with the known tire wear patterns associated with excessive negative camber, with or without strut contact.this is most apparent in some pictures, which show minor tire-strut contact while exhibiting significant wear of the inner tread surface of the tires.based on data reviewed during the investigation, while excessive negative camber is an apparent issue, the premature tire wear appears to be primarily caused by tire to road surface contact as opposed to contact of the front tires to the front strut assemblies.odi reviewed approximately 1,400 total complaints and warranty claims potentially related to the alleged defect.virtually all of the reports relate to uneven/excessive tire wear or some awareness of the tire-strut contact issue.odi was able to identify 9 tire air loss incidents alleged to be caused by tire-strut contact, with5 of these describing a slow air loss.while there was evidence of tire-strut contact in some of these vehicles, odi's analysis did not find that this contact was the cause of the air loss but rather a secondary symptom of the excessive negative camber condition that results in rapid road wear on the inboard tread surface. odi is aware of one crash alleged to be caused by contact of the front strut to front tire.however, analysis of the information provided by the consumer, gm and a third party investigator does not indicate that tire-strut contact was a factor in the crash.odi is unaware of any injuries or fatalities attributed to the alleged defect. odi has not identified a safety related defect trend in the subject vehicles.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 05/17/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| No failure but the tires on my 2004 pontiac gto are wearing excessively due to bad bushings and rear springs. *tr | |||
| 04/16/2009 | 71000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto and recently took all of the wheels off to paint the brake calipers and i noticed that my tires were rubbing on the struts really bad, and im about to have a few blowouts. i've been reading alot on the internet that this is a huge problem with the gto's. is there anything that can be done before i have an accident? *tr | |||
| 02/28/2009 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Severe front tire wear due to rubbing on the strut housing. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2007 | 100 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the contact stated that the vehicle was manufactured in australia, and that they should never have been allowed to ship the 2004 defective models to the united stated. he is experiencing suspension failure, in which the vehicle does not drive in a straight line. the vehicle veers from left to right. the contact must use both hands to drive the vehicle. he stated that the suspension and motor were changed. the motor was changed because it was very difficult to shift and it would slip and make noise. there was also transmission failure with the vehicle. while driving over a minor bump at any speed, the vehicle would break down. he also stated that the vehicle had piston slap. when the vehicle was idling, he could hear a ticking noise. the noise was caused by the piston striking the top of the motor head. when the vehicle was taken to the dealer with these concerns, the contact was informed that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. the mileage when the vehicle was traded in was 3,600. updated 07/29/08 *bf updated 07/29/08. *jb | |||
| 10/21/2007 | 1 | 10/10/2007 | |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto that is tearing up the front tires and makes a popping noise when driving. i have been trying to get it fixed and have not been able to find out the problem till i was told about the safety problems. i asked dealers about the noise and the tires and was told they did not know what the problem was. i was never told about this or did i get a letter in the mail about a safety problem. it really makes me mad to think that it was not made public to people of the problem. *tr | |||
| 11/07/2007 | 2 | 09/28/2006 | |
| I was on the internet and i came across defects on the 2004-2006 gtos and since i have one i investigated. the complaints were that the stock size tires were rubbing on the struts in front of the vehicle. so, i have a 2004 gto with only 7,800 miles on it. i went out turned said vehicle on turned the wheel almost till it would stop and peeked under the car and low and behold contact with strut;on both sides. called gm in detroit, they had no idea of the problem. ignored me. did not return my phone calls, they said they would. took vechicle to dealership to fix car. dealer said everything looked good except the camber in front of car. dealer fixed camber, made me pay $100. dollars. i call gm 10 times in detroit, have not received call back from my representitive. also spent $400.00 on two new 235/45 for the front; because even after they fixed it the stock tires wre stll 1/4 inch away from the strut. so it has cost me $500.00 to hopefully fix the car i do not even own. *tr | |||
| 11/06/2006 | 31117 | 1 | 10/05/2004 |
| Own a 2004 pontiac gto. took my car in for a noise in the front end area. everytime i went around a corner slowly i could hear a rubbing noise. and sometimes when i would back out of the parking space i hear a loud grinding noise and the steering wheel would jump out of my hands. i took the car in to my gmac dealers service department to have a look. the mechanic told me that the strut was rubbing on my tires. we looked at the tires on my front end and there were groove marks all along the radius of the tire. some chunks of tire were taken out and some of the steel belts were showing through. he told me i was lucky to catch this when i did or i could have had a blow out at any time. i had to replace all four tires because they had been rotated a couple of times all ready. the back tires weren't as bad as the front but of course you can't just get two new ones. this tire purchase came out of my pocket because the mechanics told me there was nothing they could do. i have pictures of my struts and you can clearly see where they were rubbing on my tire. *jb updated 10/10/07 *tr | |||
| 12/22/2006 | 38000 | 2 | 05/28/2004 |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto with 47k miles on it now. december 2006 i was driving home from an out of town trip 4 hours away from home. i noticed that the front end was riding kind of low. i pulled over and checked the tires for a puncture but i did not see one. so i pulled over to the first gas station to get air. the tires looked like there was enough tread so i thought nothing of it. when i go home i pulled into the driveway and cut the wheels as far to the left as possible. i went inside an did not pay attention to the tires. when i came back out i noticed both tires on the front of the car had worn down to the belts on the inside tread only. i could not see the wear by just looking at the outside of the tires. i was lucky i did not have a blow out. i went to the tire dealer early the next morning and got new tires put on the front. they only had about 10k miles on them. i thought the tires may be defective and the manager at the tire store said they were rubbing against the strut on the car. i figured if gm had meant these tires to go on this car than maybe it is just in need of an alignment, so i had that done. that was 8 months ago and i check the tread all the time looking for any pre-mature wear. then i see the channel 5 cleveland story on the internet just looking for recall information on my car. i have had numerous problems lately. i learned that i am not the only one with this problem so i decided to complain about the defect. i wish gm would just tell everyone what a better tire size would be rather than risk bad publicity. i also have to replace my rear tires as they wear in the middle. i think this may be another problem. *jb updated 02-28-08 *bf updated | |||
| 08/06/2007 | 29000 | 1 | 09/30/2004 |
| Strut rub on 2004 pontiac gto, both left and right front. right front had very bad tire wear on inside and out side of tire. took the car in for state inspection and had 4 new tires put on it, dealer found bad left tie rod end and replaced it, also aligned the car. but when i pointed out the tire rub on both struts, he told me this was ok (???) i don't think so but would like to have this on record for future reference, this car has been pampered and should have had no strut rub, no hard cornering ect and only 29k miles. i did put on a 10 millimeter narrower tire 235/45zr17 instead of 245/45zr17 so as to be proactive and not have this problem in the future, but this should not be the solution to early tierod or strut failure, as i appear to have. iwould just like gm to stand behind the carand acknolege when there is a problem and resolve it. *jb updated 01-11-08. *kb | |||
| 08/28/2007 | 2 | 03/21/2007 | |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto. i have the front strut rub on the tires and has destroyed 2 sets of tires now. this needs to be recalled and fixed! *jb | |||
| 05/25/2007 | 20000 | 1 | 01/25/2007 |
| Left front tire failed at 65 mph, inner sidewall worn down to steel belt, car had approx. 20000 miles on it at the time. *jb | |||
| 06/20/2007 | 16300 | 1 | 07/08/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the contact was underneath the vehicle when he noticed that the tire tread was worn. the mechanic stated that the vehicle needed new tires. the current and failure mileages were 16,300. the tires failed due to a negative camber. updated 09/05/07. *jb | |||
| 04/03/2006 | 28000 | 2 | |
| Pe 07-010 pontiac gto (2004-2006) strut to tire interference customer states that pontiac tried to fix the tires but it did not work**cc the consumer stated the tire tread was still good, but it was the side of the tire that rubbed down to the steel belt. the consumer stated the key was getting stuck in the ignition, the dealer lubricated the lock cylinder. the passenger side door lock would lock and sometimes it would not lock and would set off the car alarm. the temperature gauge would fluctuate at times. the coolant light illuminated. *jb | |||
| 05/05/2007 | 0 | 2 | 08/08/2004 |
| Have 04 gto and heard about the front tires (inside) rubbing on the struts (5/5/07)...read internet articles about tire failures and the one accident in cleveland. i checked the condition (5/5/07) on my car by removing both front wheels and discovered serious tire damage and rub marks on the struts..i have grounded the car due the this condition, pending information on how to correct the condition and related costs. neither gm nor my dealership contacted me to flag this serious safety condition.*jb | |||
| 05/04/2007 | 27104 | 1 | 05/20/2006 |
| Refer to claim # 10116796, 2004 pontiac gto tire contact with suspension has caused front tire failure which is a risk to highway safety. all tires and wheels are of original oem spec. after replacing front tires once the second front set began to deteriorate. initial dealer visit to question tire wear said there was no problem. (2.22.07) i pulled tires and inspected myself and brought pictures of contact points where tires rubbed paint from struts. (3.1.07) they then said they needed special permission from zone rep to alignment front end. three thousand miles later the tire failed last night. there is a cut in the edge of the tire and because of tire wear the cords have separated. the cords tearing from the tire were contacting brake hoses and anti-lock sensors and can risk brake failure. contacted pontiac to file complaint and they provided #. they have asked me to return car to dealer for servicing. all 4 tires are wearing on the inside edges and will need replacement. dealership made no recommendation for tire replacement? *jb | |||
| 04/26/2007 | 26500 | 4 | 08/21/2004 |
| I purchased a 2004 pontiac gto and performed all necessary maintenance, such as tire rotation. the inside walls of the front tires have been damaged from rubbing or striking an object inside the wheel well. it appears that it is rubbing the front suspension. upon closer inspection, all 4 tires show the same wear, because of the tire rotation. first noticeable indication that there was something wrong with this vehicle was a vibration in the steering wheel. the car has only 25,000 miles with regular usage. *jb | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Suspected strut rub has worn the inside edge of driver's front tire bald. only driver's front tire is affected, and this occurred with only 12,000 miles on tires. problem was discovered in november 2006, tire wear was not visible when tires were rotated in april 2006 (4,000 miles earlier). an alignment performed in december 2006 seems to have prevented further tire wear. *tr | |||
| 04/19/2007 | 13100 | 2 | 05/26/2004 |
| Noticed front tire strut rub recently after finding an article done by cleveland newsnet 5. *tr | |||
| 03/27/2007 | 15589 | 4 | 09/25/2004 |
| I dropped off my 2004 pontiac gto at the local dealership on about 3/21/07 for a number of warranty issues. one of the issues to be checked was a slight vibration in the steering wheel. the dealership stated the problem was due to wheel alignment and all four tires needed to be replaced. i don't drive the car in inclement weather, avoid potholes, and there was no pulling to either side. as i had only 15,589 miles on the vehicle, i declined the alignment & tires when called by the service representative. upon pickup, the rep indicated the tire were extremely dangerous and pointed out how the steel belts were showing on the inside of the right front tire. the rep indicated that tire replacement on this vehicle was common for that mileage. researching on the internet disclosed these tires have a 35,000 warranty and that there had been other complaints related to premature tire wear on 2004 and 2005 gtos. complaints have been filed stating the tires were rubbing the struts, primarily front left, causing the premature failures. today, march 30, i pulled the front left tire off the vehicle to look at the tire and strut. there are obvious wear marks on the strut and a groove cut into the inside of the tire. all four tires have excessive wear on the inside due to regular tire rotation. it appears gm misaligned the wheels at the factory and installed too large of tires creating a situation of inadequate spacing between the struts and the tires. i have requested gm rectify the situation and am waiting for its reply. i am filing this complaint with nhtsa because this is a serious safety concern that may result in fatal accidents due to tire blowouts caused by inaccurate alignment and insufficient clearance. please investigate this issue and require the manufacturer to recall 2004 and 2005 gtos and rectify this dangerous situation. *jb | |||
| 03/29/2007 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto with 26,000 miles on it. every tire has abnormal wearing on the inside of the tire. it is obvious that is rubbing on the suspension because a part of the suspension is rubbed clean and the rest of it is dirty. i have called my dealer and they said they do not know of there being any problems with it. i saw on the news and the nhtsa web site that there is a pending investigation into this problem and would like to support others with this problem and would like my voice to be heard. thanks and have a great day. *jb | |||
| 09/21/2006 | 13344 | 1 | 09/10/2004 |
| Noticed steering wheel shaking at 50 mph and above. took to dealer to have looked at because the steering column assembly had been replaced. once dealer was done i was told the tires had some wear and needed an alignment. at this time i only had 13,334 miles was then parked the car for winter. over winter i have seen on the news about tire rub on the gto and cars having blow outs. so now at 15,000 miles my tires on the front are completely waste and the steel belt is showing through the tire. the tires have not been replaced at this time and car is going back to dealer again. i have had this gto into the dealer for multiple reasons over the past 2 years. *jb | |||
| 01/16/2007 | 21000 | 1 | 12/24/2004 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto, and had to replace all 4 tires at 21,000 miles because the tires were rubbing the front strut and premature tire wear developed on the insides of the tire. the contact tried to get reimbursed for the tires from the manufacturer, but they stated that they wouldn't be able to reimburse the contact since they bought the tires at an independent tire shop. the current mileage was 23000. *ak consumer stated no longer owns vehicle. update 4/9 *tr | |||
| 03/13/2007 | 3 | 04/10/2004 | |
| To whom this may concern, i'm writing about my 2004 pontiac gto front tire & strut rub issue! since purchasing the gto in 2004 i've had to replace my front tires 3 times due to the strut rubbing and tearing the inside of my tires apart. plus, last night 3/13/07 after a drive i checked the tires i just recently purchased in november '06 and low and behold they are completely shredded down to the thread. so once again i had to call and order new tires and spend more money on a problem that should've been addressed from the start. this is very dangerous as i have a family and am very concerned that if i'm driving on the freeway or just around town that my tires will explode and will cause me or whoever in my family is driving the car to lose control and perhaps lose their life. please address this issue with pontiac before people lose their lives! *jb | |||
| 03/09/2007 | 0 | 04/29/2004 | |
| Strut tower rubbing on tires causing dangerous amount of wear. the tires on my 2004 pontiac gto show severe wear on the inside corner edges, excessive wear and cupping are prominent. tires have under 30,000 highway miles, normal commute driving (this is my daily driver not a race car). even with regular rotation, the tires are so badly worn that the belts are almost exposed. i believe this may be due to the 2004 gto problem of strut tower rubbing. contact with the strut tower is visibly evident on the strut. i mentioned this to my gm dealer who performed service on my vehicle and they were unaware of any known issues with the gto. *jb | |||
| 03/06/2007 | 2 | 01/14/2005 | |
| We have a 2004 gto with 18,000 miles on it. 2 weeks ago i was driving on the interstate and i heard a loud banging noise coming from the passenger side of the car. my husband noticed that there was a 8 inch by 2 inch piece of rubber that had pealed off of the inside of the tire and was rubbing against something making the noise. 1 week later another piece on the same tire had peeled loose and was knocking up against the wheel well of the car. i took the car to classic pontiac and they told me to leave the car over night so that they could get a better look at it and that it was too dangerous to drive. i was then told by a co-worker that she saw something on channel 5 news that gto's were having a problem with the tires rubbing up against the shocks. i did not receive anything in the mail for a re-call on my car. i will let you know what classic pontiac does to repair my car. *jb | |||
| 03/04/2007 | 29537 | 1 | 12/13/2004 |
| 1) right front tire rub on the strut. 2) excessive tire wear down to the cords, the only reason i noticed the problem is because i change my own oil. if i had not noticed the problem i would have had a blowout any day. i have pics of the tires and rub marks on the strut if needed. 3) i have ordered new tires at my own expense. i am going to call the dealer and have things looked at regarding the strut rub & alignment. *jb | |||
| 10/17/2006 | 20000 | 1 | 10/17/2004 |
| I would like to add my vehicle to the complaint list about the '04 pontiac gto tire wear problem where the front tires contact the struts. i became aware of the problem at 20,000 miles when i was doing my 5,000 mile tire rotation and found both front tires with abnormal wear where the sidewall meets the tread. i brought this to the attention of my dealer and directed them to see other complaints identical to mine as shown on gtoforum.com. they said they new of no service bulletins released yet. i removed the original wheels from the car and replaced them with properly offset ones. the dealer did an alignment and found one wheel was in camber limits and the other was slightly out. both indicated wear, but the one that was out of alignment by .3 degrees was worn down to metal strands. no damage occurred other than that to my original tires and wallet for replacement. *jb | |||
| 12/20/2006 | 5000 | 2 | 03/20/2006 |
| Tl* - the contact has owns 2004 pontiac gto. the contact stated that the front tires were rubbing on the struts. the car shook very badly due to the tire rubbing against the strut. this happened with only 5,000 miles on the tires, and the tires had to be replaced. the contact he replaced the tires, and the next set of tires did the exact samething. this happened only with the front tires. the contact sold the vehicle for that reason, because the manufacturer would not even look at the vehicle. the contact stated that the problem with the vehicle was under warranty at the time he was refused the repair. the current mileage was 26000.*ak updated 03/30/07. *jb | |||
| 02/25/2007 | 12000 | 3 | 03/31/2004 |
| Since 2004 about 6 months after i bought my pontiac gto i have put 3 sets of front tires on the car. the inside edge of front tires wear away gm told me it was alignment i have been aligning the front now since and i still put front tires on. now i hear there is an investigation please help send me info on investigation. *nm | |||
| 08/03/2005 | 17808 | 4 | 08/23/2004 |
| Front tire rubbing on strut to cause failure. tire blew, no one hurt. was fixed for free/ reimbursement. back in dealer total of 4 times for a total of $389.72. found out from news channel 5 in cleveland , ohio about govt investigation on the 04 and 05 pontiac gto's. car has not been driving right ever since, still have problems and very tired of fighting with dealership. *jb | |||
| 02/18/2007 | 1 | 6 | 05/13/2004 |
| Strut rubs on both tires - pontiac dealerships will not do anything to fix the problem. *nm | |||
| 07/03/2006 | 16808 | 1 | 08/22/2004 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the front 17 inch passenger and driver tires rubbed against the struts and caused the tires to wear out prematurely. the steering wheel vibrated while driving but it no longer occurred after the alignment. the failure mileage was 16,808. the contact read on the internet related complaints, and was aware of the nhtsa investigation. also, he was aware that the tire failure could cause a blowout. the dealer replaced the tires and aligned them at no cost to him. the contact owns b.f. goodrich tires, tire line name gforce t/a kdws, tire size p245/45/17w. the current mileage was 20,000. *ak the driver side power seat jerked. updated 03/30/07. 8jb | |||
| 05/10/2006 | 1 | ||
| Front tires rub against strut wearing down the inside wall of tire to where metal wires in tire showing. had to replace all tires. *jb | |||
| 02/21/2007 | 18800 | 1 | 02/20/2004 |
| 2004 gto, original owner, tires wearing on the inside 1-1/2 to 2 tread due to rubbing on struts. at 19,000 miles, surprised to find next to no tread on the inside edges. replaced tires with same original specs. wheels are aligned but still rubbing on strut towers. on-going problem. premature tire wear. *jb | |||
| 02/16/2007 | 16000 | 1 | 08/01/2005 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. when the vehicle's odometer reached 16,000 miles he could hear a rubbing noise from both front tires. upon closer inspection he noticed the inside of the tire was rubbing against the struts on both front tires. the contact rotated all 4 tires when it had 6,000 miles. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership and they suggested that the contact should pay for an alignment. the current mileage was 16400.*ak update *4/23/07 *tr | |||
| 08/20/2006 | 18000 | 1 | 04/30/2005 |
| Around 16,000 miles i noticed my tires had been subject to inside wear caused by the strut on my pontiac gto. in order to have it fixed, i needed a new alignment (to new specs released internally to gm in their tac system to fix the known problem) and four new tires. after battling with gm over a week, gm agreed to cover the alignment and only two out of the four tires. i had to purchase the other two at my cost. i opted not to replace the other two until winter, in which i replaced all four to put better tires on the car. the problem is not solved, due to the differences in sizes that the car was designed for, and the car needs constant realignment to keep everything in spec to prevent wearing of the tires. *jb | |||
| 11/28/2006 | 1 | 10/09/2004 | |
| Inside of front tires rubbing struts, causing uneven and accelerated tire wear. *jb | |||
| 02/14/2007 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto. i recently saw a news story regarding potential problems with the front tires rubbing against the strut. i wanted to bring to your attention that i had the oil changed in the car at a gm dealership about two months ago. while there, they mentioned to me that the right front tire was worn down from the inside and needed replaced. the car only has around 12,000 miles on it. *jb | |||
| 06/07/2006 | 20000 | 2 | 05/13/2006 |
| My front tires blew out on me at 20k miles due to a tire rub on the front struts. about a three inch band around the tire was completely worn away. *jb | |||
| 09/06/2006 | 18480 | 1 | 07/13/2005 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto. i was driving to work on the freeway at 5:30am on sept. 6, 2006. i was passing a semi truck when the passenger side front tire blew out. the vehicle pulled sharply to the right, but i was able to regain control and avoid striking the semi. i pulled the car to the side of the road. the passenger side front tire was shredded. the front tires both needed to be replaced, and i was told the rear tires were worn to the point of replacement. when i picked the car up later that night, i was told by the mechanic that i was going to continue to have problems due to the fact that the tires were too wide, causing them to rub against the strut brace. i had him show me the old tires. the one that had blown out was worn completely down to the belts, and it looked as though it had been cut with a knife, similar to opening a tuna can. i also found that when the tire blew out, it dented to the top of the passenger side wheel well and scratched the front bumper. i took the tires with me. the pontiac gto is an import from holden in austrailia. in austrailia the vehicle is equipped with 235/45r17 tires on it. when pontiac brought it to the states, they equipped 245/45r17 tires on it, 10mm wider. the increase in width causes the tire to rub against the strut brace, mostly on the passenger side. the next day i took it to the dealership where i bought it. they told me it was the first they had ever heard of the problem, and that there was no recall. the service manager said he would call gm to see what the deal was. i heard back the next day. gm was going to reimburse me for 2 of the 4 tires i purchased and redo the alignment by adjusting the positive camber of the front tires, but they wanted the old tires back. since that time, i have been offered the same deal, with the inclusion of fixing the body work, and i can keep the tires. my gto has less than 19k miles on it, and gave no prior indication of a problem. *nm | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 1 | 01/01/2005 | |
| I previously submitted a complaint regarding my 2004 pontiac gto in which the front tires (specifically the passenger) side rubbed against the suspension and severely damaged the tires. when contacted by the nhtsa, i did not respond because i had since changed my tires and no longer had the original tires. i got rid of my stock 2004 tires and rims and purchased four stock tires and rims for the 2005 pontiac gto from a 2005 gto owner. i have had the tires on for several months and have had absolutely no rubbing. in investigating this defect, i recommend that the stock 2004 and 2005 rims/tires be compared. the tires that i have are the exact same as the 2004; the only difference is the rims (2004 vs 2005). perhaps pontiac realized there was a problem in the 2004 model and made a slight modification to the 2005 rims to prevent the rub. *jb | |||
| 06/29/2006 | 3 | 05/15/2006 | |
| I purchased my vehicle on may 15, 2006 as a used vehicle with 27,042 miles on it. since then it has been in the shop for a vibration to which i was told because of the tires were bad. the reason i was given they were bad is because of alignment issues. i personally ran a car fax on my vin for my car and discovered that it had been in the shop twice in the span of three months for suspension service. when i mentioned this to my dealer they told me they had been fighting with the car for the previous owner and could not fix this problem and that it was a direct condition from the aggressive stance of the vehicle. the dealership said that was a quote from gm themselves. there has been absolutely zero effort put forth by the dealership that i purchased the car from to help me remedy this problem. my car is even under the factory warranty for at least another 6,000 miles! i know for a fact that this is a problem that many other pontiac gto owners are having also. *jb | |||
| 01/10/2005 | 1 | 10/10/2004 | |
| 2004 gto front sidewall of tire is rubbing a hard metal object (strut). *jb | |||
| 02/19/2005 | 17000 | 4 | 05/22/2004 |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbed on my front struts and after rotation all 4 tires were worn. two of them were worn down to the cords and all 4 tires needed immediate replacement. the dealer said that this problem was not covered by warranty and refused to replace my dangerously worn tires. this condition could have easily caused a blowout. i did save the least worn of the 4 tires for a full size spare and have a picture of the damage done to worst of the 4. history: the 2004-2005 pontiac gto is an imported version of the australia holden monaro. the holden manaro comes from the factory with 235/45r17 tires, tires that are generally 235mm (9.25) wide. however, when pontiac spec'd the gto for the us, they finally decided on a 10mm wider tire, a 245/45r17 bf goodrich g-force kdws tire. current problem: the larger tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. in some cases, front suspension binding has occurred. in other cases, tire replacement was necessary. this is due, in fact, to the increase in size of the tire that pontiac has chosen to put on the imported version. several pontiac dealerships are aware of this problem, and it has been speculated that pontiac is aware as well. future problems: tires are not all the same size. one 245/45r17 tire can be smaller or larger depending on the manufacturer of the tire. there is a strong posibility that when a consumer replaces his/her worn factory tires with another set of tires, of the same size, that they would be even larger and could cause serious problems. in light of the ford-firestone tire problems, i believe this is a situation that should be researched. please note: dealership lot cars would most likely not demonstrate this problem as they will not have been driven enough to cause the rubbing. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 07/15/2011 | 11000 | ||
| I own 2004 pontiac gto that has had 2 front end alignments and has been through 3 sets of front tires in 55k miles. gm stated to me that it has to be my driving habits and has nothing to do with a defect on thier part. after closer inspection during my last tire swap out. i noticed tire damage to inside of tire on sidewall,due to tire rubbing strut assembly.this could have been a catostrophic failure of the tire had i not been looking. who will die before gm fixes this issue? the vehicle will not stay aligned no matter what i do,constantly loosing positive camber to the point of strut-tire contact. | |||
| 06/02/2010 | 44985 | ||
| 2004 pontiac gto tire blow out we purchased our 2004 pontiac gto new, and have had issues with rubbing sounds and vibrations since it was new. the car currently has 45,000 miles and we had a blow out. apparently the tires on 2004 gto's rub the spring pocket of the strut causing the inner side wall of the tires to fail prematurely. it is impossible to see the wear unless the tire is removed from the vehicle. pontiac has replaced the tires once under warranty due to this issue, but when i returned to gm to announce that the previous fix did not work - they dismissed me stating the vehicle was out of warranty. this is our third set of tires within 45,000 miles and my wife feels that the car is unsafe to drive because of her blowout experience. i need gm to come up with a solution to this problem. i have researched and spoken to many gto owners only to find that they all have the same issue, and some dealers have retrofitted gto's with the appropiate 18 wheel and tire combination, but carl black in roswell ga and the district manager rod will do nothing to help us. please - can you help? | |||
| 05/18/2010 | 32754 | ||
| 1. my wife was complaining of a squeaking sound whenever she put on the brakes. when researching brake pads and rotors online i noticed numerous complaints for 2004 and 2005 gto's regarding tires rubbing on the front struts. since i was going to remove the tires to get a better look at the brake pads i also checked for the tire rub problem. sure enough the right side tire and strut both showed signs of wear. the tires inside tread was worn and there were areas on the tires where small cracks had started and one 3 inch long crack through the sidewall. left side tire tread was not worn yet there was evidence of tire rub on the strut. 2. since i was fortunate enough to run across the information online, i will be able to avoid a failure. the failure if i were to let it go would most certainly be eather a gradual loss of air pressure or if running freeway speeds a sudden blowout. simply replacing the tires (with oem replacements) and adjusting the front end alignment will not prevent the problem from occurring again. 3. i'm currently in the process of researching options to correct the problem. we purchased the car used but with very low miles and got an extended warranty. since other items contribute to the tire rub such as premature failure of bushings and brearngs i hope to get at least those replaced since they are covered. a formal recall has not yet been required, so any replacement parts would be the same as those that failed in the first place. i'm strongly looking at installing an aftermarket kit designed to correct all the problems. | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 28000 | ||
| 2004 pontiac gto, strut rub. the tires rub the front tires and were right threw the tires, went to the dealer, and said i need a alinement and thats what they did, know my tires are worn down on the out side of the tires, was told the bushings are all bad by other gto owners. | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2004 pontiac gto, both front struts gouged front tires to the point steel belts were showing. 44,000 miles on car. almost had a blow out! *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 10000 | 1 | |
| 2004 pontiac gto strut rub. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 16700 | 1 | |
| I purchased a used 04 pontiac gto. i noticed the car tires were very noisy. after close inspection of the tires, i discovered the passenger front tire was worn almost bald with severe cupping. i bought new tires and was told the inside of the previous tires had wear on the inside of the tire- apparently from rubbing against the bottom of the strut. i was told that i should do something about the strut replacement on the car or this condition could result in an accident. u began to research this issue and found that it was inherent in this car and that the simplest remedy was to have a pedders certified mechanic install a kit of bushings made specifically for the problem. this kit replaced defective oem bushings that has disintegrated at less than 16k miles. in my case, both oem shocks and struts were literally shot at 18k miles and had to be replaced. however, because of the size tire the manufacturer put on the car to handle the hefty weight of the vehicle, the tire sits less than a pencil width from the strut so on impacted surface contact, the inside of the tire rubs on the strut and will eventually shred the tire. my cars rear springs are shot from excessive compression tied-down in shipping from australia to america so the complete fix job will cost me 3 thousand dollars - gm knew about the engineering flaw in the match of tires and suspension with parts that would bust in short time and they also knew about springs being weakened in shipment but sold these cars without warning to the customer or any recall or service bulletin. i believe that gm should pay the 3k to get the corrective suspension configuration on my car and reimburse me for the 1100. i replacement struts (temp fix) and pedders strut-rub bushing replacement kit. no one is safe in this car or any gto. i can provide eyewitness testimony/affidavits from the shop that performed the repair. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| 2004 pontiac gto tire cut by strut rub. *tr | |||
| 05/09/2008 | 9100 | 1 | |
| My 2004 gto exhibits a common problem in these cars: the front struts rub on the inside tire sidewalls. this occurred in my vehicle at only 9100 miles, and the dealer had the car twice but failed to find anything wrong. they claimed this was normal. i fail to see how this is normal - these cars should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 01/12/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto and the inner wall of the tires are rubbing on the strut just below the front coil perch near the bottom of the spring. there have been numerous reports of this and have also been deaths because of this issue. my car is out of warranty, but never had these replaced and i am afraid of it being a huge safety concern, but cannot afford to fix it myself. the problem is a result of premature failure of suspension components (the front strut top bushings). *tr | |||
| 01/05/2009 | 45000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while placing air in the front driver's side tire, the contact noticed that air was escaping. upon further inspection, she observed that the strut failed and punctured the tire. through online research, the contact found a service bulletin, which stated that the struts were shredding the tires in the front end of the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and has not been repaired. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure and current mileages were 45,000. updated 03-04-09 *bf | |||
| 10/10/2008 | 18000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. ever since the vehicle was purchased three weeks ago, the front struts have been striking the inside of the tires. as a result, the sidewalls have become worn. the dealer could not find any failures because new tires had just been placed on the vehicle. through research on the nhtsa website, the contact has found complaints and investigations for this same failure, and believes a recall should be issued. the current and failure mileages were 18,000. | |||
| 10/20/2008 | 56800 | 1 | |
| 2004 pontiac gto on dec 27, 2006 (31,802 miles), vehicle suffered catastrophic failure of front tires as a result of rubbing against strut tower. vehicle serviced (and supposedly fixed) by mcconnell pontiac. on oct 20, 2008 (56,800 miles), the vehicle again suffered catastrophic failure of front tires as a result of the failure of strut bushings, causing the tires to rub against the strut towers. blowout of passenger side front tire occurred on interstate 10 approx mile marker 24 on the i-10 bayway bridge. inspection of driver side front tire yielded catastrophic failure of interior sidewall. *tr | |||
| 09/11/2008 | 56000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto and i just found out that i possibly need to replace the front struts! the car only has about 56,000 miles on it and i do not think that a car of its age should need struts! is there any other individuals complaining about a similar issue? if so is gm going to do anything about it? i don't think that i should need to replace struts on a 2004 car with 56,000 miles on it! *tr | |||
| 08/30/2008 | 50098 | 1 | |
| Tire blowout due to rubbing strut housing premature wear of inside tread of tire. replaced front struts and mounts replace radius rod bushings, frontend alignment. *tr | |||
| 07/26/2008 | 32000 | 1 | |
| I guess i was just wondering after reading so many people with complaints about the 2004-2006 pontiac gto with the same 3 problems, struts, steering column, and ignition problems, that nothing is being done to take care of this potentially deadly safety issue. please can you help me understand that if you have 2004-2006 with all the same issues that should have long ago raised alot of attention still has not done anything about this. *tr | |||
| 06/25/2008 | 40300 | 1 | |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto that experienced a sudden tire separation while driving on a freeway. upon taking it to a national tire chain dealer we were able to determine that the tire separated due to excessive wear on the inside corner due to rubbing against the strut tower. the separation did not cause a blow out but did create minimal damage to the underside of the vehicle and inside of the wheel well. further investigation showed that the other front tire was imminent for the same failure. i was lucky, the posted speed is 70 mph, and i was going nearly that fast when the tire separated. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2007 | 29500 | 1 | |
| The inside of both of my front tires were rubbing the strut housing. the tires had tread on the outside, and unless i reached my hand inside and felt the inside tread, the excessive, uneven wear was not apparent. this rubbing caused a blowout at 70 mph, and if not for the tow truck driver pointing out that the other tire was just as bad, i would not have known at all. when i brought this problem to the attention of the dealership that replaced my tires, the said it was an alignment issue. i had another blowout this month (may 2008) caused by the same issue. after the dealership failed a second time to look into this problem or suggest repairs, i did some of my own research and found out that this is a common problem among pontiac gtos. *tr | |||
| 04/23/2008 | 1 | ||
| I recently purchased a 2004 pontiac gto and the vehicle has the common problem of the front tires rubbing on the front struts and wearing unevenly. i returned the vehicle back to morrissey pontiac in rockville centre, ny where i purchased the vehicle and they told me there is nothing wrong with it and refuse to fix it. the vehicle was not involved in any accidents yet but the tires have excessive wear. *tr | |||
| 04/06/2007 | 16000 | 1 | 12/23/2006 |
| Both front tires were worn to the belts at approx. 16,000 miles. one tire had the tread separate while driving on the highway. has had two sets of tires on the front with the same problem in less than 40,000 miles. taken to dealer twice only to be told this was normal condition for these cars. *tr | |||
| 11/07/2007 | 2 | 09/28/2006 | |
| I was on the internet and i came across defects on the 2004-2006 gtos and since i have one i investigated. the complaints were that the stock size tires were rubbing on the struts in front of the vehicle. so, i have a 2004 gto with only 7,800 miles on it. i went out turned said vehicle on turned the wheel almost till it would stop and peeked under the car and low and behold contact with strut;on both sides. called gm in detroit, they had no idea of the problem. ignored me. did not return my phone calls, they said they would. took vechicle to dealership to fix car. dealer said everything looked good except the camber in front of car. dealer fixed camber, made me pay $100. dollars. i call gm 10 times in detroit, have not received call back from my representitive. also spent $400.00 on two new 235/45 for the front; because even after they fixed it the stock tires wre stll 1/4 inch away from the strut. so it has cost me $500.00 to hopefully fix the car i do not even own. *tr | |||
| 10/29/2007 | 1 | 12/17/2004 | |
| My tires on my 2004 gto were wearing prematurely with only 27,000 miles on it. when i was washing my car i notice my front passenger tire had wires sticking out from the inside of the tire. it looked like it was wearing on something from the inside. after seeing this front tire i could no longer drive the vehicle until replacing all the tires. when i did bring my car to the pontiac dealer i was told it was to do with an alignment at my cost. i was told that there was no recall or warranty that covered this. i was charged for the tires a cam kit for the front caster to fix the alignment as well as labor. after reading about this problem from others i have to say i can't wait till my lease ends with this car. i feel this is something that pontiac should reimburse me for. *tr | |||
| 10/20/2007 | 29800 | 1 | 05/07/2007 |
| Took front passenger tire off to replace and noticed that the inside of the tire was chewed up from rubbing on the strut. tire was at the point of coming apart, the steal belts were exposed. the rest of the tire was fine except for the inside of the tire against the strut. there are ware marks on the strut itself. *tr | |||
| 12/03/2005 | 2 | 12/18/2004 | |
| I have a 2004 gto the tires rub the struts the dealer does not know why. i have had to replace 2 tires before i thought they would blow out, they only had 11000 miles on them i only have 16000 miles on the car. *jb | |||
| 07/19/2007 | 28700 | 1 | 08/28/2004 |
| Gm service tech advised would need tires soon 1,500 miles ago. car has 28,000 miles. took in to have slow leak fixed only to be told steel belts showing through on inside of tires. took to have 4 new tires put on, replaced with same tires that came from manufacturer and they rub the struts going down the road. how can pontiac put tires that are too big on these cars and get away with it? ended up paying $532.00 for smaller tires 235's vs. 245's that the manufacturer put on. gm says need to do alignment and change camber adjustment. not happy with that answer, its a bandaide and will cause new tires to wear on the outside prematurely. i still have the tires that came off the car. also original australian car had 235's gm decided to put the bigger 245's on the gto for the us. *tr | |||
| 07/14/2007 | 25 | 1 | 07/14/2007 |
| Purchased my 2004 pontiac gto used from carmax. and on the way home noticed a vibration and a squeal from the right front side,arrived home and smelled rubber burning looked under the car and see a groove cut on the inside of the right front tire. *tr | |||
| 06/04/2007 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto and the front tires are rubbing on the struts, causing them to wear unevenly and potentially blow out as a result. i need to know if there is something that can be done to address this problem, and what i need to do to correct the damage.*ak | |||
| 05/26/2007 | 30650 | 2 | 10/30/2004 |
| Front tires contacted the struts enough to eat through the sidewalls of both front tires. the paint on the struts is completely rubbed bare and both front tires needed to be replaced. the car is still within factory alignment specs as verified by dealer visit following incident. | |||
| 05/31/2007 | 5000 | 1 | 12/20/2006 |
| I have a 2004 gto with 15,000 miles that has a right front tire that is showing the threads. upon taking the vehicle to the dealer, they said the right front camber adjustment was out. a camber adjustment should last the life of a car. but i have now paid $100 for the camber adjustment and will be paying over $400 for new front tires, even though it appears to be a known issue with the gto and the other tire is in great shape and would have lasted another 25,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 12/11/2004 | 1 | ||
| As a 2004 gto owner i had to replace the tires 3 times prematurely, 15,000-20,000 miles on a tire rated at 35,000 due to front end strut rub. i had to spend several thousands of dollars to fix a problem gm created. i have been to gm dealer while the vehicle was still under warranty, and they would not do anything about the situation ,and that everything was in specs. i literally had to buy a lifetime alignment policy on the vehicle to constantly stay after the alignment situation that was causing strut rub. i have since replaced every bushing in the front end with after market, and the unaffected rear end), and the shocks and struts to cure the problem that gm refused to fix. after the new suspension and tires bought at the same time, and over 5,000 miles on it , i have no more premature tire wear as of this point. the date below was the approximate date i bought the vehicle as there was no incident. *ak | |||
| 06/19/2006 | 18000 | 2 | 04/30/2005 |
| Campaign # pe07010 front tires were rubbing the strut housing and wearing prematurely and unevenly. tires were replaced at ~18,000 miles and a front-end alignment was performed. the new tires also rubbed the strut housing and wore prematurely and unevenly and were replaced after 10,000 miles. spacers were placed between the wheel and brake rotor to stop the tires from rubbing the strut housing, but the real problem seems to either be a design flaw or suspension parts wearing prematurely. *jb | |||
| 05/05/2007 | 1 | 04/10/2004 | |
| In reference to recall campaign pe07010. strut rub wear marks have been observed on the strut towers of my 2004 pontiac gto. the front two tires are rubbing against the strut towers while the vehicle is in motion. at approximately 20,000 miles i heard a popping sound coming from the front suspension on several different occasions. nothing was done at that time because the symptom was not able to be reproduced and no actual problem had been observed. at 25,000 miles the original tires had to be replaced due to unexplained irregular wear. at 45,000 miles while upon brakes service clear wear marks were observed on the strut towers. on an irregular basis at speed the vehicle exhibits aberrant steering behavior. e.g pulling to the left or right for now clear reason. the front tires of the vehicle are abnormally worn on the inner treads from hitting the strut towers. the proposed repair at this time is: 1) replacement of the gas struts. 2) replacement of the stock wheels with narrower wheels sized 235/18. 3) replacement of the possibly failed strut bushings. *jb | |||
| 08/01/2006 | 16000 | 30 | 11/30/2004 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 50 mph the contact noticed that the wheels were vibrating. the steel belts were exposed on the front passenger's tire. the dealer stated that the vehicle needed a wheel alignment. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic to make the repairs. the contact replaced all four tires on the vehicle. the contact stated that approximately 3,000 miles later he noticed tire wear on the front passenger tire. the vehicle currently has 19,000 miles. *ak | |||
| 03/23/2007 | 25032 | 2 | 08/07/2006 |
| The two front tires of my 2004 pontiac gto had wear on the inside of the tires. one tire was cut with metal exposed. tires were replaced on the vehicle and alignment was checked and was verified all was well with in oem specs. have all paperwork to prove this, including tires taken off vehicle.*ak | |||
| 02/01/2007 | 10000 | 1 | 03/05/2004 |
| 2004 gto severe tire rub on the front strut tower and sever cupping of tires due to improper front alignment on tires. all four tires are worn due to rotation. *jb | |||
| 03/03/2007 | 16000 | 1 | 12/06/2004 |
| At 16,000 miles, i noticed excessive wear on the inside edge of the front tires of my 2004 pontiac gto. with the tires removed, there is a clear indication of the tire rubbing up against the edge of the strut when mounted and in motion. the car has not been repaired yet. *jb | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 24391 | 2 | 08/28/2004 |
| I heard tire rubbing while rolling into the garage. when i checked for the noise i found both front tires had the inside edge chewed off, down to the steel belts. *jb | |||
| 11/18/2005 | 30032 | 1 | 08/16/2004 |
| 2004 pontiac gto tires rubbing on front struts. *nm | |||
| 07/08/2006 | 18000 | 2 | 09/06/2004 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto. about 6 -8 months ago i had a right front tire that was going flat i went to a tire service center to have it repaired when the mechinac noticed that the tire was hitting the strut. i bought new tires (stock size) and when i went down the road the right front tire was smoking. the brand new tire had a slice down the sidewall of the tire from the strut hitting it. it was then towed to the dealer ship to be repaired. the mechinac at the dealer ship would not repair it under warenty and blamed me for the cause of the damage stating that i had to of hit something which i did not and told them that. i had to pay out of pocket to have anthor new tire and the right front strut replaced. the dealer ship stated that i had to of hit somethign and bent the strut there have been nurmous complaints about this problem. if i would of been at a higher rate of speed i could of lost control of the vehical. i do not know the correct date at this time i may have to get more information from my insuance company to see if i paid out of pocket or filed a claim on this one and to get the correct date of the incdeint. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 18000 | 1 | 10/01/2004 |
| Unusual wear on tires requiring early replacement from strut rubbing on tires. *nm | |||
| 01/17/2005 | 1 | 12/09/2004 | |
| I have had tire rubbing issues with my car since the day i bought. it is due to a suspension problem with the car. i have had countless alignments performed to the car. pontiac's solution to the problem was to adjust the camber to the positive side of the adjustment. however, this only patches the problem. i had to replace my factory tires at 12k miles because of this problem. when pontiac noticed my new tires they try to say it was my new tires that was the problem not the car. now because of the alignment my tires are wearing abnormally and i have already had to replace one of these tires. | |||
| 12/09/2006 | 18563 | 4 | 10/30/2006 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto in which the ft struts rubbed the inside of tire and causing a flat tire during a panic stop. i got a blow out, got it towed to shop the inside of the front tires have been rubbing for a while now and actually cut the tire to steel cord. this is unsafe and had to buy 4 new tires at 18000 miles. *nm | |||
| 04/20/2006 | 32000 | 2 | 12/22/2004 |
| Tires wear excessively due to the tire rubbing the strut of the car, front tires only. i have already gone through 2 sets of tires and 2 rotations combating the problem for the last 2 years. one of the tires that was rotated from the front blew out when it was on the rear. nothing has been done to correct the problem as there isn't a solution. *jb | |||
| 08/10/2005 | 17000 | 2 | 04/01/2005 |
| I have a 2004 gto. the front tires have been rubbing on the struts for some time. i took it to the dealer and they told me it was normal! i'm not sure of the exact date that i took the vehicle in for repair. the dealer ended up finally replacing the tires and then charging me for an alignment of the vehicle as well. t he tires were very worn on the inside edge where they were rubbing the struts. the rub only occurred on the front of the vehicle, but on both sides. i found at ls1gto.com that there were many other people with the same exact issues as myself. the dealer couldn't comment, but did say that they had many other cars in the kansas city area with the same problem. i doubt the problem is fixed yet, even though to this point the tires haven't been rubbing that i know of. i'm very weary of the problem and try to check the tires often. thus far i have been through 1 sets of tires on the front and fear it will happen again. this is a very dangerous situation. what if i blew a front tire while driving! tires were damaged well beyond repair. no crash. *nm | |||
| 10/01/2005 | 12000 | 2 | 10/20/2004 |
| Strut rub on both front tires and uneven tire wear at less than 10,000.00 miles vehicle was taken to dealership more than once for this particular problem. dealership would not fix the problem, nor would they replace the tires. when i replaced the tires that were on the vehicle from the factory at less than 20,000.00, the two front tires were showing the steel belts were showing through on both sides. dealership only advised me that it was a factory defect, and that they could not do anything about it. *nm | |||
| 12/30/2005 | 1 | 11/26/2004 | |
| I have had to replace both front tires twice due to inside tire wear/premature wear/strut rub (all inside wear near strut). the intermittent wipers do not function properly (all the time). give a false error of overheating within minutes of start-up (happened about a dozen times). analog speedometer was very erratic, moved all around from 0 to 200 mph while cruising at 65 mph (2 times) and read 140 mph while stopped. paint on the door handles started peeling off within 3 months of ownership (bought brand new). dampness behind the drives seat on the floor (often after driving in rain). radio controls on steering wheel do not function properly, a button has the function of the one above it (off & on all the time). gas cap replaced due to premature wear, caused engine light to turn on (often, still happens once in a while with the new cap). hard to shift in reverse at times, helps to shift in another gear first. shifter rattles often during acceleration. pops out of 2nd gear (mostly during cold mornings, also hard to shift into 2nd gear on cold mornings. lights stay on after car is shut off while in auto-mode; worked correctly at first, but now they always stay on (always operate them manually now to keep from draining battery). *nm | |||
| 11/20/2006 | 1 | 04/01/2006 | |
| Front tires rubbing on the struts. noticed after 2 months of ownership. dealership said it was normal wear, and rotated tires. 2 months later it was back. dealer ship would not cover anything. i went to another dealership and paid almost 2 thousand dollars for a new suspension setup. then replaced the tires. *nm | |||
| 12/23/2006 | 36076 | 2 | 12/10/2006 |
| The inside of front tires rubbing on the struts on my 2004 gto. the tires are wore down to the cords. if i wouldn't have noticed it it would have caused a tire blowout and possibly caused me to crash. i will have to replace the tires and possibly replace the front radius rod bearings, struts and strut mounts,and get an alignment. *nm | |||
| 02/12/2007 | 32578 | 1 | |
| I purchased my pontiac gto used with aprox 17,000 miles on the odometer. i was aware of the strut rub issue before purchasing and noticed the stock setup of tires on, and brand new. around 10,000 miles later, i took the car in for a rotation after some vibration and noticed extreme wear on the drivers side and worse on the passenger side where the strut had cut clean through the belts on the inside edge. it was no doubt in my mind that the strut rubbing caused this issue as per visual inspection of said strut, you noticed that the paint was worn off, tire marks were clear, and the belts had marred the metal of the strut. had i not been proactive and checked the tires periodically there would have been no doubt that the tire would have blown out and the consequences of that to follow. *jb | |||
| 08/16/2006 | 21000 | 1 | 09/16/2004 |
| I have had none stop wheel shake since i purchased the car and i had taken it in to be checked on several occasions. each time they said they found nothing wrong and sent me on my way. finally i took it for an alignment where they quickly discovered that front strut rub tore through the inside wall of both front tires. the tires where destroyed and you could see the belts through them. the dealership replaced the tires and adjusted my alignment to out of spec so it wouldn't rub any more. a proper fix was not done. the correct fix is to replace the front radius rod bushings and the strut tower bushings with a stiffer better bushing. i have gone out and purchased all new suspension components to properly correct this problem. pontiac refused to install them or cover any of the costs. they should have covered some of my expenses. not just replaced the tires. i have pictures and documentation of everything. *nm | |||
| 11/05/2006 | 21000 | 2 | 11/16/2005 |
| Tire rubbing on the passenger side due to lack of testing from pontiac.. the sidewall has a new grove cut in the tire all the way around now and i am worried about tire malfunction. *jb | |||
| 10/07/2006 | 26000 | 1 | 08/28/2004 |
| Far inner tread of front tires rub against the strut tower. this has caused premature wear (down to the steel radial). my gto has 25k miles on it and all four tires must be replaced. this is a major safety issue. *nm | |||
| 09/07/2006 | 13045 | 1 | 08/09/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. *nm | |||
| 03/12/2005 | 6000 | 2 | 12/28/2004 |
| Reference claim oid#10116796. my specific problem: i noticed strut rub on my front struts when i rotated my tires in march of 2005 (3 months after buying it). my selling dealer, covington pontiac in silver spring, md corrected the strut rub but never told me what they did. i had little or no problems after this until replacing the original bfg kdws with the same size 245/45/17 pirelli p-zero neros in january 2006 at 19,500 miles. even though the pirellis were the same exact size as the oem tires, manufacturing differences evidently made them slightly bigger and they again rubbed the strut. well, since 2005 and many complaints pontiac has come up with revised alignment specs which have dealers increase clearance between the strut and the tire by putting as much positive camber in as they can. after putting on my new tires, another pontiac dealer, boyle pontiac, set my alignment to the new pontiac specs per pontiac technical assistance center's suggestion in jan 06. my wheels are at maximum positive camber and now only slightly rub if at all, however i have no more adjustment left in my suspension and i am not convinced maximum positive camber is all that good for my tires or the car itself. what happens when the next set of tires i buy in the same oem size, end up being slightly bigger. i am out of adjustment. it is ridiculous to limit my choice of tires to one manufacturer and one type of tire or have tires that turn at thousands of rpms at highway speeds to rub anything. (and there is no guarantee that the next set of tires wont be bigger than my original even if oem tires are used.) *jb | |||
| 03/20/2006 | 14000 | 1 | 12/03/2004 |
| At 14,000 miles, i noticed uneven wear on the right front tire. upon removal of the right front tire, i observed wear marks and rubber fragments on the strut. the tire still has a lot of tread left excluding the abnormal wear which has worn bald. unchecked, this could lead to a disaster. this does not seem like it would be a difficult fix, yet many people seem to have gotten nowhere with the dealership. most likely, changing the tire size will fix the problem. this should be performed under warranty. *nm | |||
| 03/04/2006 | 2000 | 7 | 09/30/2004 |
| Vehicle was involved in a 1 car accident. for no known reason the vehicle went out of control while pulling out of a parking lot. upon removal of the damaged front fender it was determined that the tires on this vehicle were bald on the inside of the tire. this damage to the tires it was ultimately caused the accident. this defect is what is know as strut rub and is caused because of a design flaw in the particular vehicle. pontiac 2004, gto in addition to this issue my vehicle has had number issues with the shifter. it has been looked at by the dealer 6 to 7 times and shifter was replaced once. within a couple of weeks the shifter starts rattling again. this vehicle is definitely a lemon and should be recalled. gm refuses to buy back the vehicle because it was in an accident, even though the accident was caused by the defect in the suspension on this vehicle. also, even though this vehicle is still under warranty, the manufacturer states that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and has instructed us to drive it. there are numerous occurrences documented on various web sites, such as gto forum. i would be more than happy to print out this information for your review!!! *jb | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 10000 | 1 | 07/30/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#0116796. i am having the same problem, my tires are rubbing on my front struts. tires are ruined. rotated tires still have problem. *nm | |||
| 02/05/2006 | 35000 | 2 | 09/25/2004 |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto. i replaced the tires at 35,000 miles due to separation of tread and exposed cords. it was on the inside edge of the tires, not visible without looking beneath the car at the inside of tire. a tire was going flat which is why i took it in. they showed the wear and i got new tires figuring it was normal wear. however, after looking at gtoforum.com, i saw pictures of tires just like mine, and the owner of that car said his tires were rubbing along the strut. others on the website complained about this as well. it seems to be a common problem that needs addressed. these are fast cars, and if an unsuspecting driver is driving triple digit speeds (whether at a track or not, it doesn't matter) the results could be disastrous. on gtoforum.com they were saying an alignment will correct this, but it seems this car would be needing frequent alignments then. *jb | |||
| 01/10/2006 | 17170 | 1 | 08/08/2004 |
| I have a 2004 pontiac gto which was purchased in august of 2004. within a few thousand miles, the steering of the car began to pull to the right and the car wanted to follow ruts in the pavement more so than it did when new. during a routine oil change, my mechanic noted that the passenger-side front tire was wearing unevenly and had some chunks of rubber missing. i took the car into the dealer to have the alignment checked. the dealer noted that the alignment was within spec and just rotated the tires. the tire rotation helped the pulling and rut following for a short period of time. i had the tires rotated on a regular basis during regular oil changes. fast forward to january 2006, i noticed that the inside edge of the passenger side front tire was completely worn through to the steel belts during a self performed oil change.. upon further inspection, the passenger side rear tire also showed uneven wear (later surmised to have happened while on the front). at this point the car has only 17,000 miles on it. i replaced all four tires at 17,170 miles to the tune of $826.84. the alignment was checked and was slightly out of spec, but not enough to cause the kind of wear that was experienced. the tire shop that replaced noted that the right front tire had been rubbing on the strut tower. through www.mycarstats.com, i have discovered numerous other consumer complaints about this same problem. this is a potentially serious problem that is due to pontiac specifying wider tires on this vehicle than does holden, the australian manufacturer of the gto. *nm | |||
| 01/29/2006 | 3225 | 1 | 01/03/2005 |
| Right front (passenger) tire inner shoulder wearing excessively fast due to rubbing on the right front suspension strut tower. excessive wear resulting in premature tire failure / blowout on highway. replaced right front tire and performed alignment, adjusting camber to the extreme positive end of spec range. tire / suspension interference reduced, but still clearance is still dangerously tight. *nm | |||
| 02/19/2006 | 1 | ||
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut and are completely bald. if i wouldn't have caught it by accident a blow out would have surely occurred. *nm | |||
| 02/07/2006 | 21690 | 1 | 11/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the tire were worn smooth. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection where it was discovered the wear was caused by defective front strut towers. the towers were making contact with the side wall of the tire resulting in the premature wear. the dealer was able to determine the cause of the problem, however no clear remedy was determined. updated 03/28/06. *jb | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 9000 | 1 | 12/21/2004 |
| My factory-installed tires wear against the strut, especially on the passenger side. this has caused the dealer to recommend that i replace the tires with only 9,000 miles on the vehicle. gm refuses to do anything at all about this problem, and expects me to replace the tires as needed. *jb | |||
| 07/06/2005 | 4000 | 0 | 11/22/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front struts. dealership has said that pontiac has admitted the problem but says there is no fix. *nm | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 1 | 01/01/2005 | |
| Dt: the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the vehicle will begin to shake in the front end at about 60 mph. the dealership has been unable to address what the cause of the problem was. dealership stated there was an error to the car, and there was no solution for problem. it was inherent to the car. this last statement was from repair invoice. the dealership statesdthey test drove the vehicle and a slight vibration appeared at 60 mph. thiswas an inherent in this vehicle. gm was aware and no solution was available. *ak | |||
| 06/16/2005 | 6000 | 02/13/2005 | |
| Tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. in some cases, front suspension binding has occurred. in other cases, tire replacement was necessary. | |||
| 06/14/2005 | 0 | 08/28/2004 | |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. and add anything else neded. i used the component discriptors of suspension: front and suspension: front, macpherson strut. | |||
| 02/19/2005 | 17000 | 4 | 05/22/2004 |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbed on my front struts and after rotation all 4 tires were worn. two of them were worn down to the cords and all 4 tires needed immediate replacement. the dealer said that this problem was not covered by warranty and refused to replace my dangerously worn tires. this condition could have easily caused a blowout. i did save the least worn of the 4 tires for a full size spare and have a picture of the damage done to worst of the 4. history: the 2004-2005 pontiac gto is an imported version of the australia holden monaro. the holden manaro comes from the factory with 235/45r17 tires, tires that are generally 235mm (9.25) wide. however, when pontiac spec'd the gto for the us, they finally decided on a 10mm wider tire, a 245/45r17 bf goodrich g-force kdws tire. current problem: the larger tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. in some cases, front suspension binding has occurred. in other cases, tire replacement was necessary. this is due, in fact, to the increase in size of the tire that pontiac has chosen to put on the imported version. several pontiac dealerships are aware of this problem, and it has been speculated that pontiac is aware as well. future problems: tires are not all the same size. one 245/45r17 tire can be smaller or larger depending on the manufacturer of the tire. there is a strong posibility that when a consumer replaces his/her worn factory tires with another set of tires, of the same size, that they would be even larger and could cause serious problems. in light of the ford-firestone tire problems, i believe this is a situation that should be researched. please note: dealership lot cars would most likely not demonstrate this problem as they will not have been driven enough to cause the rubbing. | |||
| 01/12/2005 | 1 | 1 | 01/12/2004 |
| Front tires on this vehicle rub on the front struts. concern is the effect of the rubbing on the structure of the tire. as of yet there are no failures that i am aware of due to this problem. gm is aware of the problem, but has failed to address the issue with owners. *ak | |||
| 01/20/2005 | 2000 | 1 | 10/01/2004 |
| History: the 2004-2005 pontiac gto is an imported version of the australia holden monaro. the holden manaro comes from the factory with 235/45r17 tires, tires that are generally 235mm (9.25) wide. however, when pontiac specs the gto for the us, they finally decided on a 10mm wider tire, a 245/45r17 bf goodrich g-force kdws tire. no changes were made to the suspension of the vehicle for us import though. current problem: the larger tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. in some cases, front suspension binding has occurred. in other cases, tire replacement was necessary. this is due, in fact, to the increase in size of the tire that pontiac has chosen to put on the imported version. several pontiac dealerships are aware of this problem, and it has been speculated that pontiac is aware as well. future problems: tires are not all the same size. one 245/45r17 tire can be smaller or larger depending on the manufacturer of the tire. there is a strong posibility that when a consumer replaces his/her worn factory tires with another set of tires, of the same size, that they would be even larger and could cause serious problems. in light of the ford-firestone tire problems, i believe this is a situation that should be researched. please note: dealership lot cars would most likely not demonstrate this problem as they will not have been driven enough to cause the rubbing.*ak | |||
| 07/04/2004 | 4300 | 1 | 04/03/2004 |
| Immediately after purchase, heard grinding noise from right, front tire when turning and backing up. also noticed that steering wheel was slightly turned to the left while driving straight down the road. before 5000 miles i noticed an ever increasing rough ride and that the steering wheel vibrated badly while driving, also noticed that the inside of both front tires were worn completely bald. the right front tire even had the cords hanging out. immediately after discovering this, i took the car to the closest pontiac dealer. after being harassed and turned away by the local dealer, i was forced to take the car to the original selling dealer over 2 hours away. dealer discovered that the right front strut was bent, which caused this severe alignment issue, which made the tires rub while turning, also caused the steering wheel to be turned while driving straight and also wearing out both front tires to the point that driving on them was very unsafe. dealer replaced the bent strut, while stating that they could not find any evidence of a road hazard that would have caused this failure after delivery of the vehicle. also replaced the front tires. then the gm (indiana ) regional service manager refused to cover the cost under warranty stating that i could have caused this failure after delivery (even after dealer stated that their was no evidence of customer damage) also stated that struts were not covered under the gm 3yr 36k mile warranty . the dealer feeling badly, gave me a set of tires off of another gto that they put new tires and rims on. this gm pre delivery defect was very costly to me and even more importantly, could have cost me my life due to the potential for a tire blow out due to this gm alignment issue. pontiac customer service, after weeks of appeals, has refused to reimburse me. this is terrible and i advise any gto owner to check his or her front tires and alignment for unusual wear before it is too late. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 02/25/2008 | 57000 | 2 | 12/18/2004 |
| Last night, for the second time, the inside of my front left tire shredded while on the highway traveling at around 70mph. both times this has happened, i was fortunate not to lose control of the vehicle. in researching the problem, i find that there are class action lawsuits already happening relating to a design flaw on my 2004 pontiac gto that causes the front tires to rub against the suspension struts. i have had to replace two sets of tires because of this problem, and the resale value of the gto is also affected negatively. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2007 | 1 | 05/09/2006 | |
| Tires rubbing strut causing premature tire wear. had alignment under warranty after gm replaced tires due to excessive vibration at 15000. was advised by gm that was alignment issue and took it to another manufactures dealer for alignment was advised in spec.... *tr | |||
| 01/02/2008 | 40000 | 1 | 12/23/2004 |
| 2004 pontiac gto front tire contact with suspension strut and severe steering wheel vibration excessive tire wear in inner side. *tr | |||
| 11/07/2007 | 2 | 09/28/2006 | |
| I was on the internet and i came across defects on the 2004-2006 gtos and since i have one i investigated. the complaints were that the stock size tires were rubbing on the struts in front of the vehicle. so, i have a 2004 gto with only 7,800 miles on it. i went out turned said vehicle on turned the wheel almost till it would stop and peeked under the car and low and behold contact with strut;on both sides. called gm in detroit, they had no idea of the problem. ignored me. did not return my phone calls, they said they would. took vechicle to dealership to fix car. dealer said everything looked good except the camber in front of car. dealer fixed camber, made me pay $100. dollars. i call gm 10 times in detroit, have not received call back from my representitive. also spent $400.00 on two new 235/45 for the front; because even after they fixed it the stock tires wre stll 1/4 inch away from the strut. so it has cost me $500.00 to hopefully fix the car i do not even own. *tr | |||
| 10/04/2006 | 20000 | 1 | 10/04/2006 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto. the cars strut rub has wore a angle on the outer edge of the tire and has caused a chunk of tire to peel back and expose the metal wires. i have seen other peoples cars that are way worse. they have metal wires a inch wide exposed all the way around the tire. and have caused some people i know to have blow outs. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2007 | 18600 | 1 | |
| Car is 2004 pontiac gto. noted that steering wheel was shaking rather violently and upon closer inspection of front tires, noted abnormal and acute wear of drive side front tire resulting in tire rubbing against strut of vehicle. *tr | |||
| 07/07/2004 | 6700 | 2 | 07/07/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a squealing noise when he turned the steering wheel. the tires were rotated by the repair shop, however, the noise grew louder. the repair shop reversed the rotation and returned the tires to their original positions. the tires had wear marks and the strut was discolored. there was an odi action number (pe07010). the current and failure mileages were 6,700. the consumer stated feels this is a big safety concern would like manufacturer to reimburse $1100 in repairs. the consumer provided information from the website and also photos of the defect. updated 09/18/07 *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 30000 | 1 | 09/15/2004 |
| Rotated the tires on my 2004 gto and noticed the front tires were rubbing the front struts. areas of the front struts have no paint left due to the tires rubbing them. no major damage to the tires or the cars handling has occurred so far. i filed a complaint with pontiac customer service today (01 august 2007) and the lady i was talking to stated she had no complaints on file regarding my issue. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2007 | 20100 | 1 | |
| Just discovered driver side tire rubbing strut and the paint has been rubbed off of the strut. i had noticed the steering wheel shaking a little at highway speeds. i removed the front tires and the inside of the left front tire is almost bald. after reading a lot about this issue over the past few months, it is undeniable that the 2004 gto has design defects and inadequate suspension parts. i'm wondering how long it will be before gm does the right thing by replacing these parts with parts that won't immediately fail. will they do this willingly or will they wait until they are forced to do the right thing? will one or more people have to die first? will customers be forced to spend more of their own money to fix gm's shortcomings? after much research, i've come to the conclusion that a pedders or similar suspension upgrade is the only fix since gm replacement suspension parts will quickly fail just like the original parts. it will be interesting to see if gm will come through and will determine my future car purchases and those of the people i know. *tr | |||
| 07/23/2005 | 10000 | 3 | 12/22/2004 |
| 2004 pontiac gto. front passenger tire rubs strut. have lost three tires, one blew out and one had tread separation. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2007 | 18000 | 2 | 09/30/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. in 2005, the contact took the vehicle in to have the tires rotated and it was discovered that the struts failed. the struts have shredded the tires. the steering wheel vibrates very badly and a grinding noise is present while driving 25 mph. she took the vehicle to the shop and they stated that it was unable to be driven. the current mileage was 19,127 and failure mileage was 18,000. | |||
| 02/14/2007 | 24000 | 1 | 10/14/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 60-70 mph the steering wheel began to vibrate. the dealer stated that the front tires rubbed against the struts and had an air bubble. the failure mileage was 24,000 and the current mileage was 27,000. | |||
| 07/17/2007 | 31000 | 1 | 01/15/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the contact stated that the front struts have caused the front tires to shred. the suspension/struts are the issue, not the tires. both front struts and tires have been rotated and the steel belt was visible. complaint # 71-538194245 was filed with pontiac. the open nhtsa investigation # is pe07010. within the last few weeks, while driving 55 mph, the contact felt the steering wheel pulsate and assumed it was normal tread wear. the original tires were bf goodrich g-force, size p245/45/zr17. the contact can provide an invoice and photos. the current and failure mileages were 31,000. | |||
| 07/12/2007 | 29000 | 1 | 12/13/2004 |
| Struts rubbing on front tires. problem was caught before a failure.*ak | |||
| 07/09/2007 | 19500 | 1 | 10/24/2004 |
| I would like to add my name to the current defect investigation pe07-010 regarding the front tire strut rub issue on my 2004 pontiac gto. *ak | |||
| 06/29/2007 | 32000 | 2 | 06/24/2006 |
| Tires rubbing on front struts causing significant tire wear. this is a major safety issue if undetected, and an unnecessary expense to owners. clearly a design defect which needs to be resolved by pontiac asap. | |||
| 06/16/2007 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Excessive inner tire wear from tires contacting the front struts on 2004 pontiac gto at 32000 miles, second owner purchased with approx 28000 miles. tire wore within 1k00miles of buying it. upon replacing the tire documented findings with a picture of the strut-tire contact area. after 1800 mile trip on new tires, i now have significant inner wear on new front tires.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2007 | 45000 | 1 | 06/19/2006 |
| Last year i puchased a 2004 gto. brand new tires along with a balance and alignment were done with the purchase. shortly after the purchase(approx. 5,000 miles) i started to notice a vibration in my steering wheel. i took it to the local pontiac dealership after realizing that a small chunk of my tire had been taken out of the inside wall of my front left tire. pontiac sent me away telling me there was no rubbing. i read up on some forums saying that it was because of the width of the tires(245) so i decided to purchase new tires for the front(225). i have now had the tires on the front for 6,000 miles and the driver side tire blew out 2 nights ago. looking at the inside of the tire i saw that the whole inside had been shredded away and the passenger side is close behind it with all of the metal cords showing. now with putting the skinnier tires on your would think the problem would be corrected since pontiac was saying it was the width of the tire which was causing it to rub but in my experience that was false. this should seriously be taken into consideration of having a recall on whatever is making these tires blow out considering the money that people have already spent on the car and then having to replace new tires everytime they blow out. *tr | |||
| 09/07/2004 | 2 | 1 | 09/07/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. during a tire rotation, the contact noticed that the strut was rubbing against the inside of the front tires. the dealer has not diagnosed the cause of failure. the vehicle is currently in the repair shop. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage is 26,000 and failure mileage was 2. the consumer stated dealer diagnosed problem as struts were rubbing the tire. updated 02/01/08 *tr | |||
| 02/10/2007 | 11000 | 12/13/2006 | |
| Front inner tire wear on 2004 pontiac gto. | |||
| 05/29/2007 | 29516 | 1 | 06/21/2006 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto on tuesday 5-29-07 i was on the highway in the morning going to work when i heard a noise coming from the front end of my car it sounded like something plastic or rubber smacking against the front suspension of my car. the sound lasted a minute or two then quit so i stayed on the highway and continued to work upon getting to work i turned out my steering to the left to check the front end. what i saw was a split in the inside edge of my tire all the way down to the steel belts and the inside edge of my tire was worn from rubbing against the lower part of the strut. i also saw wear deep into the inside edge of my right side tire but it hasn't split like the left front. i know of many complaints about the gto tire/strut problem and as of today i picked up my car from the pontiac dealer service shop and they will not fix it because there is no recall as of yet on this problem. i bought this car less than a year ago used and when the car was reconed at the dealer i bought it from they installed 4 brand new bfg g-force 245/45zr17 tires as per factory tire specs the rear tires are like new but the fronts are trash and i have only put 10000 miles on the gto since buying it a year ago. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 16000 | 1 | 12/27/2004 |
| I noticed all tires were worn on inside past the tread at 14,000 miles on car. i replaced all 4 tires and took the car for alignment. mechanic pointed out that the front tires were hitting the strut mounts when hitting a bump when springs compressed or during hard cornering. a groove was already worn in my new front left tire. alignment was within specs. i went to dealer and they said that more camber would keep from rubbing. dealers alignment readings were different than alignment shop. i have since discovered many other 2004-2006 gto owners have the same problem. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 11/15/2004 | ||
| Premature tire failure. front tires rubbing the struts near the top. car has 36,000 miles on it. 10 tires purchased, front end has been aligned by dealer 7 times (at my expense) in last 22,000 miles to correct. i am aware that this issue exists with this car and closely monitor the tires and replace them when the rubbed area gets visibly worse. | |||
| 05/05/2007 | 0 | 2 | 08/08/2004 |
| Have 04 gto and heard about the front tires (inside) rubbing on the struts (5/5/07)...read internet articles about tire failures and the one accident in cleveland. i checked the condition (5/5/07) on my car by removing both front wheels and discovered serious tire damage and rub marks on the struts..i have grounded the car due the this condition, pending information on how to correct the condition and related costs. neither gm nor my dealership contacted me to flag this serious safety condition.*jb | |||
| 04/16/2007 | 1 | 04/21/2006 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) front struts and tires show evidence of interference. also, front suspension alignment exhibits excessive negative camber which has resulted in excessive tire wear on inboard edges. 2004 pontiac gto vin: [xxx]. mileage: 17,000. *tr | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Suspected strut rub has worn the inside edge of driver's front tire bald. only driver's front tire is affected, and this occurred with only 12,000 miles on tires. problem was discovered in november 2006, tire wear was not visible when tires were rotated in april 2006 (4,000 miles earlier). an alignment performed in december 2006 seems to have prevented further tire wear. *tr | |||
| 04/19/2007 | 13100 | 2 | 05/26/2004 |
| Noticed front tire strut rub recently after finding an article done by cleveland newsnet 5. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2006 | 18000 | 2 | 04/28/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while surveying the vehicle, the contact noticed that the struts were rubbing against the tires. this failure caused the tires to wear out to the wire. the two front tires were replaced, and 3,000 miles later the tires began to wear out again. the vehicle was taken to four dealers, and no one could explain the tire wear. the current mileage was 22,000, and failure mileage was 18,000.*ak | |||
| 12/05/2006 | 30000 | 2 | |
| Had noises coming from front suspension, took vehicle to gm dealer they replaced strut and did alignment under warranty. but had to replace front tires on my own with less than 30,000 on the tires. the set i replaced on the front had both come in contact with the struts and wore the inside of the sidewall out, cut a groove into the driver' s side that blew the tire out. the tires were replaced at 36,000 miles, and now has 8, 000 miles on them and were showing the same kind of sidewall wear to the fronts. had the front of the car aligned again and it was to specs. no worn out suspension parts were found. the tire store had noticed this before on other vehicles the same as mine, and had them change tire size to give the tires clearance from the struts. so again another tire change.*ak | |||
| 03/26/2007 | 1 | 2 | 12/18/2006 |
| Reference: 2004 pontiac gto stock correct size front tires were rubbing on the struts. confirmed by pontiac dealer. tires wore out on the inner sidewall due to contact with the strut.*ak victory pontiac, calera, alabama 205-664-0046 will not correct this after being handed the nhtsa paper adressing this issue. just confirmed it was a problem that is happening that i must pay to fix. the 2004 pontiac gto is under full gmac warranty as well as an extended platinum warranty.*ak | |||
| 07/05/2006 | 19764 | 2 | 12/26/2004 |
| On july 5 2006, i brought my vehicle to the pontiac dealer for what i thought was a hub bearing. i was told it was a tire noise and the vehicle was returned to me. i then had a oil change done a week later when the tech told me my pas frt tire had the inner tire cords exposed. i then called back the pontiac dealer and talked to the service writer. i asked him why i was not told my tire was unsafe. he said the tech told him it was just a tire noise and did not know that the steel belts were exposed. i was then told i needed a alignment and a tire. i then bought a new tire and the vehicle was aligned.the tech at the goodyear service center said the vehicle was within the manufactures spec and there was a little wear on the strut. the vehicle then had 19764 miles. my vehicle now has 30284 miles and both driver and passenger tires are worn almost to the belts and both struts have wear marks. today's date is march 17, 2007. i have called gm customer complaint line and talked to a customer service agent that gave me a ref#71-494955481. she informed me that there is no recall and that she never heard of this before and there was no other complaints of this. she told me to take it to a dealer. i mad my appointment and the vehicle is now at the dealer . they told me it was my alignment again and never heard of this . i brought your investigation number into this problem and multiple complaints from ls1gto.com. i showed them pictures and what to check for from a gm tech on that site. i gave them them trhe tech's name, dealer which he works for and phone number. the service manager told me he see's the problem with my vehicle , but basically gm will probably deny him to look into these claims. he was basically telling me before that it was my driving until i showed him my 2 year old's car seat in the passnger rear. you cannot see the wear unless the tire's are fully turned left or right. | |||
| 03/15/2007 | 18000 | 2 | 12/14/2004 |
| 2004 pontiac gto, experiencing extreme uneven inside tire wear on left front and right front tires due to strut rub. | |||
| 03/15/2007 | 17200 | 1 | 04/01/2004 |
| Tl*-the contact has a 2004 pontiac gto tha the purchased on april 28 2004 with 0 miles, currently with 17200 miles. the contact stated that the front two tires are rubbing against the struts of the vehicle due to premature wear. however, the tires have not been replaced since the vehicle was purchased. the tires were .f. goodrich, 245/45r17. *ak | |||
| 08/19/2006 | 16000 | 1 | 04/04/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph all four tires went flat without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the struts rubbed against the tires causing the flats and the wheels needed to be aligned. | |||
| 07/07/2006 | 18000 | 1 | 02/28/2005 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto with the factory 17' wheels and 245-45-17 tires. in auss where they are made and sold as a holden monaro they come with 235-45-17 tires.. but gm changed the tire size and never checked to see if it made contact with the strut. there has been a common problem with the tires coming into contact with the strut and wearing the paint off the strut and wearing the inside edge of the tire down to the point of the tires blowing out. i noticed that my front tires were rubbing on the struts at 18k miles and took it in, and after a couple of calls.. the gm rep. won't cover it and blames me for the problem and says they never heard of this problem before.. even after they called pontiac tech asst they knew about this problem and how to fix it. this needs to get fixed asap before someone gets killed. *jb | |||
| 03/12/2005 | 6000 | 2 | 12/28/2004 |
| Reference claim oid#10116796. my specific problem: i noticed strut rub on my front struts when i rotated my tires in march of 2005 (3 months after buying it). my selling dealer, covington pontiac in silver spring, md corrected the strut rub but never told me what they did. i had little or no problems after this until replacing the original bfg kdws with the same size 245/45/17 pirelli p-zero neros in january 2006 at 19,500 miles. even though the pirellis were the same exact size as the oem tires, manufacturing differences evidently made them slightly bigger and they again rubbed the strut. well, since 2005 and many complaints pontiac has come up with revised alignment specs which have dealers increase clearance between the strut and the tire by putting as much positive camber in as they can. after putting on my new tires, another pontiac dealer, boyle pontiac, set my alignment to the new pontiac specs per pontiac technical assistance center's suggestion in jan 06. my wheels are at maximum positive camber and now only slightly rub if at all, however i have no more adjustment left in my suspension and i am not convinced maximum positive camber is all that good for my tires or the car itself. what happens when the next set of tires i buy in the same oem size, end up being slightly bigger. i am out of adjustment. it is ridiculous to limit my choice of tires to one manufacturer and one type of tire or have tires that turn at thousands of rpms at highway speeds to rub anything. (and there is no guarantee that the next set of tires wont be bigger than my original even if oem tires are used.) *jb | |||
| 01/19/2006 | 18000 | 1 | 11/18/2004 |
| I leased a 2004 pontiac gto. the automobile had premature tire wear on the insides of the tire. the car has lots of vibrations while traveling at all speeds. i replaced the tires for the third time through goodyear and it still has vibrations. i took to dealer today and car has a service bulletin for vibrations the struts are causing problems. the struts are also rubbing on the tires causing the premature wear however the pontiac does not wish to recognize this problem. this is also a safety concern which could lead to a blow out. buyer beware! *nm | |||
| 03/18/2006 | 16000 | 1 | 09/22/2004 |
| After i had put 20,000 miles on my car i could hear a rubbing noise from the front wheel. upon closer inspection i noticed the inside of the tire was rubbing against the struts on both front wheels. since i had the tires rotated on a regular basis all four wheels had the wear on the inside. since the tires were bubbling out on the inside wall of the front tires i purchased new tires. the new tires were still rubbing the struts. i took it to the first dealership and they suggested grinding down the struts. the next dealership i took it to changed the camber in my alignment. it now has 1/8 inch clearance and when i hit bumps or when i turn the wheel sharply it still rubs. i have taken it back to the dealership and they claim it is within specifications for the car. the dealership will not address the problem as if it doesn't exist. *nm | |||
| 04/12/2006 | 12350 | 2 | 12/18/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. the front tires of my 2004 pontiac gto are rubbing against the struts causing extreme/excessive wear on the innermost tread. it is nearly impossible to see until you jack the car up because the vehicle sits so low and the tires are so wide, so i did not notice it, my mechanic did. now, my dealership is giving me the run around and trying to tell me they aren't going to replace the tires even though they are covered for 36,000 miles (there's only 12,500 miles on the car now). their service manager even went so far as to try to tell me that i abuse my vehicle and drive aggressively and that's what caused the wear. he also lied right to me and said that i had to call pontiac and have them call him with an authorization number (which pontiac then told me was not the procedure), and he told me he had already contacted his district rep when indeed he had not. | |||
| 03/07/2006 | 16000 | 1 | 01/07/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, it was apparent there was excessive wear on the inside of the passenger side front tire. the dealership replaced the front tires. this did not correct the wear problem. the vehicle has been aligned four times, but the tire is rubbing on the strut, which has not been repaired. | |||
| 02/16/2006 | 22000 | 1 | 09/07/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. just purchased 4 new tires at 675 dollars and changed size to 235/45/17 to correct this problem from the oem 245/45/17 size . i want reimbursement from gm for these tires. *nm | |||
| 01/12/2006 | 15000 | 1 | 11/27/2004 |
| I reference claim odi#10116796, i am having the same problem, my tires are rubbing on my front struts. had i not heard from another gto owner of this problem i would have not checked to see if there was an issue with my car. not checking would have resulted in a tire blow out with possible injury to my family or myself. *jb | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 1 | 1 | 01/23/2005 |
| I noticed unusual wear on the passenger front tire, inside edge. evidently the factory struts rub on the inside edge of the tire, eventually causing failure of the tires. took the care to alan young pontiac in north richland hills. a service writer and an individual from the parts department both looked at the wear and stated that it was a common problem with the 2004 pontiac gto due to design problems. they stated there was no recourse through gm. *nm | |||
| 01/16/2006 | 12000 | 1 | 09/18/2004 |
| My 2004 gto is now 13 months old and has 12,000 miles on it. i just suffered a failure of the passenger front tire due to excessive rubbing against the suspension strut. the dealer said they is nothing they can do about it. these are the original tires and no modifications have been made to the vehicle. after replacing both of the very expensive front tires, i am already experiencing wear on the inside wall of the new tires, after only a few hundred miles. i believe this is a design flaw, but pontiac will do nothing about it. *nm | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 7000 | 1 | 12/10/2004 |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto and the front tires are rubbing the strut tower and they rubbed the inside tread bald. i have 18000 miles on my car now it i noticed it when the car had 7000 miles on it. i have went to the dealership i bought the car from and they said i would have to talk to gm about the problem. so i called gm and fought with them for awhile and they haven't done anything to fix or replace my vehicle. i got a hold of the better business bureau when i notice the rubbing and they documented the issue now i have an appointment on november 16 with the better business bureau for them to listen to my case and be given any more information i have on my problem. also my back tires are going bald now too, i've had a four wheel alignment on the car and they are still wearing unusual. *jb | |||
| 09/06/2005 | 23033 | 2 | 12/22/2004 |
| I bought a 2004 pontiac gto in december and from the day i bought it until now i have noticed that the front wheels had a negative camber to them. the problem i am having i started to notice the affects in april or may. the problem is the front tires are rubbing against the front struts. i took the car to the dealership i bought it from vaughn motors in ottumwa, iowa. i took the car into them in mid july the car had 19,700 miles on it i took it in to have it looked at since i had to replace a set of tires due to the insides of the tires wearing down to the cords, the service department told me there was no problem with my car and they sent me down the road with no work done to the car to fix the problem, on the service report they wrote up for me it states noted rub marks on struts from tire sidewall deflection no bulletins from pontiac at this time. i now have 23,033 miles on the car and the tires that are on the front of the car are again wore down to the cords. i called pontiac customer service and they told me to have the car taken to vaughn motors, car had to be towed since the tires are shot. dealer had the car for a few hours and said they had to adjust the camber cause it was too negative and that they would not be replacing any tires. dealer then stated to me that there were no rub marks on the strut and the tires where like that because i was not rotating them enough. i rotated the tires around every 4,000 miles gto manual states to rotate every 6,000. i called pontiac back and requested they have the car fixed the right was and have the tires replaced. car is still at the dealership until pontiac gives me there decision. there is a case opened by a person i know with the same type of car and the same problem the case # is 10116796. *jb | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 1 | 06/14/2004 | |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front struts. i own an 2004 pontiac gto. *nm | |||
| 08/27/2005 | 1 | ||
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. *jb | |||
| 08/13/2005 | 09/30/2004 | ||
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. history: the 2004-2005 pontiac gto is an imported version of the australian holden monaro. the holden monaro comes from the factory with 235/45r17 tires, tires that are generally 235mm (9.25) wide. however, when pontiac spec'd the gto for the us, they finally decided on a wider 10mm tire; a 245/45r17 bf goodrich g-force kdws tire. no changes were made to the suspension of the vehicle for us import though. current problem: the larger tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. after purchasing the car and driving it, i noticed rub marks on the strut but the dealer was unaware of the strut rub problem at the time and claimed it was normal. they did not recommend any action to be taken. recently, i noticed the tread on my front passenger side was wearing unusually (inside was wearing quickly) and i assumed it was due to an alignment problem. i had planned on getting new tires and an alignment to remedy this problem but on august 13th, a section of the tire came loose and was making a thwap noise due to some of the tire hitting the car. i arrived home shortly after and took the wheel off to put on a spare tire. when i took the wheel off, i noticed the rub marks on the strut had actually gotten deeper. i realized that the unusual tire wear was due to the tire actually rubbing on the strut. i took some pictures of the tire and some of the strut where the tire was rubbing. here are the links for the pictures. http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/jlee72/dscf0880.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/jlee72/dscf0881.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/jlee72/dscf0282.jpg. *nm | |||
| 07/05/2005 | 63 | 02/18/2004 | |
| Stock tires are rubbing against the strut on both sides of the front and is causeing the tires to wear on the inner edge fast then normal my tire has the steel belts showing and if i did not find this problem out it could of been life threating to have a blow out on the front, the dealer and i have contacted pontiac direct and they came up with taking the stock wheels off a different gto and doing a alignment b/c the tires i had to purchase due to my budget were of a different brand but still the same stock size 245/45/17 their machine cannot align with the tires i currently have and they want to charge me $130.00 usd for having to take the wheels off a different gto and doing the alignment that was not correct from factory which resulting in irregular tire wear. i just noticed this incident 07/05/04 when i took my car in for new tires and the tec showed me the tire but this has had to going on for some time now the wear through the tire like that. | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 6100 | 2 | 05/26/2004 |
| Reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. and add anything else neded. i used the component discriptors of suspension: front and suspension: front, macpherson strut. | |||
| 06/10/2005 | 14000 | 1 | 09/16/2004 |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. the dealership is recommending an alignment that comes at my expense. i do not feel i should have to pay for the design inadequacies of my vehicle. my tires are now also worn prematurely on the inside | |||
| 02/19/2005 | 17000 | 4 | 05/22/2004 |
| I reference claim oid#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbed on my front struts and after rotation all 4 tires were worn. two of them were worn down to the cords and all 4 tires needed immediate replacement. the dealer said that this problem was not covered by warranty and refused to replace my dangerously worn tires. this condition could have easily caused a blowout. i did save the least worn of the 4 tires for a full size spare and have a picture of the damage done to worst of the 4. history: the 2004-2005 pontiac gto is an imported version of the australia holden monaro. the holden manaro comes from the factory with 235/45r17 tires, tires that are generally 235mm (9.25) wide. however, when pontiac spec'd the gto for the us, they finally decided on a 10mm wider tire, a 245/45r17 bf goodrich g-force kdws tire. current problem: the larger tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. in some cases, front suspension binding has occurred. in other cases, tire replacement was necessary. this is due, in fact, to the increase in size of the tire that pontiac has chosen to put on the imported version. several pontiac dealerships are aware of this problem, and it has been speculated that pontiac is aware as well. future problems: tires are not all the same size. one 245/45r17 tire can be smaller or larger depending on the manufacturer of the tire. there is a strong posibility that when a consumer replaces his/her worn factory tires with another set of tires, of the same size, that they would be even larger and could cause serious problems. in light of the ford-firestone tire problems, i believe this is a situation that should be researched. please note: dealership lot cars would most likely not demonstrate this problem as they will not have been driven enough to cause the rubbing. | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 2500 | 1 | 09/28/2004 |
| On a 2004 pontiac gto front struts are rubbing sidewalls of factory tires, took into dealer said nothing wrong, member of a internet forum and many owners are having same problem reference claim #10116796 thank you. *ak | |||
| 04/14/2005 | 7500 | 10/20/2004 | |
| Ireference claim oid 10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front struton my 2004 pontiac gto.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 03/04/2006 | 2000 | 7 | 09/30/2004 |
| Vehicle was involved in a 1 car accident. for no known reason the vehicle went out of control while pulling out of a parking lot. upon removal of the damaged front fender it was determined that the tires on this vehicle were bald on the inside of the tire. this damage to the tires it was ultimately caused the accident. this defect is what is know as strut rub and is caused because of a design flaw in the particular vehicle. pontiac 2004, gto in addition to this issue my vehicle has had number issues with the shifter. it has been looked at by the dealer 6 to 7 times and shifter was replaced once. within a couple of weeks the shifter starts rattling again. this vehicle is definitely a lemon and should be recalled. gm refuses to buy back the vehicle because it was in an accident, even though the accident was caused by the defect in the suspension on this vehicle. also, even though this vehicle is still under warranty, the manufacturer states that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and has instructed us to drive it. there are numerous occurrences documented on various web sites, such as gto forum. i would be more than happy to print out this information for your review!!! *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 05/16/2005 | 02/12/2004 | ||
| The inside of the front tires rubs on the strut tower. the inside tread of my tires was bald after only 12000 miles. this could possibly cause a blowout. the only remedy i can imagine would be to give the car a .5 to 1 inch lift or downgrade to 235/45zr17 tires.i belong to a gto club and everyone i've spoken to has the same problem. i will have them fill out complaints also. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 10/21/2007 | 1 | 10/10/2007 | |
| I own a 2004 pontiac gto that is tearing up the front tires and makes a popping noise when driving. i have been trying to get it fixed and have not been able to find out the problem till i was told about the safety problems. i asked dealers about the noise and the tires and was told they did not know what the problem was. i was never told about this or did i get a letter in the mail about a safety problem. it really makes me mad to think that it was not made public to people of the problem. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 02/24/2010 | 35000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 65 mph the struts began to rub on the rear driver side tire causing the tire to blow out. the contact replaced the tire and drove the vehicle to a dealer regarding the struts. the dealer refused to look at the vehicle but acknowledged that the struts were a concern. the contact called the manufacturer to have another dealer diagnose the failure. the contact stated that the blow out could have caused a crash to occur. the failure mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 16700 | 1 | |
| I purchased a used 04 pontiac gto. i noticed the car tires were very noisy. after close inspection of the tires, i discovered the passenger front tire was worn almost bald with severe cupping. i bought new tires and was told the inside of the previous tires had wear on the inside of the tire- apparently from rubbing against the bottom of the strut. i was told that i should do something about the strut replacement on the car or this condition could result in an accident. u began to research this issue and found that it was inherent in this car and that the simplest remedy was to have a pedders certified mechanic install a kit of bushings made specifically for the problem. this kit replaced defective oem bushings that has disintegrated at less than 16k miles. in my case, both oem shocks and struts were literally shot at 18k miles and had to be replaced. however, because of the size tire the manufacturer put on the car to handle the hefty weight of the vehicle, the tire sits less than a pencil width from the strut so on impacted surface contact, the inside of the tire rubs on the strut and will eventually shred the tire. my cars rear springs are shot from excessive compression tied-down in shipping from australia to america so the complete fix job will cost me 3 thousand dollars - gm knew about the engineering flaw in the match of tires and suspension with parts that would bust in short time and they also knew about springs being weakened in shipment but sold these cars without warning to the customer or any recall or service bulletin. i believe that gm should pay the 3k to get the corrective suspension configuration on my car and reimburse me for the 1100. i replacement struts (temp fix) and pedders strut-rub bushing replacement kit. no one is safe in this car or any gto. i can provide eyewitness testimony/affidavits from the shop that performed the repair. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2008 | 28000 | 1 | |
| 2 tires on the right rear have been shredded on the inside edge (perimeter) of the tire. the first time was blamed on alignment. i have since learned there is a design problem with my 2004 gto. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2006 | 4485 | 2 | 07/11/2006 |
| I purchased a new 2004 pontiac gto on july 11, 2006. it was sold to me as a new vehicle and was told the warranty was the same as buying a new car. it had 661 miles on the odometer when i purchased it. as of today (11/27/2006) it now has 4,485 miles on the odometer. when i took the car to a shop to have the oil changed, while the car was on the rack, it was pointed out to me that the rear tires were wearing unevenly in the rear. the inside of the rear tires were worn completely down. the tread on the tire gradually increases towards the outside of the tire. i researched the issue using several online resources and found where other owners have the same issues. from what i have read, there is an alignment problem/design issue with the rear suspension from the factory. i took my vehicle to the dealership (11/27/2006) to address my concerns. my service advisor and the service dept. manager looked at my vehicle while on the rack. after inspecting my vehicle they explained to me that gm would not cover checking the alignment or replacement of my rear tires because the warranty period for the those items had expired. they recommended that i contact the 1-800 number for pontiac customer service for further assistance. i called the customer service number and filed a complaint about my vehicle. the gm reference # for that complaint is: 71-443102842. i was told by the pontiac representative that they were going to call the dealer and obtain more information on my situation. i feel this is a very serious issue as the balance of the vehicle is effected if the rear alignment is not correct. on a previous visit i had complained to the dealer about a loud popping noise coming from the rear suspension on occasion as well as feeling that the car was not solid while at interstate speeds. on that visit i was told the problem could not be duplicated, and that the vehicle was found to be operating within specifications. *jb | |||