Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | ||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 01/27/2009 | 16782 | 1 | |
| Pontiac gto uneven tire ware. 16700 miles and the tires are shot. one went flat, luckily not on the highway. *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 | |||
| 05/17/2005 | 7000 | 1 | |
| Contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto purchased new oct 2004. the front tires are rubbing against the struts. the failure has curved out a groove approximately half inch deep for passenger side tire. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or mechanic for this issue. the failure occurs at any speed. current mileage is 19 500 and first front tire blown out occurred around 7000 miles while car was ~1 year old. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2007 | 1 | ||
| My 2004 pontiac gto needed new tires at just over 13,000 miles. there was extreme inner tire wear. i had the car for just a few months and had only put 5k miles on the car. the dealership claimed it was not a defect and that i would just have to buy tires ever 10-15k miles. *tr | |||
| 05/17/2008 | 1 | ||
| The inside of my tires were abnormally worn when i replaced them according to the mechanics at sam's club, one dangerously so. they showed me the old tires and indeed they were more worn on the inside than anywhere else. one had the steel belts coming out. my car is a 2004 pontiac gto with 33,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 03/12/2008 | 31670 | 1 | 09/08/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the front passenger side tire is rubbing against the struts. the failure has curved out a groove approximately one inch deep. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or mechcanic. the failure occurs at any speed. the failure mileage was 31,670 and current mileage was 31,683. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 07/24/2007 | 10000 | 1 | 04/16/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. upon checking the vehicle, the contact discovered that the inner part of both front tires were rubbing on the struts. there were no recalls regarding this failure. the current mileage was 123,000 and failure mileage was 10,000. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 10/07/2007 | 21490 | 2 | 12/10/2004 |
| Problem with steering control and slow air leak out of front right tire, led me to bring my car to just tires in december 2005. the technicians removed the front right tire and found that the inner wall of the tire was shredded. i then took my car to the pontiac dealer and paid over $700 for a faulty tire rod arm. on october 7, 2007 while driving 65 mph down a busy interstate, the steering became unsteady as a loud rumbling noise commenced. about 15 seconds later the rear passenger side tire exploded and i was driving on the rim with limited control of the car, trying to pull off to the side of the road. as i put a spare tire on the car, there was shredded rubber wrapped around the axle and brake linkage that was difficult to remove. with the spare tire in place, i slowly drove 8-10 miles to my local pontiac dealer where i parked my car until the next business day, so i could cancel my lease early. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 9000 | 0 | 11/12/2004 |
| I purchused my 2004 pontiac gto in november of 2004 i was one of the first to owen this car in 2004. however about 9,000 miles of me driving my car i had rear tire problems the camber and toe was not straigh. i took my car back to the dealer ship and they told me not there problem. i took my car to a number of diffrent alinment places and they all checked alinment and said it was off a little but not enough to were only on the inside of the rear tiers. i replace the tires my self. about 1,000 miles later my steering was shaking and front end, the first thing i thought it was my rotoers i went to replace and relize it was my front tires. again i took to dealer and again they turn me away. i contacted pontiac and gm they said the will sent an inspector to look at car that never happen> the dealer ship did not want to set up with me. pontiac told me they do not go to people houses for that it has to be done in dealership. i went to another dealer and they told me they never heard of anything like that. i replace my tires more then 3 times in front and 2 times in back and everytime had an alinment done. the first time i had fronts replaced they told me that the front tires are rubbing agenst the struts. i did not go to dealer to be turned away. i cant keep affording new tires everytime 6,000 comes. i purchused a new car to have no headachs but instead i have more and spend a lot of money. also the gas cap gets stuck on when i get gas. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 08/30/2007 | 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 | |||
| 07/19/2007 | 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 | |||
| 05/16/2004 | 2 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. the contact stated that both front b.f. goodrich tires on the vehicle were excessively worn. the dealer replaced the tires and aligned the vehicle under warranty. the contact was informed that the vehicle also had a power steering leak. the dealer replaced the power steering rack and aligned the vehicle. the contact has noticed that the two front tires are beginning to wear again. the dot number, tire, purchase date, and mileage information were unavailable. | |||
| 05/16/2007 | 23000 | 1 | 07/06/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 35 mph, the drivers side rear tire blew out. the failure did not cause any damage, but the dealer stated that the remaining three tires were also going to blow out. the tires displayed cords and an alignment was performed at 15,000 miles. the current and failure mileages were 23,000. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 04/30/2007 | 18000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 pontiac gto. while driving 65 mph the contact heard a flapping noise. after observing the vehicle the front passenger tire peeled into strips. the tire was a b.f. goodrich. the road and weather conditions were not a factor. there were no injuries. the tire has not been replaced. the failure and current mileage was 18,000. *ak | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 03/29/2007 | 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 02/14/2007 | 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 | |||
| 09/07/2006 | 9000 | 2 | 12/09/2005 |
| I purchased a 2004 pontiac gto from a local gm dealership in pella, ia. my car was showing noticeable wear on the inside 1.5-2 on both front tires. after getting my car back from an oil change, the dealership brought it to my attention that the front tires were worn through to the cords on the insides only. since then, i've been in contact with gm several times explaining to them that there is a severe safety issue and it needs to get resolved. the answer was to replace the front tires with new at my expense and warranty would not cover the situation. this obviously does not fix the problem, nor does it pay for the tires that i had barely used in the entire 9,000 miles of the car. the car was purchased new at jensens auto center in pella and i am the only owner/driver in the cars history. *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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 05/17/2006 | 1 | 01/30/2004 | |
| The front tires (primarily the passenger side) are rubbing against the inside struts. this is exactly the same problem as indicated on the other gto posts. i brought it in to the dealer and was told that i had to just deal with it and that pontiac would not fix the problem. i have already burned through a set of tires. the front passenger tire was worn down to the white inner tire lining. now, the driver side is also rubbing. *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 | |||
| 08/30/2005 | 1 | ||
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having the same problem. *jb | |||
| 08/27/2005 | 1 | ||
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. *jb | |||
| 04/21/2005 | 1 | 01/01/2004 | |
| I reference claim odi#10116796. i am having this same problem. my tires are rubbing on my front strut. i am having the problem on both the driver side and passenger side, mostly on the passenger side. also minor passenger side tire damage. *jb | |||
| 04/05/2005 | 2000 | 1 | 06/05/2004 |
| 2004 pontiac gto: front tires (mainly passenger side) rubbing strut tower, causing premature wearing on tires and potentially dangerous consequences (e.g. tire failure etc).*ak | |||
| 03/15/2005 | 7000 | 1 | 02/09/2005 |
| This problem occurs with a 2004 pontiac gto. the front tires rubbed against the strut, causing the tires to wear out. the tires could potentially explode because of this issue. had the dealership look at and log the problem. they said that there was no solution available as of this writing. i have utilized online resources, such as ls1gto.com to find out how common this problem was. many people responded and identified the same problem. no one has been offered a solution by the dealership they have visited.*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 | |||
| 02/27/2005 | 6000 | 1 | 11/23/2004 |
| I have 6,000 miles on my gto. i can not rotatie my tires because the inner tire in the rear of my car are bold. pontiac dealer is giving me hard time about the rear. my tire are towed in on the top so i got uneven wear they told me nothing is wrong with the rear.*ak | |||
| TIRES - BEAD | |||
| 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 | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 16000 | 1 | 08/30/2004 |
| Inner sidewall of both front tires were worn down the steel radials. this was observed with 16,000 miles on the car. regular tire rotations occurred, wear seemed to take place over the duration of an extended road trip. *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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 05/15/2007 | 2 | ||
| I am an owner of a defective 2004 pontiac gto. i am also an automotive designer and engineer. my wife and i first learned of the potential for this problem along with many others through our company owned websites. www.aedcentral.com. proper rotation techniques were used etc to insure this was not an issue with our vehicle. under my first inspections this problem was not detected. yesterday my, wife and i were driving in the 2004 pontiac gto in the rule area, california mountains, and discovered this potential problem in the most frightening manner. while driving at the posted speed limit 55 mph through curves in the mountains and vehicle had almost drifted right off a cliff's edge. realizing that we were heading in this direction , off the cliff, i was forced to engage the emergency brake and slide the vehicle away from going off the cliff. two lives could have been lost due to this engineering oversight. the outer rubber layer on the inner edges of the front tires started to roll off the inner sub-trait, thus allowing an uncontrollable lateral shift in the car's vector/direction. right and left inner sidewall section of both front tires were clearly friction-cut or rubbed clean through from contact with the bottom of the spring pad on the lower end of the strut assembly. the packaging tolerance complied with the factory tire choice has closed this required space to an unsafe dimension and with time, bound to an eminent pre-mature component failure. the vehicle was taken to the pontiac dealer , still under warranty, and we were told this was tire wear and not covered under warranty. thank you for your time , and am looking forward to your reply. 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 | |||
| 03/27/2007 | 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 | |||
| 03/26/2007 | 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 03/14/2005 | 1 | ||
| 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 im worried about tire malfunction. *ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 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 | |||
| 07/08/2006 | |||
| Was going to buy new tires for my 2004 pontiac gto at a local tire shop. after wheels were removed, the technician pointed out the extreme wear on the inside contact edge of both front tires. he explained to me that they were worn down almost to the point of the steel coming through. after mounting them back on the vehicle, it was very clear that the tire was rubbing against the strut on both sides. the back tires were inspected also, and also found abnormal wear on the inside edge from when they tires were rotated previously from the front. had i driven for another couple thousand miles (which the tires still had enough tread for) the steel belts may have been exposed and caused a blowout. i'm glad the technician brought it to my attention. i will be in contact with my local pontiac dealership very soon about this issue. | |||
| 04/16/2007 | 5600 | 2 | 08/17/2004 |
| I took the 2004 gto to dealer for an oil change and tire rotation to colonial tire near my home they found the right front inside of the tire was worn down to the belts and needed to be replaced immediately. also, they found a rear tire missing about 3 of tread and that required replacement. i have not read that this year and model gto had a strut problem that caused it to rub against the front tires, and that the tires chunked easily. there was no accident or injury involved. it cost me $437. *ak | |||
| 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 | |||
| 04/16/2007 | 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 | |||
| 04/05/2007 | 1 | ||
| My 2004 gto-i purchased new in 12/04. took it to dealership for warranty work at 2880 miles, and the dealership performed an alignment. the car now has 18634 miles and needs 4 new tires. the belt is showing on the right front and is unsafe to drive. the pontiac dealership, century buick/pontiac), as well as gm insist there is nothing they can do-it' is not a warranty issue,just normal wear and tear. i baby this car and know for a fact that these tires,according to the b.f. goodrich customer representative that i talked to told me one could expect 30000 to 40000 miles. i took the car to tire kingdom, and they said something was rubbing on the tire to cause this premature and unusual wear. i now know from research of my own the gm put larger tires on the 2004 gtos ,and since then has supposedly fixed the problem on the 2006 vehicles. .this doesn't solve my problem, and i do need new tires, but because of the strut is rubbing against the new tires the same problem will occur again. shame on gm and pontiac for deceiving me and thousands of others. not only do they expect us to pay for their mistake, but more importantly,there is a serious safety issue as well. please make them do the right thing.*ak | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 06/05/2005 | 4000 | 12/20/2004 | |
| I reference claim oid#10116796 excessive rear tire wear at 4,000 miles | |||