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 | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 71740 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto. the contact stated both front tires were rubbing against the struts and are worn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the failure was caused by the way he drove the vehicle. the manufacturer stated the contact was driving aggressive which caused the tires to wear. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 71,740. rvk | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 71740 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto. the contact stated both front tires are rubbing from the struts and are being worn down. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated it was the way he drive the vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted who stated it was aggressive driving and tire wear. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 71,740. mw | |||
| 05/15/2010 | 27000 | ||
| I bought a 2005 gto and with only 27000 miles the stock front tires are rubbing on trhe front strut bracket. i was told by a shop not to drive it as the tires are close to a blowout. five mionutes on the internet reveals this is a very common problem that has caused many accidents. | |||
| 05/29/2009 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2005 pontiac gto and the events leading up to the problem was i had noticed that my tires were not holding air so i took my car to a tire company to have them look at my tires they told me that the tread had been rubbed off due to the struts on the front end of my car. *tr | |||
| 05/30/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Struts rubbing against tires on 2005 pontiac gto. tires are factory recommended size. steering wheel shakes immensely from manufacturer defect, tires worn out prematurely, and safety issue to family. accident waiting to happen!! *tr | |||
| 09/05/2008 | 13987 | 1 | |
| 2005 pontiac gto with 18 performance tire/wheel package. premature suspension bushing wear causing premature tire wear and alignment issues in only 14,000 miles. tires are completely worn out on the inner edge in 14,000 miles. fortunately, i caught this before their was a blow out of a steering axle tire which could have caused a loss of vehicle control and possibly a mva. even though this is a widely known problem gm has not addressed it and the dealership is unresponsive. fortunately this vehicle has the 18 tire package or the tire side wall would be rubbing on the strut as they do on the vehicles with the standard 17 tire/wheel package. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2008 | 20000 | 1 | |
| Have had to replace the front tires twice now. the first time the tires were showing the metal cords on the inside next to the struts. the second time the car has had two blow outs, again the front tires (which were newer tires, replaced after the first set wore). car only has 30000 miles. back tires are still original with plenty of tread left on them. *tr | |||
| 06/22/2008 | 20000 | 1 | |
| 2005 pontiac gto 6/22/08 had left tire rear blowout which resulted in a front end crash, the airbags didn't deploy,and injuries occurred. also damage resulted to the sides and rear of the car. insurance decided it was a total loss due to $17,000 in damage. a blowout also occurred 12/2007 on the left rear tire while on the interstate which didn't result in a crash or injuries. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2007 | 21000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto. while driving at any speed, but particularly at highway speeds, the front driver side strut rubs against the tire and causes premature wear and tire shredding. when the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic and lifted up on a rack, the uneven tire wear was visible. the rear wheel well has a metal foil that goes underneath the wheel well. when turning to the left or right, the metal foil grazes and slices the tires. upon replacing the tire, the contact found other tires with premature wear as well. the current mileage was 24,000 and failure mileage was 21,000. | |||
| 04/07/2008 | 19000 | 1 | |
| My 2005 pontiac gto has a tire wear problem. luckily my tire failed while parked in the driveway. when i removed the flat tire i observed the inner edge of the tread had been worn completely through to the metal cord of the tire. i inspected the other tires and found that all four tires had inner edge wear. the rear tires must have been rotated from the front to back, as i understand this is a wear problem on the front tires. the tires rub against the strut causing the damage. my car has 19,00 miles and all four tires need replacement. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2008 | 22000 | 2 | 06/15/2005 |
| The car is a 2005 pontiac gto. it has 245/45-17 tires that came on the car. the car has 22,000 miles on the odometer. the tires show clear signs of rubbing on the front struts. i have pictures of the passenger's front tire that shows cup marks and the tire cut through to the steel belts. the strut shows marks where the tire has come in contact with it. *tr | |||
| 12/04/2007 | 1 | ||
| Purchased a new '05 gto and at 20k discovered abnormal tire wear/alignment/strut rub. tires were shredded and besides the obvious safety issues will need to be replaced. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2007 | 19774 | 1 | 02/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto with bf goodrich tires (model unknown). while driving 15 mph, the front passenger tire was flat. the contact felt that the front tires rubbed against the struts and caused a flat. the current and failure mileages were 19,774. *updated 12/12/2007 *bf updated 12/12/07 *tr | |||
| 07/21/2007 | 15904 | 1 | 05/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto. the contact stated that the tires are leaning against the struts of the vehicle. he noticed that all four tires were completely bald and were wearing unevenly in the innerside. the vehicle will be taken in for inspection on august 21, 2007. no tire information was provided. the current and failure mileages were 15,904. | |||
| 07/06/2007 | 35000 | 1 | 06/10/2005 |
| Strong vibration developed from the front of the vehicle. inspection of the front end revealed the inside edge of my right front tire was cut past the steel belts due to it rubbing on the strut. i had to replace all the tires on the car. *tr | |||
| 05/21/2007 | 30100 | 2 | 10/26/2006 |
| Sudden front tire failure due to sharp cut on inner edge. have seen many simliar reports for gtos. ref www.autoblog.com/2007/02/15/gto-a-real-tire-shredder/. filed compiant with gm, they will not address it. *ak | |||
| 04/14/2007 | 18100 | 1 | 09/30/2005 |
| The 2005 pontiac gto with 18,000 miles was taken to tire service station for inspection and repairs of potential nail penetration to front passenger tire on april 14, 2007. slow leak in tire after winter storage in garage caused the tire to be flat. upon removal from car the defective tire determined the entire inner rim was worn out, exposing wires. stated i was lucky the tire did not blow,out and rip my fender off, and causing an accident. i was informed that the driver's side tire was damaged as well, not safe to drive on, but not as bad as the passenger front tire. something was severely wrong with car to cause that much damage. paid for a replacement tire to drive to dealership. researched information on internet through forums in regard to strut rub issue. dropped car off at moormans pontiac in dayton, ohio on 05-07-07, and shared strut rub information with them, at which time they informed me that they had not been aware of this problem. they inspected the car and informed me that there was no evidence of tire rubbing on the struts, and that i would have to pay for alignment and new tires since i had evidently caused the problem myself due to my driving habits. quoted cost of repairs would be $881 plus tax. actual information entered in service ticket read customer stated tires were rubbing front struts and wearing out the tires. *ak | |||
| 01/10/2007 | 11000 | 1 | 04/01/2006 |
| Front tires were worn to the point that the steel belts were showing on a 2005 pontiac gto with only 11,000 miles on it. had i not noticed this. i could only imagine what might have happen. the tires were only worn on the inside edge of the tire. i believe the tires were rubbing on something, but i couldn't tell on what. the vehicle set normally as best as i could tell. the wheels didn't appear to have any inward or outward angling that might have caused this. *ak | |||
| 03/26/2007 | 11112 | 1 | 02/19/2006 |
| During inspection of the front suspension, noticed that the front tires were rubbing against a metal plate on the front struts. this caused the paint on the strub to wear and the rubber tire will eventually be damaged by constantly rubbing against steel. *jb | |||
| 03/13/2007 | 19500 | 4 | 07/05/2005 |
| Cupping of in side tire. *jb | |||
| 03/09/2007 | 6000 | 1 | 06/09/2005 |
| Right front tire has excessive wear on inside. this was noticed at each tire rotation and now the vehicle has 18000 miles and is showing more wear than should be. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2007 | 16700 | 1 | 03/01/2005 |
| I discovered severe inside tire damage at only 17,000 miles. research found that many other 2005 pontiac gto's are suffering from similar damage due to the front tires rubbing on the struts. i took the car to my local dealer, and he refused to do any aside from selling me two new tires and an alignment. *jb | |||
| 02/10/2007 | 15000 | 3 | |
| Three tire replacements due to tire blow outs at unsafe speeds during the past year (2006-2007). mechanics noted rubbing of both front tires against the struts of my 2005 pontiac gto. *jb | |||
| 03/06/2007 | 1 | ||
| 05 gto 18,000 miles. front tires rub struts. *jb | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2005 pontiac gto suffered a flat front driver's tire. upon my own inspection, both front tires had severe inner wear from rubbing the struts. *jb | |||
| 08/26/2006 | 16000 | 2 | 01/15/2006 |
| Inside of two front tires were shredded after just 16k miles. one of them blew out on the highway, the other needed replacement. *jb | |||
| 01/30/2007 | 2 | ||
| Front tires are rubbing against the inside strut. took the car to the local dealer and they said nothing was wrong with the car. it was just out of alignment. they billed me for an alignment and i replaced the tires with new tires. just over 18k miles. middle and outside of tire was just fine, plenty of tread left. inside had a groove cut into the tire and had cut the tire down to the belt. *jb | |||
| 03/19/2006 | 1 | 11/21/2005 | |
| 2005 pontiac gto - front tire rub on strut causing excessive tire wear on inside of front tires. *jb | |||
| TIRES - SIDEWALL | |||
| 10/11/2007 | 4 | 06/23/2005 | |
| Tire failure due to strut rub on the front end of my 2005 gto. *tr | |||
| 07/07/2007 | 1 | ||
| Front tire tread came off due to premature wear of passenger side tire. driver side tire ready to fail. cause seemed to be currently under investigation from nhsta. dealer rotated the tires in the past and has not commented. was denying any problem with car. extremely dangerous. odometer reading at tire failure 25515 miles. currently going back to dealer to see if they will resolve issue as was expected. *ak | |||
| 04/29/2007 | 11073 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac gto. the mechanic noticed that the passenger side front tire sidewall was worn down to the steel belt. the failure was noticed while the vehicle was on a lift receiving an oil change. the tire has not been replaced. the vehicle has not been diagnosed. the purchase date, engine size, correct vin, and transmission type were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 11,073. | |||
| 01/22/2007 | 18250 | 2 | 08/08/2005 |
| The manufacturer of the 2005 pontiac gto has chosen a standard wheel/tire combination and wheel alignment specifications that cause excessive tire wear to the front passenger and driver's side tires. the proper alignment as set by the manufacturer's standards is in negligence to potential safety standards and good practice for a performance type car. during regular driving it is probable and likely that the inside of both front tires will rub in a dangerous fashion on the suspensions components (namely strut) causing the tire to fail prematurely. the failure is such that the tire becomes a serious safety hazard specifically exposing the tire steel belts prior to the visible wear bar indicators being exposed. one proper correction to limit the possibility of continued tire rub would be to align the camber in a fashion that is more specific than the manufacturer's standards. after having an alignment at the manufacturer's certified service center, this correction was not performed and the manufacturer was further negligent while not properly informing the owner or the service center staff about this tire rub issue. after having the tires rotated at the aforementioned service center the tires were not properly inspected for safety. the excessive tire wear was visible at approximately 18,000 miles. at this point, the front tires had failed and should have been replaced under warranty due to the factory alignment settings. during the first 12,000 miles on the car the original front tires had been damaged in such a way that steering alignment could not be maintained. this was observed from the service center staff. at that point on the said mentioned day, the rear tires were also failed. the service center was not properly informed about these issues causing an unsafe situation. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2007 | 2 | 10/18/2005 | |
| My 2005 pontiac gto is showing excessive front tire treadwear on the inside sidewall and tread. also gets severe vibration/shimmie from the front when driving over 50 mph. *ak | |||
| 03/12/2006 | 4 | ||
| Tires rubbed to the cord on the inside seemingly from the strut issue i have read about online. one tire wore itself flat. i went in to replace the tire, and found all four tires needed replacement. replaced all four b.f.goodrich tires with similar toyo tires.ak | |||
| 09/04/2006 | 24400 | 1 | 03/01/2005 |
| After reading cleveland's newsnet5 report about front tire problems on the 2004-2005 gto, i realized i have had a similar problem. i had to replace my tires at 24,400 miles due to the right front tire being severely cut and worn on the inside tread. since my tire tread was about half way worn, i chose to replace all instead of one, or two. i discovered the problem during a routine tire rotation, and did not see any sign of abnormal wear when i rotated them at 20,000. i immediately took the car to firestone and had an alignment done. the right front was off slightly negative camber causing the tire to rub against the strut the clearance is very close when properly aligned. after replacing the tires with pirelli pzero m+s 245/45-17 i had the technician verify clearance with the struts, and he said you can see light meaning the clearance was close. i have logged 10,000 miles on these tires and have rotated them twice noticing very minor inside wear and slight wear indications on the struts themselves. since i have lifetime wheel alignments with firestone, i have had the alignment checked 4 times since then with minor camber and toe adjustments up front. my primary concern is a minor misalignment can shred a tire in 4,400 miles, or less. thank you for your attention. *jb | |||
| 04/29/2005 | 1 | 09/24/2004 | |
| Front tire causes rubbing on the front strut, namely and more commonly the passenger's side strut. this is evidenced by a rubbing mark on the strut body, and many times wear marks on the tires themselves. the tire sidewall rubbing in this area could easily cause a blow out, especially if the owner doesn't inspect the tires and suspension well, or isn't aware of the potential problem. in light of the ford-firestone tire problems, i believe this is a situation that should be researched.*ak | |||
| TIRES - TREAD/BELT | |||
| 08/17/2006 | 30000 | 1 | 04/22/2005 |
| The tread is re-winding on the inside of all 4 tires (bfgoodrich) of my 2005 pontiac gto, to the point that the metal cording is showing, and has caused a blowout. tires have been regularly rotated and are not showing wear. 30,000 miles & still under warranty. dealership will not help me. car cannot be driven until tires are replaced. *tr | |||
| 09/22/2006 | 12000 | 2 | |
| 2005 pontiac gto. strut rub/ defective factory alignment. caused premature wear to front driver and passenger tires which required replacement at 1200 miles. noticeable rubbing on strut. *ak | |||
| 07/22/2006 | 18000 | 2 | 04/18/2005 |
| Stock tire one (front right) failed on interstate due to extreme tire wear on the inside section of tread. this happened around 18,000 mi on the gto. i replaced the tire. the two on front left failed via a slow leak at 21,000 mi. when replacing the second tire i noticed the same extreme wear on inside part of the tire(internal wire belt showing. i inspected the rear tires , recently rotated, and found same excessive inside tread wear. after inspecting the wheel wells, it became obvious that the tires are consistently rubbing inside against the front struts due to lack of clearance. i had to purchase a complete set of 4 new tires and i also photographed the used/worn tires and the worn/scratched front struts. this vehicle is still under the manufacturer's warranty and i have not yet reported this problem to my local dealership. *ak | |||
| 11/29/2006 | 15800 | 1 | 06/30/2005 |
| B.f. goodrich factories tires were shot at 15,800 miles on at 2005 late model pontiac gto. they were dangerous and the manufacture and dealer claimed abuse which is false to keep from having to replace under warranty. i have photos and one time had the belt shift and become completely exposed. another was bald on one side, but not the other. two others were rounding and flattening in various spots. it appears to be they are trying to cover up a major defect that may be dangerous and costly to them much like the firestone problem on the suv's a few years ago. *nm | |||