Group Wants Pontiac GTO Investigated

The Center for Auto Safety is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open an investigation into the 2004 - 06 Pontiac GTO. The slow-selling muscle car was built in Australia and imported into the U.S., where it was given larger tires that the group is claiming rubbed against the front struts of the car, causing excessive wear leading to 65 complaints. Pontiac replaced the front struts in 2006, but NHTSA has received more than 100 complaints about faulty struts, not tires, in 2006 models. We’ll keep an eye on the situation to see if NHTSA does indeed begin an investigation or if GM issues a recall. 

[CAS Calls for NHTSA Investigation of Pontiac GTO Tire Failures, CAS via Jalopnik]

Comments

[Paul]

Sounds like parts bin engineering,rather than engineering from blueprints.Of course,the Holden Monaro was never originally designed to be a GTO for America.....until Bob Lutz came to town....

everyone does bin engineering so get over it

[neil]

Guess it doesn't take too many complaints to ruin a good thing.I'm sure none of these cars were driven hard and never had a lower tire pressure that might have resulted in more tire deflection. We are talking about a very small difference in size. Front tires never loose air due to turning too quick, scrubbing off speed, deflection from hitting a curb, rut etc. so it couldn't be any of these conditions. Next we'll hear about drivers loosing control while driving over 100mph, has to be the cars fault....

Didn't they test the affects of larger tires before installing them on the cars? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to put the correct sized tires back on the car versus replacing struts that were designed for smaller tires?

[jdcheng]

Yes, the GTO is actually known to have a strut-rub issue. There've been comments made on GTO-specific boards about this since 2004. This is primarily an alignment issue, as with the larger-spec tires (245 vs 235) gave less leeway in terms of strut contact.

And as for the "correct size", the Australian versions of the cars use 18" wheels (and the 18" option on the GTO uses 235-spec tires, too). GM downsized to 17" because of US road conditions, and wound up with the 245 size. Unfortunately, the new spec strut had issues in transport, causing early strut failure.

[Brad]

I own a 2006 GTO manufactured in February 06 with the 18" wheels. I love my car, however at approximately 1,000 miles my front struts started leaking. This is a widespread problem in 2006 GTO's manufactured between certain dates. The car would bounce up and down the road like an old Cadillac from the 70's. Also, the strut fluid leaked out underneath the car and disintegrated the front bushings (who knows what else). So I had a brand new car that bounced up and down all over the place while making suspension noise as if it had 100,000+ miles on it. Apparently, Pontiac changed the strut fluid in the front struts to a lighter weight, and did not do much testing on the new lighter weight oil. During this time Pontiac instructed me to drive my car as if nothing was wrong while I waited on the parts to come in. Pontiac had no estimate as to when the parts would be available. This really made me mad. I didn't want to damage my car while waiting indefinitely on parts for my car. This is why people don't like General Motors. They did try to console me by giving me 1 year of free maintenance for the whole issue. At least I got 0% for 72 months and the GM Employee price on the car.....

[Paul]

"everyone does bin engineering so get over it"

Thats true,but only those in a rush put parts together that dont fit together.Even a kid with Lincoln Logs or an Erector Set knows that.GM obviously doesnt.

[Troy]

I think there was a rush to get a car that Americans were interested in to the market. Something had to boost sales... Now, do the Aussie versions of the car have the same issues? If not, why not import the car in Aussie spec?

[Dan]

My 2006 GTO had leaking struts last August, which also destroyed various bushings. My dealer recommended I drive it that way on a 3,000 mile trip. Two different shop Reps at the same dealer also told me they couldn't get replacement parts until October 2006. So I paid for aftermarket replacements, which the dealer then installed incorrectly. The biggest hassle was that, despite warranty, I had to pay for the rental car AND my dealer put 90 miles on the Goat while it had bad struts. Pontiac, indeed all of GM, needs to understand that their dealers, and their Regional Managers (who decide on what will be covered and what won't) are killing their customer loyalty. The fact that GM knew about the bad struts and issued no recall, sent no letters, warned no buyers... is sufficient grounds for a class action against GM which I honestly hope happens. Rest assured, while I will continue to buy used GM vehicles from time to time, I will never again buy a new GM vehicle... period.

[Karl]

I own a 2004 GTO. I can't speak to the strut fluid issue. First I heard of it. However, failed strut bushings are becoming quite well documented. Do a search.

[Tim K]

Is the strut/tire issue specific to the 17" wheel; or to the 18" - or both?

[Tim K]

Is the strut/tire issue specific to the 17" wheel; or to the 18" - or both?

[JOHN DOYLE]

I HAVE JUST REPLACED MY 4 TIRES WITH 23000. MILES ON THEM. ALL 4 WORN OUT ON THE INSIDE.THE DEALER I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM DID ALL THE ROTATIONS AND ON THE LAST ONE TOLD ME THE TIRES WERE SHOT.WENT TO PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE, SHOULD HAVE CALLED DIAL A PRAYER I WOULD HAVE GOTTON MORE SATISFACTION.THEY TOLD ME ALIGNMENT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY OK,AND THEY CHECKED THE STANDING HIGHT PER PONTIAC. TOLD ME ALL WAS FINE. THE NEW TIRES ARE WEARING THE SAME. HAD THE FRONT END ALIGNMENT CHECKED BY AN INDEPENDENT, HE SAID IT WAS WITHIN SPECS.PONTIAC HAS A PROBLEM THEY WILL NOT ACK OR FIX THEY HOPE IT GOES AWAY JUST LIKE THER CUSTOMERS, REMEMBER THE VEGA AND THE CHEVETT

[Alex]

I did noticed once while driving my 04, the inside of my right-front tire started to peel-off to the wires. That was kinda strange since the rest of the tire still had something to go for. Had to replace it.