2004 Pontiac GTO suspension problems

“I GOT NEW TIRES PUT ON YESTERDAY. THEY ARE THE STOCK SIZED TIRES. SHORTLY AFTER I HEARD A LOUD SOUND COMING FROM THE BACK RIGHT SIDE. I NOTICED THE TIRE WAS RUBBING ON THE FENDER. THE CAR SAGS MORE AND MORE EACH DAY. THEN YESTERDAY, I WAS JUST DRIVING NORMALLY FROM STOP LIGHT TO STOP LIGHT, AND MY CAR WOULD WOULDN'T GO INTO 3RD OR 4TH GEAR. SO I CHECKED FLUIDS AND IT WAS OK ON THAT. I HAD TO DRIVE 30MPH BACK HOME. *TR”

“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 THEIR 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 CATASTROPHIC 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. *KB”

“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 APPROPRIATE 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? *TR”

“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 ALIGNMENT AND THAT'S 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. *TR”

“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…”

“NEAR MISS - AT LEAST THUS FAR. . . 2004 PONTIAC GTO FOUND BOTH FRONT TIRES TO BE WORN THROUGH ON INSIDE OF TIRE SUCH THAT CORD WAS SHOWING THROUGH. LUCKY I FOUND THE WEAR AS IT WAS ON THE FAR INSIDE OF A VERY WIDE TIRE WITH LOW CLEARANCES ALL AROUND. FORTUNATELY I PARKED THE CAR THE OTHER DAY WITH THE TIRES TURNED ALL THE WAY ONE DIRECTION, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS SPOTTED BEFORE A BLOW OUT ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD THE TIRES REPLACED AT 20K MILES WITH SIMILAR WEAR AND WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE. SO I BOUGHT THE NEW TIRES AND HAD ALL THE WHEELS ALIGNED. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20K MORE MILE THE TIRES ARE IN A WORSE CONDITION THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES. LOOKS LIKE THE STRUTS MAY BE WEARING THE TIRES. THIS IS A CLEAR CASE OF A DESIGN FLAW IF THERE EVER WAS ONE, WHICH IS WHY I FEEL I MUST REPORT IT. I WILL PROBABLY TRY TO HAVE SHORTER TIRES (EITHER WIDTH OR HEIGHT) INSTALLED TO CORRECT IT. SHAME I AM HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS PROBLEM AGAIN, BUT I AM THANKFUL THAT I FOUND THE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GOT HURT. *TR”