2004 Pontiac GTO tires problems

“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…”

“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…”

“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”

“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”