Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Pontiac GTO owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Vehicle was involved in a 1 car accident. For no known reason the vehicle went out of control while pulling out of a parking lot. Upon removal of the damaged front fender it was determined that the tires on this vehicle were bald on the inside of the tire. This damage to the tires it was ultimately caused the accident. This defect is what is know as strut rub and is caused because of a design flaw in the particular vehicle. Pontiac 2004, GTO in addition to this issue my vehicle has had number issues with the shifter. It has been looked at by the dealer 6 to 7 times and shifter was replaced once. Within a couple of weeks the shifter starts rattling again. This vehicle is definitely a lemon and should be recalled. GM refuses to buy back the vehicle because it was in an accident, even though the accident was caused by the defect in the suspension on this vehicle. …
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. …
I have a 2004 Pontiac GTO which was purchased in August of 2004. Within a few thousand miles, the steering of the car began to pull to the right and the car wanted to follow ruts in the pavement more so than it did when new. During a routine oil change, my mechanic noted that the passenger-side front tire was wearing unevenly and had some chunks of rubber missing. I took the car into the dealer to have the alignment checked. The dealer noted that the alignment was within spec and just rotated the tires. The tire rotation helped the pulling and rut following for a short period of time. I had the tires rotated on a regular basis during regular oil changes. Fast forward to January 2006, I noticed that the inside edge of the passenger side front tire was completely worn through to the steel belts during a self performed oil change.. …
I own a 2004 Pontiac GTO on Tuesday 5-29-07 I was on the highway in the morning going to work when I heard a noise coming from the front end of my car it sounded like something plastic or rubber smacking against the front suspension of my car. The sound lasted a minute or two then quit so I stayed on the highway and continued to work upon getting to work I turned out my steering to the left to check the front end. What I saw was a split in the inside edge of my tire all the way down to the steel belts and the inside edge of my tire was worn from rubbing against the lower part of the strut. I also saw wear deep into the inside edge of my right side tire but it hasn't split like the left front. …
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. …
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. …
I own a 2004 Pontiac GTO. About 6 -8 months ago I had a right front tire that was going flat I went to a tire service center to have it repaired when the mechinac noticed that the tire was hitting the strut. I bought new tires (stock size) and when I went down the road the right front tire was smoking. The brand new tire had a slice down the sidewall of the tire from the strut hitting it. It was then towed to the dealer ship to be repaired. The mechinac at the dealer ship would not repair it under warenty and blamed me for the cause of the damage stating that I had to of hit something which I did not and told them that. I had to pay out of pocket to have anthor new tire and the right front strut replaced. The dealer ship stated that I had to of hit somethign and bent the strut there have been nurmous complaints about this problem. …
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. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Pontiac GTO. The contact stated that the vehicle was manufactured in australia, and that they should never have been allowed to ship the 2004 defective models to the united stated. He is experiencing suspension failure, in which the vehicle does not drive in a straight line. The vehicle veers from left to right. The contact must use both hands to drive the vehicle. He stated that the suspension and motor were changed. The motor was changed because it was very difficult to shift and it would slip and make noise. There was also transmission failure with the vehicle. While driving over a minor bump at any speed, the vehicle would break down. He also stated that the vehicle had piston slap. When the vehicle was idling, he could hear a ticking noise. The noise was caused by the piston striking the top of the motor head. …
Own a 2004 Pontiac GTO. Took my car in for a noise in the front end area. Everytime I went around a corner slowly I could hear a rubbing noise. And sometimes when I would back out of the parking space I hear a loud grinding noise and the steering wheel would jump out of my hands. I took the car in to my gmac dealers service department to have a look. The mechanic told me that the strut was rubbing on my tires. We looked at the tires on my front end and there were groove marks all along the radius of the tire. Some chunks of tire were taken out and some of the steel belts were showing through. He told me I was lucky to catch this when I did or I could have had a blow out at any time. I had to replace all four tires because they had been rotated a couple of times all ready. The back tires weren't as bad as the front but of course you can't just get two new ones. …
NHTSA investigations
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…
Suspension complaints in other GTO years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2004 Pontiac GTO?
NHTSA has 169 complaints about the suspension of the 2004 Pontiac GTO, 69% of the model year's 245 complaints. The component named most often is front (71 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Pontiac GTO suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2004 Pontiac GTO. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Pontiac GTO suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 18,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.