Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Pontiac GTO owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
Wheel feel off car driving. Gm refuses to investigate. Says call dealer. Have pics of wheel and screenshots of help conversation
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. …
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. …
Tl* -the contact owns a 2005 Pontiac GTO. He received a NHTSA report via email stating that there is an open investigation for the following components: suspension, suspension:front suspension:front:macpherson strut, tires, tires:sidewall. The NHTSA action number is pe07010. The contact's vehicle demonstrated the same failures. The front passenger and driver tires are rubbing against the struts; the steel belts are showing , and the tires are shredding because of it. The tire brand is bf goodrich, dot be8r3u113304, tire size, 17/245. The original tires were replaced due to the related failure. The failure mileage was 20,000 for the original set tires, and 44,000 for the second set of tires. The current mileage on the vehicle is 48,000. The second set of tires is also making contact with the struts and need to be replaced. …
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.
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.
Tl 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.
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.
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.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other GTO years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2005 Pontiac GTO?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2005 Pontiac GTO, 30% of the model year's 154 complaints. The component named most often is sidewall (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Pontiac GTO wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2005 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 2005 Pontiac GTO wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 19,000 miles, and 73% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to wheels & tires 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.