Tyres ‘Too Wide’ on US Market Monaro

In the US the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) has called on the nation’s governmental motoring safety body, the NHTSA, to open an investigation into tyre failures and front suspension problems that have occurred on the 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The agency has received 65 complaints involving tyres on the 2004-2005 GTO, involving 8 blowouts and one crash. Many of these complaints cite tyre wear caused by contact with struts as the source of the failures. The problem seems to occur early in the lifespan of the vehicle, as a number of complaints cite mileages of less than 10,000 at the time of the failure.

The 2004-2006 GTO was manufactured by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia based upon the Holden Monaro, a vehicle also sold in the UK wearing the Vauxhall badge. The original Australian car was sold equipped with 235mm wide tyres, however the GTO sold in the United States was equipped with wider 245mm tyres. The larger width of the GTO tyre results in contact with the struts, wearing the tyre and creating a risk of tyre failures that can result in the loss of vehicle control. Additionally, many GTO owners have been forced to replace worn tyres and damaged struts at their own expense.

The 2006 Pontiac GTO was manufactured with redesigned front struts intended to eliminate the tyre wear problem. However, NHTSA has received more than 100 complaints of front strut failure in the 2006 model.