TORNATIC!!

I was on I-16 on the way to the movies(Bourne Ultimatium) when all of the sudden I hear a loud POP! I started to lose control of the car and I slid into the left lane. I immediately slowed down but the car kept swerving. When I looked in the rear view and seen the smoke I knew the tire blew. Luckily I was near an exit ramp and got enough control of the car to guide her to a stop.

I have to thank GOD for watching over me because the highway was wet from raining all day, I was probably doing 70+, and there were cars around me. I mean the whole tire is shreded down to the rim!! It's defnitely not your average flat. Looking at the tire and the speed I was going I could've easily flipped over!!

I just got this '04 red/black a little over a month ago and all four tires had good tread on them when I bought it. The back right side tire that blew still has alot of tire left so my question what could have caused it??

I know the struts are on the front so it can't be that. Could it just have been a faulty tire?? I would appreciate any of you guys who had a similar incident happen or any advice yall could give me. I'm gonna see what my options are when I call the dealer tomorrow.

 

Red Bearded Goat

If you purchased a used GTO, the previous owner or dealer could have rotated the tires front to back and it may have been damaged by strut rub before you bought it .... check the inside edge of the other rear tire. Also, consider tire pressure ... last time you checked, accuracy of gauge used and to what pressure are you running? I use a digital pressure gauge that measures in half PSI increments and check it once a week or after changes of 10 degrees or more in the daily average temperature.

A rear blow out is harder to control than a front blow out. I've had both happen to me in other cars and it gets your adrenaline flowing. Glad to read you didn't loose it.

Red.

b_a_betterperson

^ RBG's right. You could have a strut rub car where the tires were rotated.

TORNATIC!!

I sincerly hope not. A few weeks ago I moved my steering wheel all the way to the left and the right to check the front tires for any sign of rubbing but I didn't detect any. I didn't check the back tires though. The previous owner could have had an alignment, changed the strut rub tires to the back and turned it in.

GTO JUDGE

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fergyflyer

Definately always put the better tires on the rear of a car.

I'll second, 3rd and 4th the strut rub, and checking the other back tire for any indications it was happening. If it does, the dealer you bought it from shouldn't have sold it as it was, it wasn't a safe vehicle. If it does have indications you should contact him for 2 tires and any wheel damage. If he's a stand-up dealer he'll fix it. If not you need to let everyone in the world know he sold you an unsafe car.

TORNATIC!!

The problem word of "strut rub" problems on GTO's has not got around enough yet so alot of these dealers wouldn't know what the hell your talking about any way. Before I bought the car I checked the tires and all of them had good tread. In fact the two front tires are damn near new.

GTO JUDGE

The strut rub problem has been going around now for 3 years. If the dealer has not heard anything of this they are either being less than honest, or have not worked on any GTO's. Tell them about it and If they say you are full of BS show them this article.....
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/13339904/detail.html

Further here is a link of a class action lawsuit started by people who have been affected.
http://www.pontiacgtoclassaction.com...contact_us.php

If they say they had no idea, they are in denial.

The Strut rub evidence will be on the INSIDE circumference of the tire. It will have a grove cut into the rubber. The wear marks ON THE strut will be evident as the paint will be burnished off. NO hiding it. Makes no matter what the tread life is.

Automaker Turns Over Records About GTOs Defects

POSTED: 2:05 pm EDT May 17, 2007
UPDATED: 8:16 am EDT May 18, 2007

[NEWSVINE: Automaker Turns Over Records About GTOs Defects]

CLEVELAND -- A major automaker is turning over records of a potential safety defect to the federal government, reported 5 On Your Side Investigator Ron Regan.

A 5 On Your Side investigation first reported the story three months ago, exposing a serious safety risk with the Pontiac GTO.

The investigation uncovered tires completely worn down to the steel belts. GTO's front struts have the potential to peel away the inside tire walls like a can opener, officials said.

Since 5 On Your Side's report, owners across the country in at least 13 states have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Those complaints include the mother of a teenage boy who died when his GTO crashed.

Government investigators sent a letter to General Motors asking for all information relating to tires that may fail suddenly.

GM has now turned over thousands of documents, including:

* Service histories
* Warranty claims
* Consumer complaints

For 40,000 GTOs manufactured between 2004 and 2006 from late February to today, owners continue to come forward.

Jason Sable is one of the first GTO owners to see the 5 On Your Side report. He remembered the day he nearly crashed after the struts carved into his tires.

"It scared me. If I had not caught that, it could have been that trip home that the tire could have blown out and put me into the sidewall," Sable said.

Dave Horst is another driver who also came forward as a result of the investigation.

"It was wearing toward where you would get the steel belts coming through in a short time," Horst said.

And Russ Motz is even having the struts on his GTO replaced entirely. He suspects three problems are contributing to the strut-tire failure. They include premature failure of suspension components, incorrect size tires and GM's lack of response to complaints.

After buying his GTO, he immediately knew something was wrong.

"I wasn't getting the normal vibration on the steering wheel," Russ said. "It was violently shaking in my hands. It's definitely a big safety issue. I mean, GM needs to step up and say, 'Yes, there's a problem' and come up with a fix for it."

Previous Stories:

* February 20, 2007: Government Opens Investigation Into GTO Defect
* February 20, 2007: Report Prompts Investigation Into Pontiac GTO

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Wing_Nut

I copied a previouspost of mine below. I had the same thing happen twice! Neither tire showed any signs of mechanical damage on the inner sidewall.

None of my OEM tires ever showed evidence of the dreaded strut rub in 25,000 miles. But the tires did suck.

I blew two of the OEM 245/17 tires on my GTO. Both were on the rear at the time of failure. And both failed at over 140MPH in separate incidents. Both were sidewall failures. Both were inflated to 34 PSI (before sidewall blowout). By the time I stopped the first time, the tire was dripping molten rubber and the entire outer sidewall was gone. The inner sidewall was fine. Sounded like a gunshot when that sucker let go. I've never had a sidewall failure on any other car. To be fair, I did beat the crap out of those tires. Hard launches in a 3,700 Lb car and spinning the tires is likely not endorsed by the manufacturer. Still, I'm done with BFG.

Amazingly, the GTO was easy to control and bring to a stop both times. Even more amazing, the wheels weren't damaged either time. Deceleration kept the weight off the rear end. Just took a while.

GTO JUDGE

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